Pris Adventures: Dear Gabriel

We celebrated Gabriel's 3rd birthday last Saturday.

How did he get from this....

to this? That's his latest hairstyle courtesy of Daddy!

How could my second-born be a kindergarten kid already? To me, he will always be my baby.

Of all 3 boys, he seems the most Asian because of his tanned skin and fiery temperament. He used to be a pretty demanding baby and only the good Lord knows how I survived his first year. But now that he's well into his toddler years, he's been such fun to be with.

He talks so much these days - that's one thing I do miss about him. Since he started kindergarten, we no longer do leisurely breakfasts together anymore. I pack his breakfast, let him sleep in till about 8am and he has his breakfast at kindergarten around 9am.

1,095 days flew by just like that. He's such a little man now. I look back at the time and am always so thankful and grateful that my little boy could be Mummy's little boy for 3 whole years. Being a Mum is truly one of life's greatest blessings.

Seeing that his birthday falls in June, I expected to have good weather and so went ahead to invite people for a potluck picnic where the kids can play at the playground while the parents chill in the sun.

But to my utter despair, the days leading up to Gabriel's birthday and the days after were bright and sunny, but it wouldn't stop raining on his birthday. It was dark, gloomy and wet. I kid you not.

We settled for an indoor picnic instead and oh boy, am I so thankful that we kept the list of birthday attendees short! Our apartment just doesn't do big birthday parties well. The noise level of a children's birthday party goes through the roof.

After much deliberation, we decided to get Gabriel a play kitchen. Unfortunately, one week later, the kitchen is not up yet because one part was spoilt! We have contacted the manufacturer but have yet to receive a reply. Nevertheless, Gabriel is already over-the-moon with his kitchen accessories like a chopping board and vegetables!

Without further ado, here's my letter to Gabriel.

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Dear Gabriel

You turned 3 last Saturday.

We had an indoor picnic at home because of crappy weather and surprisingly you only had girls your age at your party! You're a friendly little boy but you do take some time to warm up to new faces. Bearing that in mind, we decided to keep your birthday party small because we didn't want to overwhelm you (and us) with a large number of children.

Much to your delight, Mummy made you your favourite salmon sushi. At first, I couldn't make the sushi fast enough because you kept eating whatever sushi I had made. In the end, Mummy had to hide the sushi from you for the sake of your guests.

You started kindergarten 2 weeks ago and took to it like fish to water. You look forward to going to kindergarten everyday and would even be disappointed if you couldn't go because you slept too late at night. We're still going through a period of adjustment at the moment because even though you enjoy kindergarten, you get so exhausted that you barely can make it through the afternoon without your afternoon nap.

However, if you do nap, you would fight your nighttime sleep until midnight! Mummy is still trying to figure out how to help you best without both of us going crazy. Help us to help you ok?

Being our second child, you have always been tagging along with your older brother's friends whenever we do playdates / playgroups. As such, you don't have many friends of your own but we know that its only a matter of time that you will find your own groove at kindergarten.

You seem like an audio person because you pick up words by singing. Mummy and Daddy have often been surprised at how you repeat songs that you have only heard on CD a few times. Oh and you love singing! We're thinking of signing you up for some music school.

You continue to have a very healthy appetite its such a pleasure to watch you eat anything and everything! One thing we've noticed about you is your sense of determination. You're pretty cautious by nature, so you would weigh your options before trying something new.

When we were in Legoland, which happens to be your new favourite place, we watched you scale a really high rope ladder thing. It took you so much determination to do that because you kept watching how the older kids did it before finally deciding to attempt it yourself.

Mummy's heart swelled with pride when she watched you scale that 2-storey rope wall. Once up there, you realized how high you were and started panicking a bit. Your older brother rushed over to "rescue" you and helped you to slide down the long slide back down.

You're talking a lot these days and it's so very interesting to have proper 2-way conversations with you. Like your older German brother, you're very interested in cars and have even started recognizing the different brands of cars on the streets. Your favourite pastime is lining up cars to indicate traffic jams!

Oh, you've started praying over your meals! Usually this is the job of your older brother, but you decided one day that you wanted to give thanks to God so you could start eating. You're usually the first one at the table and first one to eat. It was so heartwarming to hear you say a full prayer!

Our fiesty, determined, stubborn, strong-willed, funny, smart, talented 3-year old. We love you to the moon and back. May the Lord continue to guide your paths, expand your heart to love those around you, channel your determination to develop into a steadfast faith in God and fill your days with adventure, joy and zest for all things new!

Love,
Mummy & Daddy