Learning to Sleep without the Diaper and Other Signs of Maturity

Dear Aidan,

Going back to school after all those holidays was tough. Even Papa had the blues returning to work. But you've been adapting really well. And I can see that this year, you're enjoying school a lot more.

I guess you're growing up.

Another sign is that you've now comfortable napping without a diaper on. You still say 'No' for your nighttime sleep though, although there have been times when Mama 'forgot' to change you into your diaper and you woke up dry.

Who shall I be today?

With a kid like you, lots of patience and well-timed coaxing are required. And I guess I'll have to just keep trying.

I still remember how you only agreed to poo in the toilet bowl when you were 3+. And it took a few months of encouragement before you decided for yourself that your bottom would not fall into the bowl along with the poo if you emptied yourself there.

Erm, there are other kids here, Mama...

Bane killed me...

The obsession with superheroes has truly set in, by the way. I would say it began sometimes end of last year - around October - when you started to pit your Hot Wheels cars against each other during play-time. Plus, Cars taught you plenty about the good and bad guys (along with many other Disney cartoons you've watched); remember Chick Hicks, who tried to bump Lightning McQueen off the track during a race?

As you get older, you may learn that not all good guys are perfectly good, and the same goes for the mean ones. We ourselves are not always well-behaved, are we? :) But I'll explain that to you later when we get 'there'.

Back to superheroes. Ever since Grandma and Grandpa got you the Batman and Superman shirts, you've been asking for superhero underpants too. Thankfully, Grandma got you a pack of Spiderman ones way back when you were just a little over a year old. Because Cheeks, these character underpants are not cheap. It's a bit silly to spend so much on inner-wear. And I agreed to a pack of Batman ones only because it was your birthday. (Yup, you must be the only 4-year-old who got underpants from his parents for his birthday!)

You've also begun to put on the Superman cape Poh-Poh had sown up for you. She actually gave that to me to keep last year, a few months before the superhero bug bit you. So I'm just so glad I'm able to take it out now and put a smile on your face. It's so nice to see how much you love it because you'd wear it to the playground and even to the coffee-shops when we eat out.

(Of course, by the time you get to read this blog, you may be horrified to know that you did stuff like this and that your Mama actually allowed it to happen. But honey, you're only young once, and childhood is when you should least care about what others think about you!)

Yeah, it's no big deal helping an old person cross the road!

Sometime late March, we celebrated Papa's birthday at a little open-air Italian restaurant on Sentosa Island. This time, you generously took $50 out of your savings to contribute to Papa's special dinner. It's really nice to see you and Papa bonding so well. Although you still try to escape Papa's wet, stubbly kisses at bedtime.

Look, we're here for Papa's birthday and they gave him a special...dish!

We made a short trip to KL this month to visit Grandpa and Grandma. And it was nice to see that you're beginning to understand what it means to care about people. When we asked if you could hold Grandpa's hand and help him cross the road as his legs were not very good, you did so without complaint. I know Grandpa walks really slowly, and that's precisely why we were proud of you. You weren't impatient, even for a boy who bounces and sprints about.

All these signs of maturity in you have been making Mama yearn for a sibling for you. I look back at those old videos and pictures of you when you were 1-2 years old and I miss the baby-ness, the struggle to form sentences, the clumsy waddle and run. This makes me wonder if my yearnings are for selfish reasons (what I miss) or that we want you to have someone to talk to when Papa and Mama get older and 'arrangements' need to be made (what you need).

But what I am sure of is, you do brighten up whenever Saturday comes and it's time for Sportball with Theo. You would always ask if we could have lunch with his family after the 1-hour session. In addition, you've also been asking if you could play at his home and Anshika's (our neighbour) too.

The other day, after Mama and Papa took you with us to the fertility clinic, you asked if I was sick. And when Mama explained to you that we were just asking the doctor about the best ways to have a baby, you immediately said you wanted a little brother to play with.

I take these to be signs that you'd love a playmate and I hope that you'll like having a sibling if Papa and Mama do manage to give one to you. Well, despite the little fights and arguments you'll definitely be having, of course!

Books we have been reading include: Hello Tilly (Polly Dunbar), Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld), and You're a Hero, Daley B (John Blake and Axel Scheffler).

Daley B tickles you quite a bit!

(Note: We found out from your Drama Teacher, Miss Gemma, that she had asked you this: "So who lives with you at home?". Apparently your answer was, "My daddy and mummy and me...and maybe a little brother or sister soon. But not yet." Oh dear.)