Ian is Finally 3!

Finally 3!

Ian turned 3 yesterday! (Well I turned a year closer to mid-thirties too, but let's pretend I'm still 28!)

Where do I even start with his milestone review??? I mean, Ian has grown leaps and bounds from when he was 2. (I miss that little 2 year old baby!) His vocabulary has grown and he has lost a lot of his pelat dialect. For instance, it used to be "Where yoying?", but now it's clearly "Where are we going?" He used to call himself "Ian Inina" but now he protests whenever we call him that. It's "Ian Iskandar"! And just yesterday he corrected himself - "Where's Poyon card, eh Po-ke-mon card?" *giggles*

Ian's quite the chatterbox too. Unlike Aiden, he is bilingual, but with a preference for English. (He can even use the word -lah correctly!) He has an improved diction and an amazing grasp of basic grammar. It is significantly easier to understand his wants, as he is able to form longer sentences (three words or more) to make himself understood. If he really likes something, he can even say "Ian like this one" or "Ian nak bawak (balik)" (I want to bring this home.) He can also ask for help: "Mummy, help... tablet" (Mummy, help me turn on the tablet).

Here are some of his pelat dialect, most commonly used when he was 2.5 years old, that are just too cute to forget: Hetetote (helicopter), Achum (thank you), Momest (Thomas or Transformers), Fawer (flower), Wegow (Lego), Jombi (Zombie), Oyeo (Oreo), Nano (Piano). He can also do basic Malay words: Chakit (sakit), Tumpah, Hujan, Aju (baju), Asik (nasi).

He also knows his Ps and Qs. He will automatically say thank you whenever the situation deems it. If something happens (say he bumps himself into something) and we ask, "Are you ok?", he'll answer quite politely, "I'm pine (fine)". If I am the one grumbling over something, he'll ask cautiously, "What appen Mummy?" (What happened, Mummy?) He also has an incredible eye and ear for details.

Apart from verbal skills, his physical skills have expanded significantly too. Ian is definitely more adventurous than Aiden. He confidently climbs slides and jumps into kiddy swimming pools. He can take his own cup and get a cup of water from the water dispenser. He can also take his own UHT milk from the fridge! This conversation happened as I'm typing this post:

Ian: Nak milk...
Mummy: Go ahead.
Ian: (In the) fridge?
Mummy: Yes...
Ian: *opens the fridge* Takde lah... Milk is gone.
Mummy: Where is the milk?
Ian: (It's) not in the fridge!

But the one thing that hasn't grown in Ian, is his appetite. He doesn't eat any rice or noodles at all. He lives on roti canai, bread and cheese (rarely), cereal with milk, cookies (Oreo being his favourite), fries, desserts (chocolates, cake and such), and of course, susu. He loves things that are crunchy, hence he enjoys the pleated sides of a karipap, keropok, and potato chips.

As I mentioned briefly in a previous blogpost, he stopped going to school. Despite just turning 3 yesterday, he will have to join the four year olds in just a month's time. Hubby and I are still on the fence about registering him to kindy, especially since he's so adamant about not going to school. He doesn't even want to look at his school uniform, nor even walk past his school. That, and also because he's justttttttt turned 3 and I cannot imagine him socializing with the four year olds. But then again, if given a choice I wouldn't want to go to school either. Hmmm... perhaps I'll compromise by registering him mid-year?

Despite not going to school, he can correctly identify all upper case alphabets, basic numbers 1-10 and colours. This is a significant leap from where Aiden was at the same age. (Aiden was still struggling with alphabets when he was 5.) He naturally knows which shoe goes to the left or right, despite none of us teaching him the basics. Ian recognizes my type of car and Hubby's type of car on the road, and can correctly identify them even on billboards. Ian also loves identifying petrol stations (dah mak bapak orang minyak kannnnn). Whenever he sees a Shell petrol station, he'll call out, "Mummy's office!" And soon after that he himself had an office (Petronas), Daddy had one (Petron), Babang had one (BP) and Achik (my SIL) had one (Caltex). Future Petronas engineer coming up? InsyaAllah, Amin....

Ian loves his big brother, Aiden. Although he will never admit it (if you ask him, "Ian love Babang?" He'll answer "No!") but they are actually the best of buddies with a somewhat symbiotic relationship. Aiden needs Ian to accompany him to the toilet (Aiden is such a scaredy cat) while Ian needs Aiden to be beside him to sleep at night.

The loving siblings. See the spontaneous hug Aiden gave Ian during Ian's birthday party (stay tuned for that blogpost)...

Ian is and always have been, an easy toddler. He rarely cries or whines, and even if he does, it is easy to distract him or coax him to stop. Ian is a very giving person too. He's not shy to give hugs and kisses, even to people he has never met before. When asked, he will typically give a kiss on both cheeks, forehead and even a smack on your lips! He has no qualms about sharing his food with just about anyone who asks (except for his Babang... sibling rivalry). Talking about sibling rivalry, Ian is still very strong minded. He doesn't mind squabbling with Aiden until he gets his way. He is very quick with his hands too - I've seen him give his big brother quite a few quick smacks.

Occasionally, he will demand to wear a certain particular shirt or pants. (Aiden never went through this phase, he's typically content with whatever we put on him.) Ian also insists on having everything his brother has (also, everything his brother wants). Kesian Aiden, he still has to mengalah every time. I find myself having to buy two of everything; Happy Meals, toys, books... even food! Ian is still very much a Lego fan; he can sit independently for quite a bit, constructing different types of contraptions with his Duplo. And just two months ago, he finally understood the concept of smiling at the camera! I hope we catch more photos of him smiling - as you can see from my blog header, he usually gives out a sullen face.

Other random things... he's slowly transitioning out of the need for afternoon naps. Not shy to admit that he's tired and sleepy, "I'm tired... nak sleep". Loves going "opping" (shopping) and doesn't regard going to Jaya Grocer as a proper shopping trip to the mall. Still not potty trained. *aaaccckkk* Insists on getting some powder on his face whenever he observes me put on make up. Sang "Happy birthday" on repeat throughout the entire month of November (for obvious reasons). Blows out candles with pursed lips (too funny)! Loves Play Doh (which I've since banned from our home).

Well, that's all I can pour out in this already very lengthy post. I hope Ian will one day look back and read these milestone review posts, and see how much joy he brought to our lives. Happy 3rd birthday Ian Iskandar. We all love you sooooo much!