Thank you for a Wonderful Evening

Dearest En...

This evening is one of the nicest i have had for a long time. And Mummy wants to say a big thank you again.
Although it was only a simple dinner, and the usual bedtime story, you have made it a wonderful night because you were just being yourself, the usual sensitive, curious and excite-able boy that you are..

For the past 2 weeks, there are times when you have been really boisterous. You seem to really love your imaginary guns and are shooting them with loud "Bom Bom bom" at everyone. The fights you and Xuan Xuan got into are hard to break up sometimes. And those times have been trying.

But tonight, it has been very nice simply because it was a peaceful evening, without fights and tears. Papa and i had thought that you are still in your terrible twos phase, but you surprised me this evening by reverting to the usual En that i know well and missed. None of the terrible two tantrums or demands.. maybe you just want a quiet evening with Papa and mummy too?

We went to Cafe 211 to have dinner, since you said that you want "to go shopping to have dinner". Papa ordered spaghetti to share some with you (as you already have your dinner) , and you also wanted to have some "cold cold orange juice".

When the orange juice came, you looked at the empty plate and asked "Where is the food?", looking bewildered. You are still learning the concept of time and duration, and I told you it will come soon. While Papa went to buy the mosquito zapper from the store while we waited for the food to come, in those moments, it was only the 2 of us. It was a lovely moment for me.

You and me seated across the table, as we talked and waited for the food to come.
When the food came, you ate the spaghetti all by yourself, and drank your orange juice using the straw. It was not too much of a mess except some noodles on the table and the red and orange-gy rim of spaghetti sauce around your mouth. But you used the fork and the spoon very well, nicely putting them aside when you wanted to drink your orange juice.

As we ate, in between your repeated question of "Where is Papa", you also told me about you fighting with Xuan Xuan in the day, and acted some more with your imaginary gun - shooting it at me, while i rolled my eyes at you, only to earn your mischievous grin. And we had a debate on who used a gun, and if the bad man used agun too. You adamantly shook your head and said a firm "NOooo! the soldier use the gun, bom bom bom!"

Some waiters walked past, doing a double take, at 2 of us, seated across from one another, having our meals and our conversation. Yes, it is almost like a date. You probably will not have much recollection of this years from now, but I will always remember this. This precious moment of our dinner date, between a mum of 31 and a boy of barely 3. And you were very adult throughout, saying "no" to my question of whether you needed help scooping the slippery spaghetti onto your spoon. The only thing I needed to help you with was to scoop more of Papa's spaghetti onto your plate and making the noodles shorter.

Halfway through the meal...
"I want a tissue" you said. Thinking you wanted to wipe your mouth, Papa passed it to you, only to have you attempt to wipe up the mess of noodles around the plate. This is our tidy En in action. After Papa helped you clear away the noodles, you happily resumed eating your spaghetti again.

Tonight, you said that you wanted to read the book of "101 words" - a book filled with photos of items and their names - much like a pictionary.

I jokingly asked you to read it to me instead, since you seem to have mastered most words in the book, and you gamely took it in your lap and said" Mummy, i read to you".

Starting with a photo of stones, you pointed to it and said "Stones... and I went to a seaside, and have a basket, and we have banana and food in the basket and we have a picnic". You were telling me about this imaginary picnic you have. And you told me also of the yummy fruits that you want to show me, flipping back and forth through the pages.

And you asked me if the picture of banana "is straight or crescent"? It took me a while to decipher the word 'crescent' (which sounded like 'passion', but when I did, I may have laughingly corrected you which I hope did not hurt your feelings. I know you did your best and I am really impressed with the words you used, the questions you asked and the stories you told me based one each of the different photos.

As I sat there, looking at you fervently flipping through the pages, pointing out one photo after another, and listening to you telling me stories, pointing out words, asking me questions, I was hurtled back to the days when you were only less than a year old when we first bought this thick thick book... And we were seated much the same, but it was me turning page after page, pointing out the pictures and reading out the names of the pictures to you, while you only looked on intently, never showing a sign if you would ever articulate the word or even understood the words that I was saying.

But today close to 2 years later, I know.
You have always understood what what I was saying. And today, you pointed to me the same pictures, saying the correct words and even embellished them with stories, comments and questions.

It is one of the most enjoyable stories i have ever heard. And from you, en en, when you are barely 3 year of age. Thank you for such a lovely good night tale, mummy really enjoyed it.
Then you proceeded to your nightly routine of calling Papa "NengJie" to pat you to sleep.
It is a habit which I hope you will stop, it sounds very strange for you to call Papa by his name, even though you said it so endearingly.

You had also told me you wanted to name Baby, Ye-Bao -Bom.. given your love for your imaginary gun used by soldiers.. it is a lovely thought though we will be hard pressed to find the right chinese word that will correspond to that BOM..

We had thought you were going through the terrible two phase again. We were exasperated with you numerous times last week. But today, mummy realised that maybe you just wanted attention from us, and to spend time as you used to, with only Mummy and Papa, without having to share with Xuan Xuan and little baby.

Yes, we probably overlooked how telling you about little baby may have affected you too.
But tonight, with just you, me and Papa, you have shown us again, that you are really a lovable and adorable boy. And we have every much enjoy these times with you, each and every nuance of it.

Thank you, Baby En, for a most wonderful night. One that I will cherish for keeps.
I love you lots
Mummy