She's 4

Last week, you turned 4.

It has been 4 years since you entered our lives & it has never been the same again. Your arrival wasn't planned but we wouldn't have it any other way. Sadly I don't remember much of the early days but I do remember that I'd enjoyed you as a baby.

Fast forward 4 years later & even though, it's a bigger challenge now, I'm still delighted at how you turned out. You are affectionate & I only have to pout my lips before you'll come running to plant me a kiss & give me a big hug. I hope it will be a long time more before you'll think it's not cool to hug & kiss your parents all the time.

You always know what you want exactly the way you want it. Which is perhaps why you want to do everything yourself - your father & I cannot decide which one of us you inherited this from. At 4, you can dress yourself from head to toe without help & have been doing it for months now.

You started speaking only after 2 & now there is not a single quiet moment when you are around. When you are not annoying the hell out of your parents with your relentless questions, you would be constantly talking or singing to yourself or to your toys. At the moment, you speak a mixture of French & English which is adorable at times & frustating at others. I suppose only someone who understands both languages would know what you are trying to say. It's my fault you don't speak any Chinese but you seemed to have developed an interest in it & would often ask me how to say something in Chinese. Let's hope you'll pick more of it up when we are back in Singapore next month.

Although you're an only child, you've never been selfish - ever willing to play or look after the younger ones & sharing your toys. I know you would make a great older sister & believe me, we would like to expand the family too. Let's just say, we're still trying.

Being a child of ours, you have always been interested in food. From when you were 14 months old, I started feeding you whatever we were eating. There's not much you won't eat. I smile whenever anybody were to ask you what's your favorite food & you would happily say "shabu shabu" & then get annoyed cos how could anybody not know what shabu shabu is. Well you have to understand that you're probably the only kid around here that eats sushi, tortilla or lor bak goh.

Boy, do you love animals.....You insist on petting any animals you come across - be they dogs, cats, goats or horses. You can remember all the names of the dogs in the neighbourhood but cannot name the boys who stayed with us for one week in the summer.

There is still so much I want to say but I will leave that for another time. The only thing I do want you to know is that we love you very much & we're very proud to be your parents.

Love,
Maman & Papa