Over the weekend, we brought Isaac to his first MacDonald's birthday party. Despite my reservations about MacD's (the kids are rarely allowed to eat at MacDonald's because I don't think the food is healthy for the kids), I was happy to take Isaac and Joy to the fourth birthday party of one of his classmates at nursery.
He really enjoyed himself, I think, from the looks of it. They had Happy Meals, played games, and lined up for their goodie bags. I am sure it will make his little friend very popular back at school.
Isaac spit out the cheeseburger after he took a bite of it, but polished off a load of fries and a few chicken nuggets. He seemed to prefer the plain water from his water bottle to the cold Milo, which was fine with us.
Joy was the rubbish dump, trying and eating everything on the table. Ronald the clown would have been proud of my little McMuffin. All in all, a nice and pleasant Saturday afternoon spent.
By the time we got home, Isaac was bushed. He had an art lesson just before the party and so the whole Saturday afternoon went by without his usual nap.
A few weeks ago, Mommy signed him up for a children's art class organised by the Resident's Committee, since he liked to draw so much. It was very affordable, $50 for 2 months, so I reckon it must be subsidised. It is conducted by a very dedicated Mr Lee, an elderly gentleman who used to teach at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. I brought him to the class earlier that afternoon, and helped him to lay out his paper and oil pastels. It was a side of my son I rarely see. Him sitting quietly at the table, waiting for the teacher to begin. The time spent at nursery must be giving him a little structure in his life.
Night falls at our household. Time for bed. It's been a week since we moved Faith to sleep with her siblings in the other room. When Joy arrived, we placed Joy in the cot in the same room as Isaac, and Faith slept with us. The maid would bring Joy over for the night feeds in those days.
But it was time to teach our six-year-old girl to sleep on her own. Not an easy task considering that she cannot talk, and we were not sure she understood what we told her. She didn't need to talk for us to know she didn't like the idea. Autistic kids tend to be very routine driven, and any change to their routine can be very hard for them to accept.
Still, I told Mommy that Faith had to start sleeping on her own bed, and Mommy reluctantly agreed. Mommy tossed and turned for the first night. I don't know who missed who more. Daughter or mother.
Faith woke up crying at 2am on the first night, and the maids spent an hour with her, till she returned to sleep. The second night, Faith woke up at 4am. She seems to be getting more used to it, though she still resists at bedtime, choosing to run into our room, making a whining crying sound in protest.
That night, I gently guided her back to her new bed, and told her Papa would keep her company till she slept. I am not sure if she understood that, but she slept in the end.
As Grandma says, "Kids are very resilient, they will adapt."
I reckon that applies even to autistic children, though that may take longer.
After the kids slept, I took my new ride out for a spin, a 2007 Kona Lana'i hardtail mountain bike. It's an entry-level mtb but after riding a heavier 10-year-old Diamondback Sorrento Sport I borrowed from my younger brother, the Lana'i was like the wind. My mom says it's mid-life crisis, but I quite enjoy riding on the road at night. And it's cheaper than buying a sports car.
On Sunday night, after another full day with the kids, doing the usual like visiting the in-laws, the wife and I finally found some time alone, close to 10pm. I took my cap back from Joy, and drove to the mall near by. In "celebration" of Mothers' Day, we ate some gelato we bought at the closing mall, and ate it at the almost vacant hawker centre next door. Not quite a swanky restaurant outing but we enjoyed the quiet moment to catch up. Mommy didn't like the Black Sesame flavour she chose though. It was not like the Japanese one she tried elsewhere.
We ended the evening watching some Heroes (damn, it's getting exciting as the season ends) and the wife fell asleep while I droned on about my theories about the show.
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