Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

I learn a lot from how eagles teach their little ones to fly.

Baby eagles are born high in the mountains and each time they are hungry, mommy eagle will fly out and bring back some food for them. The babies rest and grow in comfort week after week.

But then, one day … mommy eagle would just hover over the nest. With no food. It’d then dive into the nest several times and shake it violently.

And what comes next may seem unthinkable to many us.

Mommy eagle picks up one of the babies, starts to soar high into the skies and … drop the trembling eaglet down!

Just before the struggling eaglet hits the rocks below, the mommy would quickly sweep down and pick it up. It doesn’t last for long though as the mommy soars high up only to drop the eaglet down again.

This goes on for many MANY times.

And after the fifteenth tries or so, the eaglet … begins to learn how to fly.

Our days may be filled with many struggles and tough challenges. And there are SO many times when we feel we’re just … falling. But I try to learn from the eagles and how they teach the little ones to fly. At the time, the little eaglets may not understand the reason why it’s all happening, but mommy eagle does, and mommy eagle allows it to happen for the good of the little ones.

And you see, … GOD will always pick us up too. Hard times may come, but we’re never helpless nor hopeless when we put our trust in HIM.

Through tough times, we learn to cling onto HIS promises and HIS Words. And we learn to ‘spread our wings’.

Through struggles and challenges, we learn to grow in our faith. We learn how to be more patient, more kind, more sympathetic to others.

Through what seems to be a ‘discomfort’, … we learn.

…

…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Vai just LOVES to play peekaboo (just like any other babies in the whole wide world, I guess. Hehe).

Anyway. I’d usually use a thin piece of cloth and let it ‘fly’ up and down above him, letting the soft fabric touch his giggly face.

It’s cute to see how he always finds it a ‘surprise’ whenever my … hmm ‘overly-excited’ face suddenly comes close to his at the ‘boo’ part.

Other than the fact that it’s pure fun, playing peekaboo also lets the baby learn a concept known as ‘object permanence‘ (read: that objects and people still exist even if he can’t see them).

Cool!

The two kids have been spending time with their grandma these past 10 days.

It’s great that they get to play and spend time with her considering that she lives in Jakarta and comes over to Singapore only about twice each year.

To me, I think kids’ sense of identity is further strengthened too when they get to know other members of the family well too … grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins …

Vai’s close to 6 weeks old now and this is one of his developmental milestones he showed since he was about 4 – 5 weeks.

Some friends wrote to me after reading my post a few days ago (you know, the one about Vai looking like Anya). And most said that Vai does look like Anya when she’s little…

Actually if I think about it there are times when Vai DOES look like Anya when she’s a baby. But many other times he just looks so different.

I do agree with everyone though who says that Vai’s look is ‘masculine’.

Anyway, here are photos of Anya and Vai. I just thought they look ‘quite similar’ in these photos.

See if you can tell which one is Anya and which one is the brother. Hehe.

Anya and I tried making this ‘jellyfish’ today (one of the ideas from Kids Craft Weekly).

But instead of cutting strips of clear plastic bags or using stuff bought at craft shops, I simply used white scrap paper, cut it to a few long strips and used it as the jellyfish’s dangly bits.

Other than cutting the paper, Anya did the rest. One hand holding the strip of paper, the other sticking it to the small paper plate.

I can see how she concentrated during the whole process. And how she learned to coordinate her tiny fingers.

After she completed the ‘jellyfish project’, I asked her to show it to everyone at home. She’s soo proud and sheepishly smiled to everyone.

Verbally praising her efforts in completing the project sure has encouraged her to create, try and do more in the future.

My eldest sis and her son Travis are in Singapore for the a few days, and Anya sure is enjoying their company. Especially her cousin.

She slouched towards her cousin. Wanted to carry a backpack when we all went out … just like him. She wasn’t even willing to let him go back to the hotel afterwards.

Good thing they’re staying with us for two days over the weekend, so Anya can spend most of her time playing with him too.

Aaah, I guess she longs to have someone to play with around the house (and Vai is just a liitttle bit too small right now)

And oh, it’s Travis’ 10th birthday today! Happy birthday li’l nephew!!!

>> Went to the doctor today to monitor Vai’s jaundice. Well, apparently his jaundice level is now 12.5 (not really much of an improvement since last Sunday).

The paediatrician actually thought it would ‘bounce’ back up when we decided to take Vai home instead of letting him stay at the hospital for one more day.

But Vai was actually okay and so we just need to continue with the ‘neon lights treatment’ at home AND hope for more morning sunlight too.

Aaah … basically I’m just glad he’s slowly getting better.

>> And oh, a big congratulations to our friends Astrid & Ivan! Astrid gave birth to baby Noah today. A huge 4.1kg baby boy! Normal delivery too! Well done, Mommy! *smile*

>> And last but not least … here’s Anya with some snoopy thingy on her head! A friend of ours gave it to her. Haven’t quite checked what it was. I think it was some kind of a pouch … but she managed to turn it into a silly hat! Hehe.