Marcus @ 6 years 7 months old

I can't believe it sometimes that my first born is almost 7 years old. Evident from the pictures we took of him recently, he has gradually shed the image of a preschooler and is now fast entering another phase of growth. 

At 115 cm, he is hardly among the tallest in his cohort. In the recent years, he has also lost every ounce of fat there ever was underneath his skin and is now just a lanky boy.

Within his skinny frame lies a real big heart and a sentimental soul. So kind and gentle that he won't even consider hurting an ant or pull a leaf off a branch. Such is the true nature of my beautiful boy. 

March '11 at Kota Kinabalu: drenched from jumping waves

Marcus is also very affectionate. He displays his affections for people he loves readily and expresses them through words and lots of actions. He plants kisses on my hands (like an English gentleman :>) and cheeks and tells me he loves me. He leaves me little notes with I Love You, Mummy messages. When we are out and about, he almost always holds my hand and sits close to me. Sometimes, he rests his head on my arm when we are seated waiting for something. 


Taken in Oct '10. Day of his K2 concert. 



Taken in Feb '11 on the Ducktour.

In the last two years, I often wonder if I had spent enough time with him. It is easy to leave him alone because he is so good at keeping himself entertained with his hobbies and interests. He doesn't come to me for attention or help normally as he knows how to meet his basic needs. Since our kitchen is out of bounds for the kids, I serve him the three meals and snacks. Other than that, he is independent enough throughout the day. 

He is enjoying school now and has gotten used to the long school hours. He goes about his morning routine in 50 minutes with no complains before strolling downstairs to wait for the school bus. Even for the few minutes wait, my bookworm always arms himself with a book of his choice and is happy to sneak in some reading time wherever he is.

To my joy, he has turned out to be very self-motivated in his own achievements. He would come home announcing excitedly what he called 'good news' to us. Just last week, he informed us that he is in the top 3 of his class for all subjects and is aiming to maintain that standard. I'm pleased that he is learning to benchmark himself against the best and is motivated to work towards his own goals. 

After school, what's left of the day is usually spent between home-learning, drawing, reading and playing with Lego. He always enjoys some boys' style play with his brother everyday, whether in the comforts of home or outdoors.

Though they disagree and fight often like every pair of siblings, their love for each other is obvious and heartwarming to watch. Overall, he is still very much the protective big brother though his little sibling is no longer a pushover either.

Just the other day after his tennis lesson, a much older (maybe Primary 5) boy accidentally bumped into M. N was nearby and he immediately went up to the P5 boy with a raised voice and arms on his hips. 'Why did you bump into my brother, huh? Did you not see him standing here?'. The P5 boy was slightly amused at being told off by this smaller kid and apologised to M. If N didn't intervene, I suspect M would have just brushed it off, given his good nature, instead of confronting the big kid for apology.

He is really into making faces for the camera and clowning around in front of us. It makes me wonder if this has to do with a perceived need to remain cute or is it just something he really enjoys doing.  It can be so hard just to get a picture of him with a straight expression. 

M's favourite outdoor activities are still dips in the pool and visits to playgrounds or the beach. He especially loves picking up seashells from the beach. I must really get him a treasure box for him to keep all his favourite things.

A few days ago, a thought crossed my mind as I watched him alight the school bus. He always has this mega grin when he sees me waiting for him and the moment he reaches me, he would lean very close to me as we walk back to the lift hand-in-hand. Such days won't last forever. 

I must appreciate our time together more and cherish his smallness.