2009 Family Newsletter

2009 has gone by very quickly for Chang’s family. While Boon Hong often wondered how time gone by so fast, Meredith frequently claimed that she wants to grow up quickly so she can do things bigger kids do. Meredith had a rather eventful year after coming back from Malaysia. She struggled with several episodes of asthma attack in September. She now uses a nebulizer daily to inhale her asthma medication and tends to get sick easily with weather changes. On the bright side, Meredith is learning how to communicate her feeling with her mother every single day. She would let her mother know that she doesn’t appreciate her mother for cutting short her school hours from full day to half day. She was also upset when her mother picks her up an hour earlier on Wednesday because that’s when the lawn was mowed and the pollen level is higher. She doesn’t yet understand that her mum wants her to be like any other kids and is sad to hear her says that. Meredith loves attending school and she has a very close friend in her class whom she loved to play with. She talks about her friend almost every day after returning from school. One funny story is Meredith often swaps shoes with her friend in school. Still, Meredith’s favorite time is spending quality time with her dad at night as she gets to pick books for her dad to read for her. She has a good bond with her dad, and she has stated before that she never ever like her dad being away from home in her broken English one day. This certainly melted her dad’s heart and this sweet statement of Meredith will go with her dad for a long time. Many friends have quizzed us about how Meredith gets along with her little brother. I would say their relationships are tense, combative and sweet and fun all at the same time. They fight constantly and tears are often streaming down Isaac cheeks as he pointed towards “Jie Jie” as Meredith wins almost every fight at this stage. Isaac has grown more assertive compared to a year ago. Isaac learnt how to complaint to his mother by saying “Jie Jie” and then pointing his head or run towards his mother while his sister tried to take away his toy. Sometimes, they played so well and the room is filled with laughers. Isaac is a happy toddler and has great personality that makes us laugh all the time. While he is not good at expressing himself verbally (he can only mumble a few words), he is very good at expressing himself comically. Isaac loves to imitate. We were watching American football on TV where players crashed and tumbled all over each other. tackled Isaac soon found a ball, and started running around the house, throwing himself on the floor every few steps like the NFL players. Isaac seems to understand everything we said. He dances, pick things up, perform his comic routine, and repeats words at our command.
Boon Hong is still the cook, babysitter, mommy, and toy pick up person in Chang’s family. She has enjoyed her time at home and being able to watch her kids grow daily. She enjoys the peaceful moment even more when both Meredith and Isaac play together nicely. Boon Hong is also very grateful this year for her family to come visit her. After living in the US for 13 years, Boon Hong’s parents and her sister finally come to visit her for the first time. They stayed for a month, took a tour of California and went on a road trip to Smoky Mountain and Atlanta. Boon Hong would cherished this very special month with her family for a long time.