Princess Elly

Yeah…..I call my little girl Princess. Who doesn’t??? She loves that I call her that . In fact she loves everything about Princesses….Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White …etc. Oh yes, her favourite is Snow White; she even has a SW costume that she wears to her never ending ( and costly!!) friends’ 3 years old birthday parties. So, I ask her,

Papa : Do you know why you are called Princess?

Elly: Why, papa?

Papa: Because your papa is King………..Ha! Ha! Ha!

Sorry…I love my own crap jokes. Luckily, my little girl loves my jokes too. She has a wicked sense of humour, you see.

I could still remember the day she was born. On my part, there was no overwhelming rush of emotions that you always read about when some one is recounting their experience at childbirth. I always thought that that is such a stereotypical response, and probably as a result of reading too many mushy women’s magazines.Bor-rriinnng!!. Instead, I breathed a sigh of relief and a silent prayer of thanks that to the Almighty that my little girl had arrived safely. Yes, we knew the sex of our baby from the ultrasound scans during my wife’s pregnancy. I see no point in not knowing. It certainly makes the exercise of deciding her name and buying her clothes much easier.

So, Elly it is. I decided on that name when I was reading an article about a brilliant consultant neurologist in London who is also a great musician. And before you start thinking that that is also what I aspire for my little girl, let me just stop you right there. To me, it was just a nice sound to that name, and more importantly, it is also short and uncomplicated. It should make her life easy in later life when she has to fill in all the forms. When I’m asked what her name is, I always say that it is Elly with a “y”, and not an “ie”. This is because Ellie is the short form of Eleanor, and that would not do, as it sounded so dated, so Pride and Prejudice, if you know what I mean.

Having said all that, I would not blame you if you are beginning to think that I am a boring old fart with no feelings for anything romantic. Far from it; I have always felt a deep bond with my little girl right from the start. For example, during the first night when we brought her back, she would calm down immediately as I held her and sang to her, “Titis embun…berjatuhan, malam sepi….tak berteman…..”; (heck, where did that come from??)....the song just floated from deep within the recesses of my memories. I didn’t even remember learning this song…it must have just seeped into my being from all those years ago as I grew up in Malaysia. The tune just lulled her back to sleep. We seemed to be able to communicate from the very beginning. I knew and understand her every cry and grunt. ( Wah…boasting only ah..ha..ha) Quite often, I would tell my wife what the problem was.

There were also other special moments that we shared together. Just this morning, she wanted me to paint her finger and toenails for her. A few weeks ago, as I was helping her to the potty for a wee wee , she suddenly said, “ I love you, papa”. Words just can’t describe how I felt (ok…ok…there might have been a tear welling up, and the throat was tight like I was experiencing an anaphylactic attack.....damn, where's my Epipen!!!) There are also times when she would come to me with something that she knew her mummy would not approve of. She would whisper into my ears and then said its our secret ( or “sikriiiitt” as she would pronounced it). We are now into making deals and shaking our hands on it. Little girl’s honour……….and once she shook her hands on it, she would keep her side of the bargain. I would also always treasure her look as she waves to me from the window of our lounge as I reverse my car out of the driveway to work each day. It sustains me through a busy day at work. She also never ceases to amaze me. I would discover something new about her every single day when she was a baby. From the time she was 12 months old, she knew how to operate the TV, video and DVD player. Her favourite programmes were Andy Pandy, Max and Ruby, Angelina Ballerina, Snow White, Cinderella and of late Mulan and Pocahontas.

Elly, with her toes painted.

During our recent trip to Malaysia, she had learnt how to play the card game “Uno”, from her cousins, Angeline and Ben. In fact, she then taught me how to play it herself. Not bad considering that the game is meant for an age target of 7+ and she is only 3 and very soon 4 years of age. She has also demonstrated her competitiveness through this game. She would insist on winning each time and would cry if she lost. Not wanting to spoil her and yet at the same time not wanting to break her spirit, I would allow her to have her cry; and when she has finished crying, I would encouraged her to try harder to win by using her brains; without making it any easier for her. Turn your tears into your strength, I would say.

So my little princess, I thank God each day for the little miracle that you are. You would always be your papa’s Numero Uno ( pun intended). It is a joy to see you grow. And yeah….can’t wait till the day that I can take you diving!