Salma's new room (with photos)

We've just moved into our new house in Subang, and for the first time, Salma has her very own room! (Instead of having an unused guest room.) My husband bought a very nice shade of light, creamy green (Nippon Paint's Colour of 2009), and painted the room in just one night. And then he did some touching up the next day. I had bought some nice Korean wall stickers from a flea market, and also those foam floor coverings at Carrefour, so while she was at school, we covered the floor with the jigsaw puzzle pieces of the floor foam, and stuck the stickers on the wall. Then we unpacked her toys and moved her bed into the room. I had also bought some really big cushions for her to lie on a week before, and we brought those in, too.

Then 6pm came around, and it was time to pick her up, and we were so excited to show her the room. I told her that there was a big surprise for her, and I could tell that she understood what the word "surprise" meant, and she looked nervous, and sucked on her index finger. Then her dad did a very big thing of opening the door and surprising her and letting her into the room, and she walked in and was just amazed! There were stickers of cats on the wall, an animal that she adores but is totally afraid of, and she was acting all mengada-ngada, going up to the cat, and giving a fake scream while holding her face, and making us laugh while she was at it, but I knew by doing all that acting, she really really really liked her new room! (The pics I posted are not so good quality because it's been transferred from my husb's phone to my phone then to email)

She started playing with her toys and reading her books, all in her own space. And now I teach her to play and read only in her room. Not in the living room, not in the kitchen, not in my bedroom, just in her room. So now after school, the first place she asks me to bring her to is her room. She even asks to have her snacks in her room. Which I did, but I have strict rules about washing hands before and after and cleaning up crumbs. She likes to wash hands.

Yesterday, she fell asleep after breastfeeding in her room. I think she intended to only take a quick break while playing, but she ended up falling asleep. I took the opportunity to do the laundry during that time she was napping. When she woke up, she found out she had fallen asleep in her room by herself and got quite mad at herself! She was complaining and crying in her own language, but I think she rather liked sleeping in her room. We are planning to introduce a big girl's bed, but not so soon. But when the time comes, she will have to sleep in her own bed, in her own room, and not in the master bedroom anymore. That will be a milestone!