Presenting... Chloe & Sunny

After living under the same roof for 21 months, including the time she spent in my tummy, this is the first time Chloe and Sunny get so up close and personal. We have never let them socialize as we heard a fair bit of horror stories about jealous doggies attacking babies. Not that I don't trust Sunny but he is a little frisky, easily excited and jealous boy who would growl and bark at Simon when he plaster himself next to me on the sofa.

Well, I thought it is time to introduce them properly, since Chloe is very curious about Sunny these past few weeks. Then yesterday, Sunny did something really funny. While we were at the dining table, he walked to me, flipped over to show his tummy, started cycling in the air and sing! Ha! Chloe just stared at him and started giggling and waving her hands. A really adorable scene.

And today, he did the same thing again! So I thought hey why not just let Chloe down on the floor. So very cautiously, I get Sunny to sit and stay, keeping my arms around Chloe, I put Chloe down next to Sunny. Guess what? He planted a big kiss on her face and Chloe did not flinched at all. She gave her first kiss to Sunny!!

They chased each other around the dining table a little before ending up here. They did a Bollywood dance, Sunny going round the table and Chloe turning her head left and right looking for him. Sunny's not at all interested in Chloe after he got a treat.

Chloe looking at Sunny, trying to stroke him. That greedy boy is more interested in the crumbs than Chloe.

And Chloe is venturing to the kitchen. See, they are not interested in each other anymore other than the 5 minutes earlier on. Both had different agenda on their mind. The bin and the food tray.

Chloe pulling out the bag of potatoes and Sunny going out to pee.

Their first play date ended in a good note so let's hope they can go for walks together soon.

Abstract Art

What happened when you hand a baby your mobile phone? Either they call the police or you get some interesting pictures. Chloe did presses 999 but did not dial it so we did not have the police come knocking on our door. Phew!

Looking at things from a different angle can be quite interesting. Bottom left is the stairs leading to the roof garden, the side table and her car ride. As for the piece of flesh, I still can't figure out whose is it? Chloe's chubby leg or the back of my fat thigh. Hmm...

Chloe, the photographer and subject.

This one is definitely her chubby thigh cos I saw her taking this shot.

She paused for a moment after this one cos of the flash.

Then she move on the the floor and took this, the play mat.

I guess mobile phone, remote controls, laptops, cordless phone, ipod and cameras are the new age babies playthings. ;)

What's For Lunch?

Food! It is not easy trying to feed a baby as it involved many factors, elements, whatever etc to make sure she enjoys and eats her food. She needs to be in a good mood, the food must be to her liking, there's toys to fiddle with and of course she must be hungry. If any of the following is compromised, that's it, we have 'Miss Swatter' flinging her hands, pursing her lips refusing any more of it. No negotiation.

So we introduced new stuff every other day or the same but cooked differently. Steam, grill, boil, stew or bake them. She may eat bread yesterday but not today so it's tricky, sometimes I think it's like gambling, whether you pick the right cards. :)

Recently, she's showing great interest in what we eat and wants to eat from our plate, presuming that it should taste better than her own food. So yes, it saves me some time as well and it's easier to feed her cos she's more willing to eat.

Ta-da! Macaroni and broccoli in a cute pink bowl. Macaroni boiled in pork + carrot + corn + dried scallop broth and steamed broccoli. My efforts were met with a 'Huh? What's that curly, wormy thing doing in my bowl?' expression. I picked one up and shook it a little before popping it into my mouth to show her that it's not only fun but yummy. Alas! She chose the broccoli instead. Well, better than nothing, right?

Thank goodness, she loves her veggies! Broccoli, carrot, potato and spinach. Rest assured, she's enjoying it though she don't look too happy, this is the 'I just woke up' look.

She did pick up the macaroni in the end but mashed it up and fed some to Sunny. Lucky boy! He's always loitering around Chloe's chair during meal times cos he knows he's sure to get treats from her or he'll just stand up and look for it on her foot rest.

In the end, I gave her the 'back up' food. Porridge.

Papa and Mama

I'm waiting and still waiting for Chloe to call me 'mama', 'mummy', 'ma' doesn't matter which one so long as she associate the word with me. Well, it is happening and not happening, confusing, yah. At least, I think she gets it but is just not saying it right in my face. 12.10 am, today (must note the exact timing, significant moment) she babbled 'mama, mama, mama, mama' at the top of her voice. Yes, midnight in her cot, bouncing, walking, babbling at the top of her voice and not sleeping. Okay, she did 'papa, papa, papa' too but not too important cos she said this long ago. Anyway, I was so thrilled that I woke a half asleep Simon by smacking him 'Did you hear that? She said 'mama''. And I got a reply praising her little girl, 'Chloe, you called mama? Yeah! So clever!'

Hmm... she has not repeat that again despite my many attempts of tapping my chest and saying 'mama'. It is the best and nicest sound I've ever heard, never mind the fact that it is just her baby babble. I love it! :)

Playing with the remote control, enjoying advertisements on T.V.. She likes commercial breaks and some of the advertisement jingles.

Latest Food Craze

Seaweed! The 'in' thing with Chloe, she loves it. She saw me munching the dark green 'paper' and started staring, first the seaweed then me. Then she started bouncing on her feet, making very excited 'ah, ah' sound. So, I wiped the salt off a piece and gave it to her (It's the Korean type). Whee! She rip it off and chew it up in seconds. Second piece, third... burp. She had 3 big pieces of seaweed at one go. How I wish it was something more filling and nutritious.

Back to the seaweed, the Japanese seaweed sold in the Japanese food section in supermarkets are 'Product of China', funny right? I felt a little cheated paying for more something Japanese but produce in China. Eeeks! So, I normally buy the Korean brand, 'Produce in Korea'. :)

The food challenge is back again. Miss Chievous wants to feed herself, she has discovered the fun and enjoyment of eating her own food by herself, picking up bits and pieces of food with her fingers. Steamed broccoli (aka little trees), carrots, potatoes, fish, cheese, avocados, rice are some of her favorite food now. Rice is a little time consuming to eat cos she will press on each grain to make it stick on her finger then put it in her mouth. We will be trying baby sushi and macaroni tomorrow.

Totally unrelated to the food subject here but here's how Chloe spend a sunny afternoon. Crawling around the balcony, smacking ants, crushing dried leaves and getting her chubby knees black and dusty. Papa will be proud! Ha ha.

Eileen said that she looks like she just finished spinning in hip-hop dancing. Probably, except they don't stick out their tongue.

Very engrossed. Must never take your eyes off her, she has tried climbing up the bars.

The subject of attention. The workers are changing new bulbs for the lamp post and Chloe actually waved back when the worker waved at her.

Grandpapa's Birthday

Happy birthday to Grandpapa!

Yesterday, we celebrated Grandpapa's birthday at a Chinese restaurant. We had fun and lot of laughter, so much so that a pair of diners actually asked for a changed of table 10 minutes after they are seated. Gulp! :)

Picture time since we are early...

The 2 inevitable poses Chloe would have in the recent photos are 1. clapping 2. sticking out her tongue. Strange, I never taught her that, I just showed her how the snake in the book hisses and the tongue... oops, it's me again.

If you notice that 2 shining patches near her nose, it's not some kind of shimmer from M.A.C. It's her mucus, she smeared it all over before I get the chance to wipe it off. Now you know how to achieve that radiance glow naturally without much effort and cost. ;p

Baby chairs don't work in restaurants. There's just so much happening around that no one is going to confine her in that little chair but luckily she's happy to sit in her throne back home. Freedom = Trouble! During dinner, she managed to pick a slice of cut chilli and pop it into her mouth. Ahhh....! Thank goodness, it's not spicy, in fact totally tasteless. I can't imagine if it's chilli padi.

Xuan xuan and Jae Jae, Chloe's cousins.

With Auntie Lily and Grandpapa. It's not easy getting everyone to look straight ahead all at the same time.

All together!

Making funny faces

A very lovely and loving pair of siblings

Bye, Bye Big Bugs

Today is the last lesson for the term and next week she'll be in the Big Birds class. The name of the classes for the different age group suits it so well. The Big Bugs (4 months - 10 months) are quite harmless, at most some of them crawls. Big Birds are chirpy, learning to talk and mostly able to walk already? Then you have the Beasties! Hmm.. why are they calling our kids beast? The fast and furious, they run, jump and shout the house down. Maybe that's why.

Ring a ting ting! Chloe's very possessive of her toys. The teacher will give out the hand bells at the start of the class for the welcome song, she will hold on to it and refuse to return . But surprisingly, if another baby comes by and take it away from her, she's happy to let go.

Alas! I was so focus and anxious to get this shot of her shooting hoops that I actually missed the real action. Not a good shot cos everything is moving so fast including my hands. :)

Obstacle course for crawlers. What happened after this was that she found another fun way of enjoying the donut . She stood up , touch the top, fall sideways and started laughing.

Playing ball with Simon.

Having a baby crawling race with Cranston. All the way!

Trapped! Haha... Simon having fun while Chloe is ... oops! Where's she?

After 75 mins of non-stop action, it's time for some food. Dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Chloe loves dining out, double the servings and speed. I think cos there's so much distraction around her that she just don't care what I'm feeding her and the friendly waiters are great help, always paying her so much attention.

Room Revamp

I've finally managed to convince Simon to paint the ugly mocha color wall in Chloe's room a happy pastel yellow. I was hoping to paint it pastel pink but was rejected. Sob! The mocha wall was nice until Chloe comes along, now it's so dull. Babies love bright colors and naturally they are happy in a painted like it is a sunny day everyday. I want some decorative wall art too, slowly... Yeah! And off to Ikea to get more storage boxes for Chloe's mountain of toys and knick knacks.

It's a breeze to shop in Ikea (Alexandra) now with the second outlet opened in Tampines. The shoppers are scattered so we don't have to wait for a parking lot, no jostling crowd, no queue during at the cashier. So relax!

Trying to sneak into the toilet before we leave. She will sneak into the toilet the moment she has a chance. She likes to poke her fingers into the drainage cover. Yucks! The towel ring is the second favorite item and toilet bowl comes next, she likes to watch the gush of water when I flushed.

Having a little rock and roll on the rocking bench with papa. Everything is in Lilliputian size and so colorful. How come I don't have this when I was a kid?

See! This is the pink color that I want to paint and white bed frame with cute motif bed sheet and curtains and flower-shaped wall lamp and rug and ... ...

A very happy Chloe trying out all the different bedroom settings. Quite pleased with this one.

And of course, papa is very happy too when he sees his little girl smiling. This winsome smile with the claps will get her anything.

Transition

Busy, busy... not just Chloe but us as well. You see, Chloe is learning to do 'free standing', it's not a baby extreme sports but one that can make my heart stop for second. She started standing with the help of furnitures and anything she can grab hold of (that's how we do it too, right?) and has progressed to squat and stand. She's learning how to walk, yes!

The first time she did it, I lunged to grab her just in time before she dropped onto her bum. Phew! Close one. Papa is immediately updated on her latest progress so that he will keep his eyes open and ready to catch any plopping bum. We will not have our heart in our mouth if she will just stand and maybe dropped on her bum. Chloe being Chloe would stand and start clapping her hands and plop - she topples.

And of course, when a baby is learning to walk , nothing in the house is safe. The T.V. console is declared dangerous cos if she grabs the door for support, it will flip out and hit her in the face, any movable furniture are out too as they are not good support. So I'm thinking of getting her a Michelin suit for protection.

But we are having fun, waiting eagerly for her to take her first baby step. :)

Tipping her toes, trying to climb up the sofa bed to get to the Macbook. My toys are always so much more fun than her own.

She gets the stick after the ice cream is finished. Ha.. ha.. nay, actually she gets the ice cream too but she's more interested in the stick.

The dog or the zebra? Two of her favorite books which she reads and bites sometimes.

Going to bed soon... looks like a baby spider man?