Independence

Now that you are at a ripe old age of 19 months,

you have in the past few weeks decided that you don't want to be carried so much, but would rather get around by yourself. This need even extends to when we are just walking from the back/side door over to the car - just several steps away. In short, every opportunity you get, you want to run wild and free. Which would be grand if there weren't other agendas in place.

So, there often needs to be some form of distraction ( ?bribery) or other to calm the savage beast who, instead of being let loose to explore, is now having to be confined to a car seat. This includes books, fruit, crackers, toys and yes, even an Asus PC that has your favorite shows on it. *sigh*. Desperate parents do desperate things, so judge me not. :)

ANYWAY, One of the books that we have in the car is your Planting a Rainbow book.. We first came across this story as part of the animated-stories-based-on-books series that is Scholastic Storybook Treasures . When I saw it at Sam's, I just had to get it for you.

Sometimes it manages to distract you from your grievances, and it is awfully cute to see that, because it is a big lap-sized board book, you have learnt to keep your little legs up with feet flexed to act as a table and to prevent the book from sliding down your legs.. :)

Which is also why I have gotten you the Snack and Play Travel Tray.

If you'll only let me put it around you.

Hoy.

Training Chopsticks

I have no idea how I learned how to use chopsticks as a child. Probably had chopsticks stuck in my hand and just went with the flow.

But THIS I know - I LOVE using chopsticks. It's an art, it's a skill, it's full of culture...and it's FUN!

ANYWAY, you've been wanting to use MY chopsticks for the longest time now...

You would try to grab at them while I was eating, or grab them away from my hand if I was feeding you with them.


I did not want to let you go crazy with the ones we have at home, which are way too long and pointy - and hence, scary - for you to play/learn with, so I got you a pair of Pororo Edison Chopsticks ( albeit "training" chopsticks ), from Amazon.

I have to admit, I have no idea who Pororo is, but he's awfully cute.

We got them in the mail today, and tried them out. I had to put your fingers in the little loops and show you how to use them. It wasn't too successful, this first try. Once I had the food in the chopsticks, you could get it to your mouth and eat it with no problem, but trying to figure out the opening and closing of the chopsticks to grab the food in the first place is gonna take probably another time or so to get it right. You kept wanting to stab the food like a fork.

No worries. With some practice, you'll be a pro in no time, and I'm sure you'll be loving it. :)

Like this little girl.

Dress Me Up

Last year you really had no say, and we dressed you up as a little bear cub thingy, which you looked adorable in..

A Flash from the Past

THIS year, you didn't know what the big hullabaloo was about, either, but you knew what you did NOT want.

We chose a few costumes from Walmart, to see which one you could tolerate ( heheheh ).. I promise I will try harder to be a DIY/Home made costume mom next year.

Maybe.

ANYWAY, first off, we had a hand-me-down costume from Max, an adorable Hunny Pot from Winnie the Pooh

which you looked adorable in, but could not stand the pot lid part.

You picked up the Batman costume package thingy and probably thought, "What about THIS one?"

Cool as Batman is, you decided you were too claustrophobic in the mask - and the costume itched.

So you threw up your hands in despair, just like the little child on the package, only without the mask nor the obvious glee,

And we decided to go with the least irksome costume

( Although, being Kal El of Krypton IS rather cool )

And without any hair gel/Brylcreem in the house, the hair and makeup department went a little awry :)

Then we went off the Boo at the Zoo!

The Reading Nook

You have the bottom shelf of the bookcase for a bunch of your board books - there are more in the other little shelf in the bedroom ( and I AM going to somehow find room elsewhere for my second-from-bottom-shelf books so that you can have 2 shelves, hurray! )

- and you love rifling through them, and turning the pages, as well as pointing at the pictures and getting me to name things in the books. You pointed at several WORDS the other day, not just pictures, and that surprised me. But hey, if you're interested in words, we certainly won't be discouraging that. :)

Anyway, that little space between the shelf/dustbin/trash can and your table has become your little reading nook. You will drag the books off the bookshelf, sit in your little corner, and quietly flip through the pages. I guess you like that little niche to escape to...

AND, it's not THAT hidden away that if there was something, say, interesting happening somewhere ELSE, that you couldn't just peek out and be in on.

A Sticky Situation

Maybe it's watching me peel of the umpteen stickers for you to play with ( You can get a book of an amazing amount of stickers for a dollar at Dollar Tree ), coupled with your increasing dexterity and mastering of fine motor skills...

but man, sometimes when you get a little quiet and I'm concentrating on something else, I look over, and you are quietly, patiently, diligently peeling off the little stickers from the page, one by one by one... :)

Slacker

I know I've been a slacker with your blog, little boy, and I shouldn't have any excuses about that. I WILL work harder at keeping this updated. We love you lots, little boy. Watch this space - hopefully there will be something in the next few days.