You're barely a puppy in this world. But you sure have a temper. The good old banshee shriek has transmogrified into (1) A sharp, short shriek of disapproval when something you shouldn't be touching is taken away from you, and; (2) A throw-back-head-and-cry stunt when you need to be bodily removed from a potentially dangerous situation.
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| Could I be naughty with a face like this? |
I've heard of the Terrible 2's, mind you, because Mama does read a few self-help books when it comes to raising kids. But the Wild 1's? One part of me says your personality and independence are emerging. I get independence but personality? This got Mama asking Poh-Poh what I was like growing up and as unbelievable as it was, even to me, she said I was the sweetest and most cooperative child. At least until puberty. But still! I can only deduce that your quick fiery temper comes from Papa. At least his side of the tree, ha ha.
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| That hand looks thieving; better eat fast! |
You're still asserting your right to refuse foods that do not agree with your taste-buds. Which is to say that Mama's porridge is still not good enough for you.
You're also very much a fruitarian with a white-foods-only policy. Which is to say that fruits and bread/rice/plain pasta/rice are great but fish, chicken, beef, pork and anything remotely green are no-no's.
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| Oh dear, no more raisins |
Mama has resorted to sneaking all these no-no's into your favourite foods. And Mama has not stopped thanking God for the wonders of blenders since. Meanwhile, raisins, cheese and yoghurt are currently scoring points for you and I'm sure not complaining.
A new thing you've learnt is gestures. One is throwing your hands up, palms upwards, to signify that something (usually raisins) is finished. Another is placing your hands on the side of your head to say 'please'.
The word 'there' is picking up momentum. It seems that's all I hear from you. I don't mind being your ride, honey, but there are some places you can't go for reasons you won't understand till you're 21. And chucking a fit isn't going to make me change my mind.
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| Smells like plastic, looks like plastic, but is it? |
Playtime now involves exploring disposable plastic bowls, pouring and picking up plastic fruits, steering yourself on the ride-on buggy, meddling with the toy telephone and musical drum machine as well as messing around with balls and colouring pencils.
Mama still takes you for hourly strolls after breakfast and after your second nap at 5.30 pm. These seem to be your favourite times of the day.
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| Ok, tell me, which way to the playground? |
A new preoccupation, though, is taking your soiled diaper and throwing it into the bin. But then, you seem to get a kick out of throwing stuff. And that goes for your chew toys, stuffed toys, breakfast and Mama's breakables. Thankfully, Mama's reflexes are still good. Especially for the breakables.
One little development that has surprised me is your sudden empathy for the soft toys Mama has surrounded you with since you were just a few months old. Leo the Lion and Coochy the caterpillar are your favourite friends at the moment and do get a good old squeeze from you quite frequently.
March is also the month of birthdays: Papa's, Aunty Swee-Lin's and Grandma's. For Grandma's, we organised dinner at a Nyonya restaurant in P.J and treated her to a feast. There, you gobbled up some steamed white rice with diced vegetables and steamed fish. And then helped Grandma blow the candles to her cake. Mostly you busied yourself (and Mama) walking in and out of the restaurant, saying random hellos to random restaurant patrons along the way. You were especially interested in the swinging doors. Not so in sitting with the family and getting in on the scintillating conversations at the table.
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| I think I ate too much white rice. Need to let out a button! |
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| Papa is aghast that I ate anything at all |
We also manage to have dinner with our neighbours from the condo unit above ours: Uncle Fairuz, Aunty Mee Wah and their kids, Omar, Lisa and Anita.
If you don't know already, they are always watching out for us in the nicest of ways. Sometimes we forget to switch off the garden lights and a text message would come from Aunty Mee Wah.
Many times, we'd bump into them on your strolls with Mama. And stop by to chat while Aunty Mee Wah or Uncle Fairuz and the kids would try to pinch your cheeks or carry you, much to your distress. There have been a few lovely occasions where Omar or little Anita would pop up at our doorway with curry puffs, lasagna, brownies or mini pizzas, too. Neighbours are cool, Aidan. I guess that's why God says we should love them.
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| (L-R) Anita, Aunty Mee Wah, Omar, Lisa, Uncle Fairuz, Mama and the star of the night!
Now that your ability to focus and comprehension are slightly better, Mama's using the Thomas the Tank Engine book quite a bit during Storybook hour. Just for variety, Mama sometimes switches to the First Pictures book Godma and Godpa got for your birthday. You seem to like the pictures of orange juice, cornflakes and ball quite a bit, and would say 'juice', 'cornfakes' and 'ball' after me. Meanwhile, your paws are quite eager to turn the pages. I'm sure there are a few storybooks waiting to be torn by you.
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