Week 45

Charlotte is almost walking - really.  She has walked 10 steps in a row but we limit her practice to surfaces that have some give - because it is no fun to fall on your butt on a hard surface (referencing my personal experience trying to ice skate).

I thought I would update everyone on moi.  My arthritis is 99% gone - yay!  I am also close to my goal weight (about 2 kg off).  I presume that helps as well.  I will do better next time - if less weight gain means less arthritis than I think that that is a sacrifice I will gladly (GLADLY) make.

Imee and I took a first aid / infant CPR class last Saturday - it was really good.  Highly recommend taking this for anyone who has a kidlet.  Now someone needs to build an iPhone app to tell you all the steps for CPR...

Here is the video of Charlotte watching Signing Time - she stands and rocks the whole time!


Here is Charlotte waving goodbye to Toby - unusually tentative for her:


A repost from Facebook - here is Hipstamatic Charlotte:


Charlotte trying to get some air:


Meeting Aunt Joy for the first time:


"Look Mom!  I'm (mostly) walking!"


Charlotte in the 'magic hour' of dusk:


Last time in Singapore with Uncle (George Hamilton) Tunch:


Trying her chocolate covered potato chip with Aunt Charu.  Verdict - chocolate = yes, salty potato chip = not so much...


More Signing Time watching.  I realized our juvy jail is a bit too tall for TV watching from the (myopia unfriendly) back at Charlotte's height, hence the booster chair here...


"Believe it or not, I'm walking on air..."

Week 44.1 - Videos!

As promised, here are the videos for the week.

I forgot to mention Charlotte also has 2 more teeth coming in on the top.   So much for the week - it makes a mom tired (plus with Matt traveling and me helping out at his work - that makes a mom tired too).

Here is Charlotte dancing (sort of Stevie Wonder style) to the Signing Time video:

Ok, this one is a bit long, but here is Charlotte intently watching this Signing Time video.  Who knew she had a twenty minute attention span (this video is only 2 and a half minutes):

Laurie - this is for you - the activity table being used by 2 kids!  This was the only thing that Kiro liked in our house:

Week 44 - 10 months old

Charlotte has had a rather rare quantum leap week (say that fast 3 times in a row).  Last Thursday she started signing to us ('milk' as Matt changed her diaper before feeding her after she woke up.  She vigorously signed milk to inform the proper order of operations).  As of today she is signing milk, eat, dog, and daddy.  Whoever thought to teach signing to babies is bloody brilliant!

Charlotte is sitting intently in front of the TV for the entirety of the "Signing Time" Volume 1 video (25 minutes).  I am desperate to try not to make this a habit - once a day she can watch the video but no more as it is a delicate balance between learning and getting too hooked on the boob tube.  And she is kind of walking - 3 to 5 steps at a time!  Though it is not really walking, it is more like a blur of falling and running and squealing.

Oh, and she is now 10 months old as of Valentine's Day!

We bought her a few more bits to her playpen - so it is large and proper and she does not feel like she is in juvy jail anymore.  We also have  had a few play dates this week - with Kiro, Chris, and Toby (all boys I just realized). 

We are still testing out new parks - the Bedok one is cool if Charlotte was seven but the Greenfield Drive one is great but too far to walk to.  And the park by our house won't finish till early next year - hmph!  Well at least we have a nice play room now...

Here is a video of Charlotte mostly walking...


I have been playing around with Photoshop these days.  Here is my latest project - the Lomo like photo (cool but very time consuming)...

 

Here is Charlotte on a scooter.  I hope she stays this fearless forever (a nice wish but she is half (chicken) me...)

Bucky about to drive us to the park:

Charlotte shares her mother's patience for restaurant dinners on Valentine's Day:

Charlotte does not much enjoy sitting on the precipice of life (or shear rocks):

With Chris in the play pen:

Charlotte's TV face in the making:

It takes a village - to help someone walk! :)

By the way - there is loads more video but the upload was hanging everything, so more later on those.  Watch this space...

Week 43 - Personality girl

Charlotte has shown many parts of her personality of late.  She is beginning to be averse to breakfast - a direct trait from her father.  Bananas, yogurt, apples, rice cereal - she just can't be bothered.  She seems to be drinking more milk in the morning but is still eating like a champ for the rest of the day.

We took Charlotte swimming last Friday (where was my camera?) and she started clapping!  She is doing this more and more which is really quite adorable.


Imee was rather perceptive in describing Charlotte's head shaking "NO" as similar to an old man losing at a casino.  She can express such gravity -even if it is just to tell us that she has had enough chicken rice.

We started to play Charlotte these baby sign language DVD's.  She is now getting spoiled as she demands to watch these (or the Teach Me How to Bucky video) while she is eating.  Now we have to somehow convince her that eating IS boring and does not always require entertainment (wish us luck with this).

Today I got Charlotte a play pen - it sort of functions as a larger, more mobile version of an exersaucer (I didn't even know what an exersaucer WAS 8 months ago).  Charlotte likes it but doesn't love it - as she enjoys her freedom to roam.

OK - on with the show!

Here is Charlotte eating and clapping:


And Charlotte with her grave "NO" head shake:


And the pictures:

In a cheongsam for Chinese New Year:


All dressed up and no where to go...


Daddy's a bathtime comedian:


"I can push myself up..."


"... and crawl over various obstacles..."


Charlotte and Daddy at Blooie's:


She is cute in these pj's.  And this is the last time she can wear them:


Sorting out her morning reading:


Charlotte is practicing for her Flashdance resurrection audition in 20 years:




Charlotte in her new play yard:




I love this picture:

Facebook lurking

A wee bit of a confessional moment.

Over the last few days (it has been a long weekend here in Singapore so more, ahem, idle time) I have lurked a bit on Facebook on guys I used to know.  All during college, these guys were guys I was interested in (let's say).

Well, here are the stats:

Guy #1: Married and with 4(!) kids!  Wow, that is definitely the road not taken...

Guy #2: Mortifyingly performed a split(!) at the now defunct Masquerade (which was then the greatest '80's night known to man, and now I know why it is defunct [someone please explain to me the business model of opening a bar to 18-year-olds]).  Verdict - NO hair (and boy was this guy's look DEFINED by his hair), married with one child it seems.

Guy #3: Cleverly incognito on Facebook, save his profile photo.  Not a strong hairline to begin with but certainly not abetted by obvious male pattern baldness.

Guy #4: So painfully gay in his pursuit of negative body fat status.   How could I not have seen it then?

Note: I am not Facebook friends with any of these guys, as I do believe that some stones should be left unturned...

Week 42

We are gearing up for Chinese New Year which is tomorrow.  Gearing up for us means stocking up on groceries as EVERYTHING closes in the new year, even the bloody grocery stores.  It is damn near depressing to be here for CNY as a DINK (dual income no kids) but should be nothing short of idyllic with Charlotte around.  An excuse to stay home and hang.  CNY is a funny time - it is certainly the equivalent of Christmas in its festiveness.  There is Chinese New Year music (ok, twangy Chinese music) that pervades the stores.  Sometimes I think I hear a bar from Jingle Bells thrown in there for good measure.

Last night Matt and I ate at Mozza and it was seriously the best pizza crust I have EVER had.  Seriously, if you could bottle that stuff... it was CARB CRACK.  The pizza itself was delish, I got this meat lover's one that was a bit too salty (maybe that has more to do with me as I don't often eat meat).  But I love the pop music that plays aloud (at a volume far more conversation friendly than at Osteria Mozza when we ate there a few weeks ago) and it just feels so... psuedo hipster, a welcome (and I am happy to say infrequent) change from my non-hispter existence of being a SAHM.  Matt even liked it - a high compliment from someone who, when it comes to restaurant experiences, can be rather Mikey-esque (read: non-plussed, a la vintage Life cereal commercial). 

In Charlotte's realm, we have further child-proofed the living room and made one large cruising zone!  She is also having fun with her walkers - they were too light so I have weighed them down with milk or food cans.  She will be walking soon yet!

We are also looking for a more permanent play park as our normal one is closed for 6 months for renovation!  We have had a couple of play dates at our house which is good but I think Charlotte will only have a short amount of patience for this...

Here is Charlotte throwing (and sort of putting back) her clothes:


Charlotte walking with her walker and then getting distracted:


A no flash photo - post processed to cool effect:


Contemplative Char:


Extreme (crawling) close-up!


This is Charlotte's new bored face:


Assuming the cruising position:


With mom at a new (but maybe not THE temporary) park:


Cheery: