Another busy week

We all went on an excursion yesterday, to visit my great-grandparents' grave in Macau. We all took a fast boat there. On arrival, we immediately went for a long ride through the city, and I very much enjoyed seeing the sights from the bus. I put on my new baseball cap, and gugu insisted I also put on some lotion to protect my delicate skin from harmful sunlight. Grandpa and papa took turns to carry me for much of the time, under an umbrella.

I had already eaten my lunch on the boat, but when the grown-ups stopped off for their lunch, I was given an extra ration of rice cake for being so well behaved :-). As usual, I made plenty of friends on the way there, and also on the way back. I did not have an afternoon nap, and got a bit restless on the return trip. I was so exhausted when I got home that I bathed and ate quickly, and went straight to bed without making any fuss.

Right now, my favourite playthings are containers. Empty ones, full ones, noisy ones, quiet ones, coloured ones, transparent ones, big ones small ones, I like them all. Most usually though, I get given empty bottles. This love affair with bottle tops and caps started when grandma needed to distract me during my nappy change. I now have a whole collection of bottles: I make a bee-line for them wherever I am. I know exactly where to find each missing cap and put them back on their respective bottles. One day, I got hold of two heavy bottles grandpa was giving to great uncle Frank :-). They made a nice rattling noise. I managed to lift them one in each hand, carried them around the house and refused to turn them over. Finally, Papa explained that they were fibre tablets which I didn't need because I was so regular.

I am interested in lights now, so Papa has been teaching me to say "lights-on" and "lights-off". Through that, I learned about switches. I now know the dining room light switch is on the all just above my high-chair, I can get to the switch if I climb up onto it. At first, papa was fooled into thinking that I was wanting to be fed, but now he knows ;-0

Grandpa has been rushing back from playing golf to take me swimming. I have been bought a new blue and yellow swimming costume because my orange and black one is getting too small. I like the new one a lot because I can get into it more easily, and also like its colours.

Father's Day

Today is Father's day in America; we went out for lunch today like most Sundays. The restaurant we went to was busy and noisier than usual. I was dressed up nice, and I put on a new pair of trainers with flashing lights which grandpa bought me. What a lovely surprise to find that Lulu and her whole family were also invited. We ate some char siu baos and had lots of fun together, and I also made friends with some people on the table next to ours.

Papa started going to work, so I did not see him at all during the day except today and Monday. As I am usually the first one up in the house, my job starting this week is to sound "the reveille", to make sure Papa isn't late for work. I call out to him. I would take him a cup of coffee if grandma thought I could hold it that far without spilling it. Papa took me swimming on Monday, and it's been Grandpa's turn to take me swimming otherwise. Grandpa reports that I'm still making good progress.

I finally overcame my fear of a brightly coloured beach ball which Gugu bought me: It's been sitting in the store room for 2 months but I was afraid to tackle it, yet I've been to take a peek at it every now and then. One day, I finally plucked up enough courage to pick it up. Now I often grab it with one hand, and throw it around the house. I've seen gugu use her big green ball for pilates, so I also use my beach ball just like her. I was also afraid of balloons, so Papa put one on each chair so that I would stop climbing them. It did work to start with, but it wore off over the next few days. I was soon back climbing the chairs again, much to Papa's chagrin.

I'm now 81cm tall, and I weigh about 26 pounds (11.8kg). It turns out once again that my sleep patterns have swung back the other way. My morning and afternoon naps have been quite long this week, so luckily Grandma has some breathing space during the daytime.

I still like to spit out my food sometimes, but I am now allowed to drink water from a cup on my own. Papa is pleased that I am finally starting to drink more than I spill. I learned a good trick from 'Wobble Bear Says Yellow'. His word is "yellow" but, mine is the Chinese word for "lamp". I like its sound, so I say it often. For me, it means anything which is attached to the ceiling.

Summer's here

Papa took me swimming three times this week. I was a lot more relaxed about letting go of Papa's arm than last week. So I didn't disappoint him: he said that I swam once again like Mark Spitz.

Papa now has a job, so it looks like I'll be staying in Hong Kong a while longer. I just hope that Mommy can come here soon too, because I miss her lots. Mommy and I have chatted several times already. She watched me walking around, having my dinner, showing off some of my new tricks. I showed her how I can dislodge a bunny rabbit stuck on the underside of Gugu's desk by prising off the suckers which attached it to the glass.

I'm now enrolled for baby gym once a week at the Y, starting next month. Papa sent me some sunglasses through Little Gugu a while ago, which I kept taking off. The grown-ups thought I didn't like wearing them. In fact, it just hasn't been sunny enough up till now :-0. Now it's thirty degrees outside, and sunny almost every day. I put them on when I need to stay cool.

Gugu often brings me back clothes and other things I like. She bought me some house-clothes, and she also found me a few more episodes of Pingu, currently my favourite programme. I've watched all the episodes on the 2 discs I have already several times, a couple of episodes every morning after breakfast. I identify myself with him and I chuckle at the mischief he makes.

This week, I'm sleeping less in the daytime than before. For three days, instead of sleeping, I just sit in my bed, play on my own and sing to myself when I get put in bed for a nap. I'm not more tired at night. I still go to bed and I wake up at around the same time. Gugu thinks maybe I'm just in need of less sleep than before because I'm growing up. Ha! Grandma will be pleased - her games of golf have just gotten longer ;-)

Papa's back again

Papa surprised us all last Sunday when he arrived unannounced. It's been a whole month since I saw him. I was very pleased to see him, I ran up to the door and he gave me a big hug.

We all went out to lunch that day, and I was allowed to roam freely in the shopping arcade afterwards. I saw some other children like me, and also lots of people window shopping, and it was fun to do the same. Last week, Gugu saw a cute little red sofa with a checkered pattern in the same arcade, and she couldn't resist buying it on the spot. Now I have my very own sofa from which I can watch 'Wheels on the Bus' and 'Pingu'.

Papa plays with me around the house, reads to me, and takes me to the swimming pool every other day. He's upset that I've forgotten to swim: I just look around at other people swimming, and I drink the water. I'm a bit scared to let go of Papa's arm when in the water. I clutched him so hard that I left traces of my fingers on his forearm.

I'm now walking around with increased speed and stability, and I don't crawl very often now that I get around faster than on all fours. I showed off to Grandma that I could even walk across a room backwards. Now, I also enjoy head-butting: I butt my head against the big green ball, the doors, but my favourite is head-butting Papa and Gugu. I continue climbing chairs in order to get onto the tables. So far, I haven't got onto a table yet.... The grown-ups always manage to pick me up just when I put my knee on the table.

This week, my dog-teeth are breaking through, but it hasn't discouraged me from giving the grown-ups love bites, and I have a good giggle each time they howl.

I now weigh 26 pounds, big and strong enough to haul myself up my high-chair. I know when it's time for meals, so I climb up and wait to be served in my high-chair.

It's Grandma's birthday today. I gave Grandma a card in the morning which I signed with my palm. Papa, Gugu and I celebrated with her in the evening. I dressed up like a grown up, wearing long trousers and a new designer shirt which Papa bought me.