Development

It's hot and rainy outside - not very pleasant, so I've not been to play out very much since my last entry. On the one nice day last week, Gugu took me to play golf (see the slideshow). I got back all hot and sweaty, and referred to the droplets as "rain" ;-)

I still go to school every week, and I now have a "best friend" at school called Eugene. I'm very much looking forward to a play-date which Gugu organised with him for me next Monday after school.

I am learning to construct longer sentences of three, four or more words. Yesterday I saw Grandpa sleeping on the sofa, and told him "Yeye room bed". I am still obsessed with balls, but have developed a great interest in "crankies" (cranes) since seeing the Thomas the Tank Engine episode "A Cranky Day". I point them out whenever I see them on roof tops and building sites, which is quite a lot- as there is a lot of construction on route to my favourite destinations;-). Gugu has been so impressed that she went and bought me a Cranky to go with my growing train set.

Whilst Big plans my meals, I get to select the dishes: I like to eat a variety of things :-), but I am still essentially a vegetarian.

Starting school

This week, I learned to blow a real smoochy-sound kiss; I am becoming more interested in animals, and get excited whenever I see a dog or a cat; I learned to say 'star', I also say 'vroom' when I see cars.

My food intake has fallen slightly of late. I am now a bit taller but weigh a bit less than before. I weigh 12kg, and have grown to 84cm, 2 cm taller than when Dr. Bean measured me a month ago. Since I started wearing Huggies Pull-Ups to bed, there have been no more surprises in the mornings.

Around the house, it has been very quiet: Grandpa and Grandma have both left on holiday. However, the big surprise was that Mommy finally arrived from Paris to see me. Mommy brought me back lots of goodies from France. I now have a tricycle, some new clothes and some French books, so Mommy and Papa can teach me 'fransay'. Mommy's been taking me around town a lot, and we've been to the playground and I like to come down on the slide. The day after Grandma left on holiday, Gugu came back from her vacation. I don't see her much as gugu is sleeping more then Teddy right now.

This month, I started going to school three mornings a week after my morning nap, Mommy takes me. But I didn't go because I had a cough since last week. I've already done some finger-painting before when making birthday cards for Papa and Grandpa, but I still have to learn to enjoy painting. Teacher makes us all wear robes before we paint, but I refused to put one on because it's stiff and dark coloured. The bit I do like is when she gives out rations of biscuits and juice for 'elevenses'. We only get two biscuits each, but because some of the other children don't eat their share, I can sometimes grab an extra one when nobody's looking :-).

"Grasshopper"

This week I resumed swimming after all my spots disappeared; I went to Baby Gym at the Y; I learned to blow a kiss; I walk around on my tip-toes; I have started putting objects down gently instead of throwing them all.

I enjoy eating plums all by myself - first I skin them bit by bit using my teeth, then I eat the flesh; I love my freshly squeezed orange juice every day. Sometimes, I will turn down my food, and sometimes I will demand something to hold instead being spoon-fed, but I always drink my juice and eat my fruit - I prefer chomp on a whole banana than having it cut up for me. Gugu says that I am just beginning to assert my personality.

I learnt the word for "angry" in both English and Chinese: Grandma told me off for messing with my food by wagging her finger at me. When I was naughty again, she asked me to show her what she did when she was angry, so I wagged my finger back at her. Now, I have been practising by adding a little grunt [learned from grandpa] when I wag my finger. I sometimes wag my finger pre-emptively if I have been naughty. It gets me off the hook because the grown-ups roar with laughter at me.

Today, Papa went to have his haircut, and took me with him. The staff at the hairdressers all lavished their attention on me for half an hour until it was my turn. This little sheep did not like the thought of being sheared, and bleated in protest when facing the clippers. I cried and struggled, so Papa and Grandma had to console me and hold my head still. When it was all over, I just knew I had to wag my finger at Mr. Frederick who cut my hair, and also at Papa and Grandma for their part in this ordeal. To add insult to injury, Grandma says that I now look like a shaolin monk, and Gugu is calling me 'Grasshopper'. Fortunately, my hair is now soooo short that I won't need to have it cut again, ever ;-).

Wobble Bear

This week, the flat seems very full with Little Gugu (Aunty Helen) here and with Big Gugu taking a well-earned rest from work last week. I took my first steps on my own during this week. I performed for Mama and Papa when they logged on for a video-chat.

Little Gugu has become my shadow, she gets up every morning when she hears me sing along to Wheels on the Bus so she too could sing along too ...she doesn't know how funny she looks when she's bobbing along with the music ;-). When we are finished playing we sit and read together. Sometimes, I bring a particular book for Gugu to read to me - my current favourite is "Lets make a noise". She read me this a couple of times this week. I enjoyed this so much that after both sessions I would push the book towards Gugu with the pages open for an encore.

Gugu likes to read Wobble Bear to me as she thinks I look like Wobble Bear. I like Wobble Bear cos I'm wibbling wobbling all over the place at the moment. Gugu's promised to send me more Wobble Bear books when she gets back to London.

Everyone is horrified that I put everything in my mouth to chewing: chairs, my playpen, my books - poor Thomas & Maisy :-( , shoes if they are left out. Gugu had to put her foot down when I tried to eat the skirting board. It's been so much worse at the moment as I'm growing more teeth near the back, and my gums are sooooo itchy. Apparently, I now have my pre-molars, whatever they are (?)

I have been a lot more active since Gugu arrived from London. I enjoy rushing around here at home, repeatedly climbing the sofa, playing throw and catch with my balls, playing bricks and playing combat underneath the dining table or baby-gym. With all the activity, I now need to eat more. When we were at dim sum yesterday after I'd eaten a big lunch of my own, I still managed to eat two char siu baos - without the char siu :-). Then I had a whole jar of tropical fruit for pudding at dinner. Grandma is thinking to adding fruit to my dinner menu going forward, yummy ;-O

My routine

I eat 3 very square meals a day, and I have fresh fruit for afternoon tea. I now weigh 24lbs (12kg) and I am 2ft 6 in (76 cm) tall.

My workout routine has taken an upswing the last few weeks. I have been concentrating on the "land-based" activities, to the extent that Papa says that I have now forgotten how to swim :-(. I still cruise around, and now have some favourite hidey-holes around the house. In getting to these hidey-holes, I found that I needed to have a lower clearance so I learnt to crawl around on my belly like they do in combat training.

I play peek-a-boo and also hide and seek. I also like to throw things on the floor for Papa to pick up. I have some more new tricks: I saw Grandpa drinking his tea, and I want to drink out of my cup just like him; I also now like to squirm out of Grandma's arms when she is holding me. That way, I can escape when I'm tired of being held :-0. It wasn't so funny when I took Grandma by surprise today and bumped my head.

Mummy left for Paris on Thursday night, she was very sad to go. Papa says that he wants us to move permanently to Hong Kong. I think it's cool because now I can have Gugu cook delicious meals for me all the time.

Christmas in Nanjing

This week, Mom and Papa took me on a trip. Now I have some more chops in my passport :-) We spent one whole week in Nanjing, where Mommy grew up. We did some sight-seeing, and I visited a place dedicated to the worship of my direct ascendant Confucius. We stayed in a hotel, where they prepared a very comfortable Teddy-sized bed for me :-) in the same room as Mummy and Papa. Luckily I sleep so soundly, and Papa's snoring didn't bother me very much.

I met my [other] grandparents, who looked after me for quite a lot of the time during our stay. My Grandmother was so pleased to see me for the first time that she picked me up and hugged me like a bear. She also asked me why I said 'baba' so much of the time and 'mum' when I'm hungry. Of course, I forgive her for not understanding baby-talk. In fact, 'ba' is the sound I find easiest to make, and 'mum' means food.....

My grandparents wondered if my skin was yellow in colour because I liked so much to eat pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes. They were also surprised that I wore my Huggies, because most babies in China run around without wearing them.

On the night before we left Nanjing, they held a dinner party to celebrate our home-coming, and invited all their relatives. There must have been about thirty people if I could count so far up... All the relatives were fighting for a turn to hold me. I was a real hit, as I smiled all the time whilst being passed from hand to hand. Fortunately, the evening ended early, and I was taken back to the hotel to bed.

We're back in Hong Kong now, and it's good to be home. I've missed not having a room to myself. What's more, it's tiring being on the road, because it's difficult to keep to your routine.

My first postcard

I've been up playing with Auntie all morning and was too excited to take my morning nap: Today is Auntie's birthday. I woke up early as usual, and handed her my pressie with both hands. It's a camera for when I go away, I will still see Auntie, and Auntie will still be able to see me from her computer.

Yesterday was also a special day: In the morning, Mr Postman brought me my very first postcard. It was sent by Auntie Helen when she was in Italy. Auntie even wrote "Teddy's first postcard" on it for me :-O Grandma, Papa, and Auntie were all sooooo envious, because they didn't get one! In the evening, Auntie came home with a big box - a pressie for Teddy :-) It is an Exersaucer - I can now play in an upright position, with my feet on the ground. Papa is getting worried, as Auntie comes back almost every day with something for lil old me. If he wins the lucky draw again when we get on the plane, he will be in trouble.

As I have been at home most of the time, I haven't had the chance to show off my lovely new clothes yet. I'm feeling full of beans now that my cough is almost gone. I still cannot crawl, but when Papa puts me on the play-mat, I can go walkabouts on all fours. My nose is still runny, but I'm eating and breathing normally. Papa promised to take me out again this week, a couple of days after my cough has cleared.

I am exploring different flavours of food. My favourites are sweet corn & potatoes, and vegetable korma. I am getting plenty of fibre with this diet, and so I am very regular. As I have been choking on my milk lately, Papa has decided to slow down the flow from my milk bottles. Today, Auntie gave be my first biscuit, made from rice.

I miss my swimming, but Grandma lets me stay longer in the bath to make up for it.

London, 11 July 2003

I've had a very eventful week. Grandma and Auntie have taken me swimming twice already (we went in my new buggy & I remembered to wear my sun hat), we're going again this w/e. Grandma also took me for a short trip to the Post Office where she applied for a new passport (Why doesn't Grandma have a Passport when even I have one?).... And last night, Great Uncle Frank came to visit little ol' me. I was very flattered by the attention and was on my best behaviour, we chatted and I smiled and gurgled a lot. Great Uncle Frank thought I was smashing and Grandma was very proud of me.

Grandma has done so much for me this week, I've been very good but I'm getting heavier. Auntie took me on the scales today, I now weigh 16.5lbs (7.5kg). When Auntie's been at home we've chatted together and played. My current favourite is sliding on my bottom down Auntie's thighs while she's lying down and onto Auntie's tum. It is such fun, it makes me laugh out loud and screech a lot:-))

Auntie has also made me some delicious apple sauce, I'm eating half a bowl a day (!!). Grandma says my tummy is still too delicate to take Chinese rice so we haven't had any more since Monday. Auntie gave me my final feed at 10.45pm and I was tucked up with Fuzzy in my arms when Big Ben bonged at eleven.

London, 6 July 2003

What an eventful day! Grandpa left for the US this morning but not before helping Grandma with my morning feed. Grandpa tucked me in and I slept for the rest of the morning until Auntie came to say hello. Auntie was on her way to the gym and then go to Sainsbury's to buy yet more nappies for me!

I was a very good for most of the day but the weather was very warm and sticky and I couldn't get comfortable.... Who can get comfortable with the Wimbledon Men's Final, I ask you? Grandma thinks starting on solids might have made me more grumpy than normal as my digestive system was working overtime and still not getting it right (I think it was the organic banana - too much goodness!!). Grandma says we're going to cut down on solids for a couple of days.

Auntie told me she's going to take me out in my new buggy tomorrow. I think she's taking me swimming :-)) Fuzzy Wuzzy gave me a kiss on my forehead and tucked me in bed tonight, I love Fuzzy!!