Independent sitter @ 6m

This was taken at the last week of her 6th month. Have video too :) Too big for blog.

The "Pucca" cushion is her motivation in this picture. Just kept mimicking "Pucca" and kissing sounds to amuse her.

She said "papaya"

After i playfully said the word a few times while pointing at the word card.

And she knows parrot from hornbill. Asked her where is parrot, and she looked at the right picture. Same results with hornbill.

This means she does understand. And i am afraid I'm not feeding her enough knowledge.

Sometimes I just need to relax. At least I'm aware and not taking her for an ignorant baby.

Shaking head means "No", Mummy!

Previously, she'd shake or spin her head for no apparent reason.

Now, if you ask her a question and she really doesn't want it, she'll shake her head. Most frequent questions receiving a shaking head are:

1) Do you want to go to the toilet?
2) Do you want more milk?
3) Are you done?
4) Without asking, when she's done on the potty, she'll shake her head and start grabbing my upper arm to lift her up and off the potty.

Amazing little person.

P.S. This started around late last month i.e. about 6.5 months.

De de, di di, da da... we we, wa wa... te te, ss ss...

Sounds that she's making a lot starting yesterday. And a whole lot of other combinations. It's like an explosion of sounds yesterday, right up to just before she falls asleep. It's like she's discovered she can make these sounds and want to keep going the whole day :)

Again, most obvious and earliest words, unfortunately isn't Mummy yet, is when she wants the potty. She'll start making the "te te" sounds with raising her legs up while lying down. Toilet. :P I'm holding her over the potty with her legs up. That's why I think she's trying to say "toilet".

And when she's done, I'll usually ask "Are you done?". So when she was done, she'd make the sound "de de", as if experimenting with the starting of the word "done" and occasionally, twice yesterday, "dang" or "done" right after she stopped peeing!!

I'm so amused, that I hold her just a little longer over the potty, see if she will repeat. Bad mother. Bad mother.

Okay, must respect her and quickly respond properly from now on.

*grins*

She eats broccoli @ 7m

More than rice cereals and cabbage-carrot soup puree. I was pleasantly surprised when she chewed and swallowed huge spoonfuls.

I'm not saying that she didn't blow heaps off the spoon, gag and act like she's throwing up, or deposited heaps all over her high chair table, hands, legs and floor, I'm saying more of this stuff actually made it into her stomach. And she's got loads of it in the poo to show for it.

So far her diet has been rice cereal made with pulverized rice with expressed breast milk, carrot puree with rice cereal, cabbage-carrot puree, raisins and banana. The last 2 she had very little and either undigested or spitted out. The cabbage-carrot soup puree resulted in only 1 poo a day over 3 days. Suspect its the salty soup, no salt added but the blended fried anchovy might have salt.

Broccoli puree actually tastes quite nice 'au naturel'. Maybe we can use it as a healthier bread spread.

Thank you, Loupo!

For taking care of our dearest Ning and also my dinner!

I love you, Loupo!

Ning's sitting @ 6m

She's able to maintain sitting by using her arms for support, either against the floor or legs for up to 10 minutes. First observed this afternoon on sofa facing her favourite Pucca cushion. She kept trying to kiss and touch the cartoon face. I kept up with kissing sounds while and she's smiling and chuckling all the way.

So adorable.

Sigh.

Lately, she's been whining to sleep until i rock her in my arms or when she falls asleep from exhaustion. I sing and she still rolls left and right restlessly. Will try reading to her and other distractions than rocking her to sleep.

She loves standing

And sitting when she tires, and finally lying down. It's the only time when she'll willingly grasp my thumbs.

She's got scabs on her forehead from her thumbnails. When she's sleepy or frustrated, she'd thrust her thumb, palm opened wide towards her forehead. At first I wondered if all babies did this, then suddenly it hit me, it's the ASL (American Sign Language) sign for father! I might have missed the Mummy sign! No wonder she's so frustrated! And here I am thinking thinking "milk" or "toilet" will be her first signs!

I feel like I've missed so much! Must be more alert!

I felt quite uncertain about the way I'm teaching the math materials. So I went and borrowed it from the library. Found "How to multiply your child's intelligence" and "How to teach your child to be physically superb". A quick thumbing thru proves me right. I should've started with reading, followed by encyclopedic knowledge then math! Always trust your instinct over someone else's notes on second hand flash cards.

One too many mosquitoes

in the house!

She's got 4 or 5 bites already. Heart aches.

Caught and killed 1 large and full mosquito after showing Lougong last night in the living room, sitting on the sofa. Nasty.

I hope nobody's breeding them here, especially not the Aedes mosquito!