Time for Teletubbies!

I love Teletubbies!! Mum lets me watch the telly which is supposed to be bad (?!) but hey, it's entertainment for me and it also gives Mum some "off" time so it is not that bad! I can think of lots of bad things than watching telly. She tried to show me various cartoons/shows but nothing caught my attention like Teletubbies did. The squealing sun and the colourful Teletubbies keep me happy especially when I'm having my food locked in my seat. I used to cry at the loud ships but they don't scare me anymore because I'm a big boy now. The dancing teddy as well as the boys and girls are also very entertaining like the Teletubbies. Dad thinks that I'm like Po (the cute short red one who speaks in Cantonese every now and then) but Mum thinks that I'm like La-La (the cuter yellow one who is always so happy - yeah! that's me on my good days). Why would some people/country want it banned though? It might not be everyone's cup of milk but it's mine so let it be how it is.

19 days to go for the big day!! The most exciting part of my birthday is the cake and yes, it will be a TELETUBBIES cake!! Aunt Sabita does a wicked job on the cakes among other delicious things and she is very dedicated, hardworking, flexible and creative towards achieving what we want. Do check out their facebook page: H&S Concepts. Sorry folks outside Hong Kong, you're missing out on these incredibleyummyliciousfingerlickingfantastic sweet treats!

Special update is that I stood up unsupported yesterday for 2 secs. I've been trying for the past couple of weeks and finally I did it!! If I can toddle by my birthday, that would be wicked. Stay tuned!

(Pic: Mum said "smile" and I gave her that!)

I'm a Big Brother!

We got a big surprise last week as Dad's S-I-L gave birth to a cute baby boy - he was supposed to come out in mid-June! Mum got me all tidy to welcome him yesterday but he was suffering from jaundice so he's getting discharged today. I'm a big brother now and Mum keeps on telling me that I have to behave well because the little brother will look upto me as his idol (does he get a choice?). To start with, I have passed most of my old stuff to his parents. Dad said that he'll want them back in future which got Mum to raise an eyebrow to ask "what for??!". You know where I get the cheekiness from!

Dad loves baby girls and he was a bit disappointed when he found out my gender during one of Mum's ultrasound scans. He even told his S-I-L that her baby better be a girl. As long as the baby is healthy then that's what should matter and Dad knows this too but he really wished for me and the little brother to be girls. Dad said that he wants to take the girl shopping for beautiful pink frocks and brush her long hair and make her all pretty. Shouldn't Mum be the one thinking like this? Mum's friend passed her a Chinese Chart where you can figure out the gender of the baby based on the woman's age and due date. It was accurate for Mum - is it accurate for you?

Grandmum says that babies are god-gifted and once a baby (whether it's a boy or a girl!) enters a person's life, the world changes in a nice way...for most. For some, it might be a nightmare as he/she wouldn't know how to deal with the new responsibility and he/she might regret the baby's birth leading to horrible consequences. Luckily for me, Mum & Dad falls under the "nice" category but if some parents fall under the "nightmare" category then they should seek professional help before it's too late!

I'm going to be 1 year old next month and we're doing a countdown - 26 days to go!!! Lately, Mum has been pretty good at picking up my actions. If I stand up on her lap and look towards the bedroom, that means "I'm ready for my nap!". If it's my meal-time and I want water then I close my mouth, block it with my hands and refuse to eat the solids. If I want her to push me faster on the swing then I flail my arms and legs and throw a bit of a fuss - same goes when she wants to take me out to give turns to other babies. (I know what I want for my birthday!!!) Does action speak louder for other Mummies too? Please share if you like.

Stranger rhymes with Danger!

Summer is creeping up slowly in Hong Kong along with the unwanted humidity. I've a thick mop of hair so Mum clipped it off "unevenly" as I kept on shaking my head. A month to go for my big birthday bash so hope it'll "even out" by then! Well, it better!!

I've moved on up from rice porridge with mashed veggies/meat to steamed rice with unmashed veggies/meat. Mum doesn't want me to feed the latter as it has salt and spices but I don't want to eat those soft bland food. Mum tried to be clever and made me steamed rice and veggies with a pinch of salt but I banged on the tray to show her that she can't simply fool me. Helper made some chickpeas and potato curry and Mum added that to my dinner and I ate without a fuss. The new menu is out on force from today - steamed rice with veggies/meat with yummy gravy without the spices. Salt is supposed to be bad for babies but a small pinch won't hurt. No flying daggers at the cook please! Mum has been baby-led from the start so she has to keep up on me.

OK, the main reason for posting today is that Mum took me out to the swings yesterday but it was too hot so she took me to the activity room. It was cooler there but the other kids were doing Mum's head-in! Two of them were coughing very badly with one of them with a visible runny nose and three of them running around like they own that room. Where were their parents? Sitting on the sofas admiring their active babies. Awwww!!! As soon as I saw my chance, I crawled to the exit door and Mum got the hint. Out we go to the lift where a big chinese man was standing next to us:

1. He smiled - I smiled back.

2. He gave me a funny face - I gave him my funny laughter.

3. He extended both of his arms towards me - I extended my arms towards him.

4. He laughs out loud - Mum gives a fake laugh (praying for the lift door to open within that second) and rushes out singing a "bye bye" to the stranger.

I was just being friendly to him because he was a nice man. I'm always told to be nice but the above action no. 3 was a complete "no-no". As soon as we get home, Mum looks at me with her worrying eyes and says "Stranger rhymes with Danger! Stranger rhymes with what, Ash??". I give her my dazed look and she knows it's time for her to change my nappy.

(Pic: I can't get enough of Delta Goodrem on Mum's BB!)

Why So Serious?

I know Mum misses me a lot when she's at work and the first thing she does when she gets home is pick me up (after cleaning her hands thoroughly!) and shower me with hugs and kisses. I flail my arms and legs with excitement and send out high pitches of happiness when she carries me to the lift because I know that I'm going out. The flailing is so vigorous that Mum ends up being badly slapped about in the head and face - "this slap is for leaving me at home with Helper and that's for making me eat strawberries which weren't sweet enough and that's for making me wear a nappy...". I'm kidding ofcourse because Mum knows that I'm just showing my excitement and not meaning to cause any harm.

In the lift, I "try" to press every buttons and Mum is quicker to keep me away from those. The guard opens the main door for us and out is the world of lights, lights and more lights. My smile vanishes as I get busy looking at all those wonderful bright lights. Mum stops in front of the pedestrian crossing and doesn't cross the road even if it is a green man because she knows how I love to stare at the blinking green man. We wait for the red man and cross it on the second blinking green man.

My face is still expressionless as I take in all the moving objects, loud sounds, some beautiful smell as well as the unwanted smell and sights of other babies and pets. Mum takes me to my favourite thing on the playground - the swing! 1-2-3-Wheeeeee, 1-2-3-Wheeeeee and still no smile. Mum is starting to think that it might not be my favourite thing afterall. Even the kid on the other swing is smiling at Mum because she is teasing me by making funny faces IN PUBLIC - things she does to see my smile. She is such an embarassment sometimes!

A full 15 mins on the swing and not 1 smile, Mum takes me home where my smiles return. There used to be days when I smiled at everybody on the street but now, why so serious?? No one knows but me *evil laughs* but if you do know the answer then please leave a comment. Mum would love you for it!

Link of the Day: http://lamebook.com/ (Smile! The world is viewing your lameness.)

5 Followers - WooHoo!!

Mum hassled some people to "follow" this blog so I don't know whether it is by heart or by force (typical Mum), I've got a few good followers. Thank you to those who are currently following - makes me feel so special!

I've started eating an apple - two slices a day - one hour each! My itchy gums get relieved as I eat those yummy juicy slices. I'm killing two birds with one stone. Mum was recording a video as Dad's sis in England wanted to watch my cute activities. I kind of choked twice yesterday but after a good pat, I was back to biting. Mum nearly suffered a heart-attack as I choked. Dad watched the video after he came home from work and his excitement turned into sour when he saw me choking. Mum got a telling off and she reasoned with him saying "We can't put Ash in a protective bubble. He will learn as he grows with our hawk-eyes on his every move!". They are such drama queens!!

I would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all beautiful Mothers who make our world a better place. What could we have done without Mothers? Some Mothers deserve to be despised but the good Mothers always have our best interests in mind. They are there for us whether we need them or not. I was watching telly and I saw that even the mother-animals protect baby-animals. These beautiful gazelles were running for their lives when a lion started closing in on a baby gazelle and the mother gazelle ran back to her baby and "tried" to fight with the lion. It was a lost fight but she fought good. Mum was crying over it. She has been blaming her tears on my birth because she used to be a strong woman, apparently. Strong woman or not - I still love my Mum because there's no one else better than her!*

*Mum is exaggerating.....

Here comes the Lil Terror!

I've mastered the new skills of standing up by holding onto something and fast crawling which I love but others might differ. I'm like a cute lil puppy who will follow someone everywhere especially Mum and be like a cute meaow-ing kitten who is too curious but if I don't get what I want then I change into a lil terror with monkey shrieks and crocodile tears! Be aware, be very very aware!!

Mum had bit of a hard time controlling me yesterday as Helper was off and she had friends visiting. She didn't let me have what I want and didn't let me go where I want - such a big terror! It takes one to know one.

Mum has also mastered a new skill of wrapping the nappy around me while I'm standing up. I like being natural so as soon as my nappy is off, I feel so comfy and reject any advances to get myself nappy-wrapped. Helper is still learning that new skill so I'm more nappy-free when Mum is at work. Oh! how I love the working week.

Since the animal related words are up on this post, I wanted to share the fact that I was born in the chinese year of the Ox which shouts "Stubborn!!". I'm posting a link for you to check what animal year you were born in and agree/disagree with the characteristics it tells you. Enjoy! http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/chinese-zodiac.htm