Affection

On a recent D3 (Daddy-Daughters-Date) down to Superbowl City, C-bao and her sister wanted to demonstrate their affection for their pops.

Either that or some kind of treat was at stake. We will never know.

Playdate

A few weeks ago C-bao participated on a playdate with a couple of her buddies from school. Below is a snack break after the kids had probably completed a good half-mile running crazily inside the playground.

"You dropped some crumbs, C-bao"

C-Pop noticed that there was a some genuine affection between C-bao and her young friends.

"Yes...in your hair!"

Indeed, the last couple weeks from school, when picking up the little one, C-Mum has overheard a few boys from the class shout out "Goodbye cutie!" and other similar tokens of friendliness. But for the fact that no one in the preschool class is older than three, there might have been a little alarm from ol' Papa Bear when he heard this story. But alas, there's plenty of time for that in the years to come.

Um, where exactly are you going, kiddos?

Language of Love

"Put it right here, Pops"

It turns out that Physical Affection is high on little C-bao's "Languages of Love" list. Unlike sister K-bao, who is always on the move, our little one will happily relax and cuddle on a lazy Saturday morning for any length of time, which more often than not suits K-Mum and K-Pop just fine. And during the day, she's never too busy to stop her routine for a hug and a smooch. 

Hike

C-bao enjoyed a hike with the family and Uncle Calvin (Jiu Jiu) last weekend at Mount Davidson Park.

Despite looking like she couldn't care less in the above pics, she actually enjoyed herself - largely because, instead of having to exert any energy, she was carted around like royalty in a special hiking backpack pretty much the entire way.

She also has been spending some extra time these days with Jiu Jiu, who has always been held in high regard by the little one. Notice the affection below.

C-Pop was also able to take some nice shots with the girls.

"Smile softly and carry a big stick"

Touchy

C-bao has turned out to be quite a touchy-feely girl. She has loved to touch animals, for example, from an early age (despite being simultaneously petrified). Whenever she sees a dog walking by, she shouts, "摸它! 摸它!" (Touch it! Touch it!).

Predictably, she has turned out to be a big fan of petting zoos, and will run around like a glutton at a buffet, from one animal to the next.

Here she is with the goats:

And the pigs:

And the rabbits:

She can also be quite friendly with any little cuties she sees at the park or on a play date, insisting on generously doling out hugs whether requested or not. Here is a young gent she met in Scottsdale who was quite pleased with all the attention.

In other cases, such as with stalwart little Emmett, a friend she sees from time to time, the affection is not as visibly appreciated.

Verbal

Recently, C-bao has become quite conversant on a number of topics:

• Love. As she was lying in bed a few days ago in the early hours of the morning shortly after she awoke, C-Pop overheard her run through a list of people in her life and how she felt about them. 
• "Ba-ba...ai! Po-po....ai! Shu-Shu....ai!" (爸爸？爱！婆婆？爱！叔叔？爱! Daddy? Love! Grandma? Love! Uncle? Love!)

• Hunger. While she remains as picky as ever, far be it from C-bao to starve herself. She'll run to one of us, holler for our attention, point to her stomach and cry:
• "Uh!" (餓! Hungry!). And then irrespective of what the response is the immediate follow-up is: "Yao!" (要! Yes, want!). After dinner, she enjoys rubbing her tummy while grinning from ear to ear and making sure one of us comments on how rotund it looks.

• Oral Hygiene. C-bao has developed a real affection for keeping her pearly whites shiny, and also making sure her loved ones are taking care of theirs. She will run to the bathroom at all hours of th e day, looking back to make sure we are in tow, then raise an index finger and exclaim: 
• Shua-ya! Shua-ya! (刷牙! 刷牙! Brush teeth! Brush teeth!). Giving her her toothbrush with toothpaste is necessary but insufficient; she will then point at C-Pop and boss Dad into picking up his toothbrush too with a Ba-ba Shua! Ba-ba shua! command (爸爸刷! 爸爸刷! Daddy brush! Daddy brush!). The below is representative.

Other words frequently used include Nien! (念! Read!), Bao-bao! (抱抱! Hold me!) and a variety of other verbs generally used in a commanding tone while pointing urgently at C-Pop or C-Mum.

Kiss Me

About 5 or 6 weeks ago C-bao achieved a new milestone - on-demand affection - which C-Pop has understandably made her practice every day.

Love Slap

Here is C-bao demonstrating affection for her sister (i.e. "Let me slap you as hard as I can").

Squeeze

Inspired by Russian Matryoshka dolls, the Hu girls - C-Mum and older sister K-bao - give C-bao a squeeze.

Group Dance

Below C-bao and C-Pop enjoy a moment dancing.

Sister K-bao, who is never one to sit on the sidelines, then joins in rather forcefully.

While initially startled, C-bao resumes smiling quickly; she has quickly gotten used to the (forcefully) affectionate ways of her older sister.

Affection

If ever Little C-bao is wanting for affection from her folks, she knows where to turn. Big sis K-bao is a deep well - a never-ending source of hugs and kisses.

By the way, as you can see below, C-bao has recently enjoyed sporting the high-fashion "Pterodactyl Head" hairstyle.