(Too) Much Love

The C-Grandfolks and Uncle James ("Shu-Shu") were here visiting from Taiwan over the last week.  Little C-bao took full advantage, soaking up the love like an ultra-absorbent diaper.

Every little smile elicited coos, fawning gazes and delighted chuckles. Every whimper or sneeze brought a concerned grandma or uncle to her side, tissue and baby blanket in hand, ready to comfort, wipe or hug, on demand. Camera phones were working on overdrive.

Let it be shown for the record that the additional attention from all these parties did indeed have an impact on the little one's behavior. A highly deleterious impact indeed.

Uncle

"Say 'Uncle'!"

Sock It

Tastes great! Less filling!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Sock it

Swing High

Daddy-daugher date at the park on a sunny Saturday. C-bao enjoys the swing at this age much like her sister.

Pincer

C-bao has learned that the "pincer grip" is the next developmental milestone for her, and she has been practicing liberally on the ears, neck, chin and lips of whomever is holding her.

The problem is that C-bao's little fingers pack surprising strength, and her naughty little maneuver delivers a genuinely unpleasant experience for her unlucky caretaker of the moment. And after much trial and error, she now knows this too, and will determinedly reach for one of her spots (usually an ear) and squeeze hard until she hears a satisfying squeal from the other end. At which point she will look innocently at said person before breaking into a coy smile.

Saturday

Chilling with sister K-bao and munching on Mr. Parrot on a lazy Saturday morning.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

When You're Having Fun

Time flies - C-bao is 7 months old! Here are small snippets of C-bao and older sister K-bao some videos taken during this time, inspired by Cesar Kuriyama's One Second Every Day.

Excited

C-bao is a squealer, particularly when she gets excited. Here she adds her ol' penguin flapping routine to demonstrate her enthusiasm.

Swing Low

C-bao got so comfortable swinging in the sun over at Alta Plaza park the other day that she dozed off. First time the C-folks have seen that happen, with any kid.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Squeeze

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

Glow

C-bao enjoys a post-bath glow.

Never mind the fact that C-Pop and C-Mum are not sharing in said glow as this bath is C-bao's second of the day, the earlier of which could be traced back to the same rancid reasons: the inexplicable strength of C-bao's bowel movements. This joyous force easily and consistently overwhelms the flimsy elastic bands of C-bao's diaper and inevitably ends up enriching her back, clothes, C-pop's hands and any other surfaces lucky enough to be nearby.

Incidentally, C-bao's post-bath glow increasingly gives C-Pop a "Sister K-bao" tingle - compare below.

Giggling with K-bao

While in the early stages of her life there was a significant adjustment period for baby C-bao to get used to the frequently loud and colorful antics of big sister K-bao, over the past month or two C-bao has not only acclimated to the noise, but actively looks for her sister whenever she wakes up.



Here she is thrown into a fit of uncontrollable giggling by her sister, who is doing nothing more than waving around a plastic bag filled with hair clips.

Bodes well for future babysitting duty for big sister K-bao!

Serious

"This is serious!" cried big sister K-bao.

"What's serious?" asked C-Pop.

"C-bao stuck her hand in my mouth!" Knowing that she still had the remnants of her cold and wasn't supposed to get her face too close to her sister (and failing to disclose that she had positioned her mouth right next to her baby sister's hand), K-bao exclaimed again, "This is serious!"

"When C-bao grows up, we have to tell her! Daddy, you have to remember! Tell her when she is three years old!" huffed and puffed K-bao.

C-Pop suggested that K-bao record the story of this malfeasance so that it would be documented properly, such that when C-bao reaches her third birthday she would learn of the seriousness of her transgression.

Great-Grandmum

The C-folks recently came across an old picture of C-Pop with his late grandmother, C-Great-Grandmum. It immediately became clear where C-bao's stately appearance, 1950s hair and benevolent expression came from.

Cuz

C-bao is chilling with her cousin Kaitlyn this week. Here they are in identical Bumbos. After an initial period of curiosity and discovery, the cousins bonded quickly and soon were holding hands.

Picky

C-bao has revealed herself to be a decidedly epicurean eater. Unlike her sister K-bao who would open her mouth obligingly anytime a spoon was waved in the vicinity of her mouth - and then gratefully swallow - young C-bao not only takes a fair amount of coaxing to accept food into her mouth, she also then dribbles out or otherwise thrusts out with her tongue a fair percentage of whatever her parent has put inside. Here she is pushing out most of her apples and blueberries onto her face, chin and bib while simultaneously giving C-pop a defiant stare down.

Cannon

At the insistence of sister K-bao, C-bao puts up her hair - in a style known in Chinese as "Sky Cannon."

Wail & Arch

C-bao has recently discovered (i) the cat wail; and (ii) the back arch, and has begun to use both discoveries liberally and inopportunely, and often together.

The former applies when the little one is excited, dissatisfied or bored (describing about 99% of her waking hours).

The latter occurs most frequently when she is on the changing table, being held, or when seated in her bumbo or high chair (describing about 95% of her waking hours). The below is a typical 25 second segment of her life.

Flap

C-bao has become quite excitable recently and demonstrates her enthusiasm by kicking aimlessly and flailing her arms. In this video - taken shortly after the pics in the prior post - she flaps like a happy penguin upon seeing C-Pop after a nap.

Intense

Below C-bao practices her movie poster Intense Look. The C-folks have to give credit where credit is due - that windswept, full-bodied 'do looks like it could have been styled by a Hong Kong salon.

Encouraged by some uplifting tunes in the background and some tickling fingers on her bare feet, C-bao breaks out of the Intense Look and into her Toothless Grin:

Clean

This week was a momentous one in C-bao's young life, to be remembered as the turning point in a heretofore squalid and soiled existence. Going forward, C-bao's life will be marked by one in which the diapers she wears can actually contain the material they were designed to hold. Yes, C-bao has been introduced to solids.

Over the last couple of months, C-bao had perfected the art of positioning herself expertly on her back with her legs raised in the air, and then expelling with such force that her #2 would inevitably squirt up the back of her diaper and all over her clothes. This was something her sister K-bao was also really good at around the 5-6 month mark.

And really, it was getting quite old.

But with solid food entering the system, the C-folks know that physics dictate a welcome composition change in the gastrointestinal chambers that will eventually solve that problem. Hallelujah!

Here she is, happily waiting in her chair.


By the way, after turning down both rice cereal and sweet potatoes, C-mum tried avocados. Winner!



UPDATE: As if to specifically answer K-Pop's premature and overly optimistic post, C-bao has made it a point to soil her clothes a minimum of once and usually twice a day since the date of this post (as of December 1, 2012).

Squeeze

Sharing a squeeze with C-Mum and my sister K-bao, along with Slobbery the Pink Rabbit.

Change

女大十八變 says the Chinese idiom (literally "the eighteen changes of a woman growing up"...also known as "I have no idea who this girl claiming to be my daughter is"). C-bao is already evidencing the wisdom of her Chinese ancients, by transforming recently - seemingly overnight - from a quiet, gentle soul into a mischievous, stubborn chatterbox.

Yesterday, apparently deciding that her surroundings were too quiet, she decided to enthrall the C-folks with thirty straight minutes of raucous bawling, for no other apparent reason than some minor fatigue. When she finally decided to be civil, and knowing that her misbehavior was not welcome, she refused to look C-Pop in the eye, no matter what angle he was holding her. This stiff-necked behavior, while admittedly influenced by hereditary factors (not calling out anyone in particular, C-Mum), was not met with any amusement on the part of the C-folks.

UPDATE: the below video documents C-bao refusing to make eye contact after some naughty behavior

Looking

"Here's looking at you, Mum."

Smile

"Smile, C-bao, smile!"

"Only when you're not looking!"

Tummy

C-bao is doing quite well with her tummy time these days, with neck strength sufficient for a minute or more of high visibility of her surroundings (before the inevitable face plant into the sheets).

This has led to a bit of overconfidence when being held. She will now whip her head back and forth to make sure she's not missing out on the fun activities occurring on the other side of the room, with general shakiness and head bobbing in between leading to minor episodes of whiplash.