A Dip

"Hooray! Going swimming!"

"I like beach balls and I cannot lie."

"Less posing, more swimming."

"Not going as fast as I think we should be, for some reason." 

"I did great! Just like my sister K-bao."

Sock Conqueror

C-bao has a deep seated hatred of socks, shoes and any other paraphernalia that prevent her ten little sausages from seeing the light of day or inhibits easy foot-sampling.

Put anything over those hoofs and her 9-month old mind instantly dedicates all of its resources to finding a way to remove the articles, by hook or by crook.

And once she does, she celebrates by waving around the offending items like trophies of war (0:30 of the below) - or better yet, shoving them in her mouth to show them who's boss.

Umm

C-bao enjoys her Umm-Umm biscuit.



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Love Slap

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

Pod-oisseur

When it comes to her preferred snack / personal pacifier, C-bao has moved on from her hands to her feet.

As you can see below, she likes to juggle and massage the little puppies while orchestrating them like a maestro conductor. At one point she serenades them with a benevolent squeal.

In the second clip, she decides - coincidentally while she had baby jam all over her mouth - to bring the little babes up for closer inspection. She savors with all the expertise of a wine-taster - slowly sipping, aspirating, sniffing and swirling.

Princess & the Frog

C-bao gets hold of a slimy amphibian at the California Academy of Sciences. Here she is contemplating whether or not to pucker up for it (deciding of course, to go for it, though she mistook the feet for the lips).

Xiao Goo-Goo

Shortly after C-bao was finished being spoiled by the K-Grandfolks and Shu-Shu, Aunty Catherine (Xiao Goo-Goo) arrived to pick up where others left off.

Hallelujah! More hugs! More kisses!

Here is XG2 doing the Surprised Cuddle and the Patented Stroller Portrait.

The Motorcycle

C-bao has patented a new dance move - "The Motorcycle" - where she twists her hands as if she's revving the handlebar accelerator of a bike. Here she can't help but break into it as older sister K-bao does the "C-bao Chant." Afterwards, she gives herself a round of applause.

Bookworm

Little C-bao enjoys her literature. Eating it, that is.




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Path of Grace

C-bao gets a frontrow seat with the talented Shu-Shu (aka Uncle James). Mesmerized by Uncle James' silky voice and the excellent praise music ("Path of Grace" - written by our dear friend Grace Tseng of Streams of Praise), the little one nonetheless could only stay focused for thirty or so seconds before being distracted by her blue bumbo. Luckily, like the army captain he is, Shu-Shu would have none of it and called her attention back to where it belonged.

(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!



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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.




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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.



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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: