And here it is not even a third of the way through March and Adik’s 14 month entry is here! As always, thanks to the gods of backdated entries!
[[image:2013-adik14month-02.jpg:Look at all my teeth!:center:0]]
Adik has at least seven teeth, possibly eight (although the eighth is unconfirmed at this point).
* Mouse over the pictures for captions
The boy is running now! He falls down quite a bit but it doesn’t keep him down for long. Up he gets and off he goes, to the races! He even tries dangerous stunts like walking with a towel over his head covering his face as he thinks that that is funny. We have to help to steer him so he does not bump into things like furniture and walls. It is amazing how far he’s come with becoming mobile. He used to trip and fall over even the smallest things, but he can now go over the smaller obstacles without necessarily falling over anymore. And since he is now running, that means we have to run after him, because of course, he wants to run to stairs and climb up, or run to the cat’s food area and attempt to snack from Lily’s bowls. The cat’s water dish has been moved onto the island as Adik keeps splashing his hands in it, despite being firmly told no and even a couple of time-outs in the playpen.
He and Yaya get along really well though. He loves to run after her and play tag, so they run screaming with laughter all over the house. Adik tries to copy everything that his big sister does – it is quite adorable. He is learning to blow because he loves when we blow on him. He is also learning to hold on tight to the things that he wants to play with and yell like the dickens when Yaya tries to take it away from him before he’s ready. And if you did take away his plaything, he goes after you to try to get it back. I guess Yaya is teaching him to stand his ground and go for what he wants. It’s a little upsetting when he turns the tables on us and holds on tight, screaming like a ninja when we (Vin and I) try to take something away from him – you know, things he is not supposed to play with like forks or other sharp objects. I tell Yaya that he is learning this behavior from her and that she should stop grabbing things out of her brother’s hands – let’s play nicely, share and take turns, children! 🙂
He’s such a funny little guy – he has such a fun sense of humor. He loves oo-chak (peek-a-boo), even playing extreme oo-chak (towel over face, running), he thinks putting things on his head is funny, and loves when we make faces or blow raspberries. He loves being tickled, and he loves to cuddle. He keeps bringing books to me to read to him and his favorites lately have been Moo Baa La La La, Good Dog Carl, and Dinosaur vs Bedtime. If he’s in the mood, he will even say “La la la” at the appropriate time when reading Moo Baa La La La. One of his favorite hobbies is to sit by the bookshelf and just pull all the books off. He will examine the few that he is interested in, but it’s like a thing with him. Books do not belong on the bookshelf, apparently. They belong in a dangerous slippery heap on the floor. Especially in everyone’s path. Yes. Bookshelves are for wimps!
Foodwise: we really have not done as well with Adik with the 4-day trials, and I guess he’s at the age now where he just likes to eat off of our plates. Here are the few foods that he tried in an organized fashion and his rating of them:
* Macaroni and cheese (ditalini and cheese) fortified with food-processed beef, with oregano and mushroom (thumbs up)
* Grape slices (thumbs way up!)
* Banana strawberry yogurt (thumbs up)
* Apple sweet potato yogurt (thumbs down) – what were they thinking with this flavor?
He’s had a bunch of different table foods and will try practically anything. He’s had spanakopita, roti canai, char kuey tiau, pizza, cheesy bread, and whatever else that we have deemed not too spicy for him to taste. So far, the only nutty thing that he’s had is nutella which he loves! He was totally into the sliced up grapes. It was definitely a big hit. I cannot wait for spring and real fruits to be back in season – I think Adik will fall in love with fruits.
Speech-wise: still the same four words clearly (Papa, Mama, Yaya and Kitkat). He has added an attempt to Moo, Baa and definitely a La La La for his animal noises. He responds very well to music – loving to pound on the piano, and to dance to the stereo. Our current favorite music at home is Bruce Springsteen’s The Seeger Sessions. In the car however, Elton John is still king of the road! The Beatles are a distant second. Adik needs his Elton John to fall asleep and to be happy in long car rides. For the recent New Jersey work trip, we rented a minivan so I can stay in the back with the kids and therefore minimize the number of stops we need to make on the road.
Now usually, we would proceed to the pictures that document how Adik spent his birth day. However, this being a non-leap year, there is no February 29th. So Vin and I debated whether or not we would photograph Adik on the February 28 or on March 1st. In the end, we thought rather than hound him on not really his birth day, we would just do a round up of the fun pictures that we took in February. On a separate note, I really do feel bad for people whose birthdays are on February 29th. How cheated they must feel every year when people discuss whether their “real” birthday should be celebrated on the last day of February or the first day of March for three out of every four years. Now without further ado, we go to the February picture highlights:
[[image:2013-adik14month-01.jpg:Adik plays with a make shift rattle:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-03.jpg:Shoe on head is funny!:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-04.jpg:Let’s take this puppy out for a spin! Hey, why can’t I reach the pedals?:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-05.jpg:My suitcase throne needs adjusting:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-06.jpg:What? I’m just helping with the recycling:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-16.jpg:Pouting (photo taken by Lorna in New Jersey):center:0]]
The next section should be titled “Lily and the kids”:
[[image:2013-adik14month-07.jpg:What are you talking about? I don’t see the Kitkat!:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-08.jpg:Kitkat! There you are!:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-09.jpg:Winken, Blinken and Hidden (by her self portrait):center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-10.jpg:Hounding the Kitkat:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-14.jpg:Pet the Kitkat:center:0]]
Adik also enjoyed and asked to be strapped into his stroller around the house:
[[image:2013-adik14month-11.jpg:Really, this is relaxing:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-13.jpg:Adik and Morris the Hippo, chillin’:center:0]]
And next, the category is Fun with Yaya!
[[image:2013-adik14month-12_copy1.jpg:Papa gives a horsey ride (cue the William Tell overture):center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-17.jpg:More suitcase fun!:center:0]]
[[image:2013-adik14month-18.jpg:Faster, Yaya! Faster!!!:center:0]]
It was a ridiculously short and fast-paced month. But every day Adik gets a little stronger and faster, and more fun to hang around with! Happy 14 month birthday, baby boy! We love you! And to close, one of my favorite photos taken this month:
[[image:2013-adik14month-15.jpg:Sweetie Pie says see y’all next month!:center:0]]
