Lucky 13

Almost 13 months old on 1 Nov. No pic on 2 Nov!

Happy 13th Month my baby. The number 13 is regarded as an unlucky number in some parts but it certainly has not been the case for us. This month you have really come into your own. It feels like you turned 1 and you’ve suddenly decided that you’re not a baby anymore. You just KNOW so much and I’ve witnessed this this month with both pride and regret that only a Mummy would understand.

You are a real chatterbox these days. You’ve never been quiet, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, considering how neither your Papa nor I are too quiet ourselves! Our days are filled with your “Woo!”s and “Baa!”s and “Der Der Der!”s (yes, all with the exclamation marks) as you try to communicate with all around you. Of course, you mostly speak a language that only you understand, and a lot of what you say is, as your Papa calls it, “contextual”. Bus, Butterfly and Banana are all “Baa!” and it’s only when we see what you’re pointing at (and your aim isn’t always that accurate) do we know what you mean. You can say “Bear” — sometimes at a bear, sometimes not — and “Papa” clearly and have managed to make good attempts at saying “NaiNai”, “JiuJiu” and recently, “Yee”, much to the respective delight of the said persons. You still don’t really say “Mama” though. Instead you call me “Pepe” in a high tone when you’re really desperate. It would be funny except that I really really want to hear “Mama”!

Carry me Pepe! Err, Mama!

What you have learnt to say very clearly is “There!” in response to the question “Where’s XXX?” and you would look and point in its direction. Everyone has been having a lot of fun with this and quite frankly, the number of things and people you can identify has been rather impressive. You certainly know Papa, Mummy, Aunty M our helper, JiuJiu, YiYi, PoPo, Kong Kong, and Nai Nai, in person and in photos, and you recognise many other things, like lion, elephant, snake, bear, dog, cat, sheep, book, banana, butterfly, bird, bus, star… It’s almost like you learn a new word everyday.

And one thing that you definitely recognise is food! I was reading the movie listings the other day when you squatted next to me and started making lip-smacking sounds, which is something you do when you see food. I asked you where the food was and you responded with a prompt “there!” and pointed to a little colour pic of a bowl of melon soup in a corner which I hadn’t noticed before. Your Papa and I had a good laugh over that!

“There!”

Apart from your attempt at words, you have also widened you repertoire of animal sounds. When asked you would roar like a lion, thrill like an elephant, hiss like a snake and go “Baa Baa Baa” in a growly voice for sheep and “Baa Baa!” in a high voice for cat. The last two in particular are very funny and everyone just loves getting you to do it for kicks. Sorry baby, but you’re our little performer. Thankfully you’re generally obliging especially when bribed with snacks.

Even as you become more vocal, you’ve also picked up more signs. Like “Pray” for instance. You even intertwine your fingers nicely and when we’re done, you’ll say “Aaa!”. I’m still waiting for the “men” part! You’ve also come up with your own signs. The cutest one you created was “Swim”: you stick one arm out in front of you and wave it from side to side while going “Chhh!” It is my favourite, especially since it’s one of your own. I guess you really do love swimming.

I’ve found to my delight that you now respond to action songs. When I start singing “Skinnamarink-a-dinky-dink”, you will wave one of your hands and then put your hands to your chest for the “I love you” bit. And when you hear the opening words to “If you’re happy and you know it” you will start clapping your hands, stomping your feet and turning around. I have a lot of fun making up actions for you to carry out. As a result, I am actually singing more these days. I’m so not the singing type you know, so it’s been an effort but it’s been fun seeing you have fun.

Honestly, a big part of why this month has been such a treat is the fact that your feeding issues have disappeared, at least for now. You have been an absolute JOY to feed. I’ve even had to increase your food by 50% and you have been walloping your meals, even with regular snacking in between. It’s so satisfying for your Mummy here, seeing your face get rounder! I’m on a mission to get you all nice and well-fed before you next teething phase. Already you’re sticking your fingers deep into your mouth regularly so I fear it may come sooner than I’d like. Molars, please be kind and come out one at a time!

Chomping down pasta at the ferry terminal and I didn’t even need to confine you in a highchair

Even your sleep has seen improvement. I decided to bite the bullet some time ago and just cut off all your night feeds. It was hard at first because you would wake up and scream and cry, but eventually, you’ve learnt not to wake up for milk in the middle of the night. We are nearly, nearly at our goal of you sleeping from 9pm to 7.30am straight through. The biggest bump in the road has been your 5am waking which you just can’t seem to get over. When I don’t feed you, you can take more than an hour to go back to sleep, rolling around, climbing on me and generally ensuring that I don’t get any sleep either! We’re working on it but for now, it’s such a relief that you’re able to go from 9am to 5am without any problems. Much as we love you, that time in the evening after you are in bed gives Papa and Mummy some time to unwind ourselves.

I could ramble on and on about you but I think I’ll spare everyone that. It has, in short, been the most amazing month. A busy one,with all of us trying to keep up with you, but one of the most fun ones to date. I think we’re in for quite a ride in the coming year. Welcome to the other side of 1!

Busy busy. Catch you later alligator! Have your people call my people!