Jovann's growth...

Jovann is changing so fast I need to record down each of his development and little quirky habits before he goes onto other things. I have a lousy memory, so I have to try very hard to record down little little achievements so that I will not forget them...

19 Dec. Its the first time he started showing a bit of separation anxiety when we leave him at my parents. Usually he gets so happy seeing ah gong ah ma that he is not bothered at all when we wave goodbye at him from the door. we will be lucky if he even notice we are gone haha. We choose to take it as a good thing coz it means he is having a good time at their place and he is very much loved. Everytime we reach home he will whine for us to carry so I know we are missed definitely. But recently, he showed some "bu she de" and kept leaning forward towards the gate for us to kiss him, with that cute little expression he likes to make recently. Only when we kissed him repeatedly through the gates will he be happy. On 19 Dec, its the first time he started whining and even crying/protesting a bit when we waved byebye to him. he looks so upset we kept kissing him until he waves happily at us.

21 Dec Friday
Baby Signing. When putting him to bed that night, he pointed at his cot asking me to put him down as usual, saying "er er er!" at the same time. I told him "bed bed" and did the sign of "bed". He looked at me steadily with a slight smile on his face. He seemed to forget he wants to get down. So I carried him for a while more. Then he started pointing at the bed again, so I went "bed bed" and signed "bed". this time, he placed his right hand on my left cheek to imitate my action. I laughed and guided his hand to his own cheek. The next moment, when I said "bed bed" and did the sign, he placed his right hand on his cheek and leaned towards it correctly doing the "bed" sign!!! I was so elated, when Daddy came in later I showed him. Jovann looked so pleased with himself too! :)

Tonight, have also started teaching him to put his dirty clothes into the laundry basket. Was inspired by Shona the parenting instructor. :) So after changing into his PJs, I put Jovann on the floor, picked up a piece of his dirty clothes and passed it to him. Together, I walked with him to his laundry basket in the adjacent study room, and showed him how I placed it into the basket. The next time we walked back to retrieve some more clothes, he knows which room to enter and which basket to place the clothes in. :) The next few nights, we kept this up until he started walking by himself into the room and putting the clothes in without my holding his hand hehehe.

Recently, I told hubby that Jovann has this lovely action when I am putting him to bed. When I am carrying him, and asks him "Do you love Mommy?", he will inadvertently lift up his face and kissed me softly on the lips. It so so so sweet that I am always so touched when he does this. None of us has taught him to do that...so it still amazes us where did he learn that from. I am thinking that it could be because we tend to say "i love you" to him a lot, and sometimes the words are followed by smooches all over his face, that he comes to associate "love" with "kiss". Whatever the reason, it warms me inside whenever i see this affectionate side of his. :)

23 Dec Sunday

I was watching the "Baby can Read" DVD with him and the song "If you're happy and you know it......" was playing. When it reached "stomp your feet", I stomped my feet to show him, and after a few times, he started doing it whenever it sang that part! :)

Today is also the first time, when playing with the playdoh set he has, that he imitated me and used the stamping tool to stamp onto the playdoh to make the pattern of a flower. :)

Today, I cooked fried hor fun for the very first time. I fry thin white kuay tiao with sliced garlic, spinach and fish, with a bit of stock. He wanted me to carry when I cooked, so I did, and showed him this is for his dinner. The cooking hor fun smells damn nice. He seemed to be anticipating the food. When I put him down into his highchair he didn't fuss at all, and when I was slow in sitting down to feed him, he made some impatient noise! and he ate up every single bit of that "hor fun"! The highlight of the day came when I was putting him to bed that night. I was lying down on the bed beside him, and he has just sat up in his cot with his cheeky smile. And I heard a burp, followed by the unmistakable smell of garlic breath!!! When hubby came in, I told him what happened and added "Like father like son!" I haven't seen a prouder beam on his face.

24 Dec Monday. Xmas Eve.
Today when Mommy got back to ma ma gong gong's place, and was playing with you. I noticed your left hand is rarely used. You sit and play and hold things with your right hand, and your left hand is held up gingerly and relaxed from the wrist down. You did not crawl and when I touched your left hand a bit harder you winced. I was worried and asked Daddy. Daddy said he noticed it too and after repeatedly asking gong gong and ma ma many times, we found out your left arm could have been hurt when they were holding your hands walking to the kitchen. You lost your footing and gong gong's natural reflex was to jerk you up to prevent you from falling. You then started crying, and they thought it was because of the carpet you just stepped on coz you have developed an aversion to sand recently. Now we know its actually your left hand being hurt. We were so worried, and further observations of you "crawling", holding things, playing with toys, confirmed our fears, your left hand is hurt. Mommy tried touching you along the arm and hands, but could not identify the actual hurting part. Daddy went home and did an internet search on broken bones and mild sprains/strains. What we could conclude is its probably more likely to be a sprain and not anything to do with the bone. The early morning call to the PD the next day confirmed this. PD asked us to feed panadol, but i refused. Its the 2nd day oredi, and you seemed to be coping well with the pain. you will not put pressure on that hand, but neither are you crying badly, you are going about as before, just not crawling. When you walk, I have to make sure I am nearby so you dun fall on your hand. I don't want to feed panadol or any med unnecessarily. And luckily and amazingly, in the afternoon you just got better! YOu started crawling very very fast and you seemed to behave normally after that. Thank GOD! We were super worried esp since you seemed more dominant in your left hand.

28 Dec MOnday
Today, at Ah Gong Ah Ma's place, you learned 3 things!

You understand "wash face" in teochew. When we say "Ah Gong soi bin (wash face)", you will rub your hands over your face. hehehe! They showed it to us and it was so cute!

You also learned the sign for "More". Mommy has showed you the sign 1, 2 times a few days before, half heartedly. Tonight, Ah Ma was eating fried bee hoon on the sofa. And you walked over curiously and looked at her. I went over to feed you some from her plate (coz our plate's bee hoon got chilli padi), you seemed to like it, and toddled back to her after a while. I asked you "do you want more Jovann? More more....".and I did the sign. After a while, you followed me!!!! (but your version is fingers together touching the centre of your other palm). So I happily fed you the bee hoon from Ah Ma's plate. After that, you kept going back and going back to Ah Ma on the sofa and eagerly signing and signing " more" and "more" hehehee, so Mommy fed and fed you. Until Ah ma told you "no more lah!" heheheheee....

Mommy also taught you to "play golf". You were walking around with the fly swatter in your hand that evening. There was a ball on the floor, and Mommy guided your hand to swat at the ball with your fly swatter. You seemed to find it fun so you continue doing it amidst peals of laughter from me. I asked you to show Daddy later. I know it more resembles hockey, but golf is Daddy's fav past time so we will guide you in that direction, heheheee! :)

29 Dec

Today, Daddy started teaching you to sign "please" without my knowing. Later on that same day, he proudly brought you to me and asked you "Jovann, say please", and you signed it by putting your hand onto your chest and gently rubbing down (instead of circular), Mommy was so pleased!

LOVE YOU JOVANN!