Daycare Day #3

As suspected, Baby CP is too smart for us. Today, although he initially walked towards his daycare teacher and looked like he was going to give her a hug, he quickly realized what was about to happen on the threshold between the hallway and the door.  Before even setting his little foot into the apartment, Baby CP turned around and asked me to pick him up. I heard him cry until I got to the elevator today, but I think he stopped before the elevator doors opened.  I wonder if he'll start crying once he gets out of the elevator tomorrow...

Playing with new friends

19 Months, 1 Week - Baby CP Starts Daycare

Yesterday, Baby CP officially started going to daycare.  We bought him his own backpack and got him a new spill-proof big kid cup to get him ready.

He already had a runny nose before starting...oh well.  When we got to the hallway, his daycare teacher asked him to give her a hug and he walked down the hallway to hug her.  =)  Once in the door, he walked into to go find some toys.  His teacher told me that he cried for a few minutes after I walked out the door...pointing to the door asking for "ma ma."  I had a feeling this morning would be tougher, and sure enough once he got inside, he didn't go in too far and came back asking me to hold him.  He started crying when he realized I was not going to pick him back up.  Poor guy.  I hope he accepts the routine quickly and that he doesn't start crying earlier and earlier, like when we first leave home or something.

Jin Jin Jang! Apparently they make BBQ spatulas shaped like guitars.  Baby CP really got a kick out of it and thankfully didn't give me too much trouble when I told him to put it back so we could leave the store.

Baby CP likes his YeoZi Mao (Pomelo Hat).

Baby CP's new favorite words - He's upgraded from "goong goong goong" (the sound of a tractor) to "wa tu" which is basically the Chinese words for an excavator/bulldozer type vehicle.  He is now also using "huo che" (and pronounced very well, I might add) as an alternative for "choo choo train".  He also recognizes and can say many body parts in both Chinese and English.  One of my favorites is when Dora the Explorer needs to use her backpack...then he says" bok pok" - funny.

For Christmas, Mini Burrito gave Baby CP a little "baby bear"...we asked Baby CP what he'd like to name the bear, and immediately, he said "A Ge."  I have no idea what it means or where he might have come up with such a name, but he fully understood the concept of choosing a name, because he was full of giggles after choosing the name and repeating it over and over again and when we saw A Ge, he runs to get him.

19 Months Old - Baby CP Goes to Day Care

Today, Baby CP is officially 19 months old and had his first experience with day care.  He hasn't officially started yet, but he went in for a two-hour play date to determine whether he and the day care program would be a good fit.

Baby CP enjoying a snack.

The lady who runs the program said that Baby CP did so well that she thought he had been to day care before.  Way to go Baby CP!  I was a little worried that he would cry when getting dropped off, but I had a good feeling that he would be good since he likes new places and people even though he's a little shy at first.  They said he didn't cry at all!  They also said that they did some little tests with him and that at his age, usually kids can't sit and pay attention for more than 15 minutes, but Baby CP was able to cooperate.  She just wondered whether he talked more at home because he mainly used body language and his eyes to tell her things and he didn't really speak much to her.  She's sure he'll adjust after a few days. 

Looks like he and this little lady are sharing.

Baby CP was sick for a couple weeks and I think it happened at the same time as some teething.  He was SUPER cranky for about 7-10 days.  The only thing that would distract him was television.  At first he was into Bob the Builder and Thomas the Train, but mainly for the parts that involved music and songs.  The problem was just that he'd ask for it all day long.  Then he fell in love with Dora...I mean love at first sight.  After the first episode he wanted "do-wah" or "doooora" ALL THE TIME.  We had to cut down on the TV time as he started to feel better and now limit him to 1 or 2 episodes a day max.  It wasn't that bad though because when he started to feel better he would play with his toys more.

17 Months, 3 Weeks

Baby CP said that this is his "ban", which is short for "hua ban" which means skateboard.  He has also been quite obsessed with pretending that a small pot with a handle is a guitar. It took me a while to figure out what he was doing when he was saying "jin jin jang!" over and over again while moving his hand over the handle.  I guess he's got a good imagination. 

Last night's conversation:
Baby CP: Ma ma!
Me:  Dui, wo shi ni de mama.  Ni shi shei? ("Yes, that's right, I'm your mom.  Who are you?")
Baby CP:  Dong Dong.

I think that's the first time he really understood that he was referring to himself.

18 Months, 2 Weeks

Most of you know that up until recently Baby CP uses one syllable words even if word should have two syllables, but since we hang out with him so much, we know what he's trying to say.  My guess is he knows more than 70-100 words.  Last month, he started to say "bao bao wo" (pick me up), though I don't think he really understood the "wo" part of the command.  A week ago, he connected "choo choo train" and "qian qian shou" (let's hold hands).  Last night, we saw a true intent to connect words, starting with "more more li" and "more more chex" (more pears and more chex), "run run jump" ( a fun phrase from swim class), and a 3 syllable command (!) "wo  yao gan" (I want raisins).

Baby CP decided to self-wean from the bottle.  I was dreading going through the process since Baby CP used to come running to grab his bottle of milk before bedtime.  Last week, he would take the bottle but started acting weird - he'd take a couple sips and then try to dump it out.  There was something about his facial expression that made me realize that he just didn't want the bottle anymore.  It was too slow and he preferred to drink from a cup.  Baby CP drinks less than 8 oz of milk a day now and eats normal food.

He has gotten better about eating things though he does still spit stuff out from time to time, especially if he isn't that hungry.  He usually doesn't like mixed food and prefers that each food be separate.  He likes to eat meat and veggies.  He loves raisins, grape, clementines and rice chex with milk.  We don't give him sweet things to drink, but if he sees a cup with something colored in it, you can bet he'll come clamoring and demanding some.

One other development is that Baby CP knows when something on tv is scary.  We were watching Frosty the Snowman and when the abominable snowman (who has big teeth) appeared, Baby CP demanded that I "guan" (turn off) the television.  I guess that means that he knows these things are only on tv and that simply turning it off gets rid of them, though he might have nightmares.

Finally, Baby CP is getting a little better at brushing his own teeth and lets me get in a few brushes at the end.  We're still not brushing as thoroughly as I'd like, but it's better than nothing.

17 Months Old

Baby CP is into doing some chores...

And driving cars....

At Baby CP's checkup, he received his three booster shots and only cried a little as he was being poked.  One of these days he'll remember that place and cry before they even bring in the needles, but he's still too young to remember well enough.  Baby CP measured in at 33 inches (over 75%) and a little over 24 pounds (less than 50%, but within normal).  I think they're scale just runs lighter than ours at home, but he was also sick with a cold last week so maybe he lost a couple ounces.  We thought he had gone through a growth spurt recently and we were right.

16 Months Old

Baby CP turned 16 months old a couple days ago.  He walks and runs all over the place and is trying to figure out what it takes to jump.  He knows he needs to squat down to get height, but he hasn't quite figured out the timing yet.

Last weekend we took Baby CP to the zoo, but we realized that the logistics of taking Baby CP to places where he will sit for part but get up often (like the zoo and the farmers market) requires something less restrictive than a stroller. I had seen these push buggies around and thought it would be a good idea.

In this video, Mr. CP is putting Baby CP's new car together.  As you can see Baby CP CANNOT wait to get in it.  He is sooo excited.  What I like best about this video is that you see that Baby CP knows that his car should have a steering wheel.  He sits down, thinks about it and then he actually tries to put that part together himself.  I also have a couple other videos of him trying to help put little pieces on the car and trying to use a hammer.  Hilarious!  I don't know how he knows this stuff.