Okay, the picture is not clear, and you are probably wondering what’s so interesting about it. Actually, nothing special indeed. Just that she had overturned a basin of water and created a pool of water in the living room.

I think she felt a great sense of satisfaction over what she did, I even believed that it was something she had wanted to do every night when she saw that basin of water, which I prepared to give her a wipe down. She would crawled towards the basin at top speed every night upon seeing it and start patting the water, then splashing and tried to play with the towel inside. Of course, I would stop her when she begun splashing too vigorously, which wetted the floor. I could tell that she was quite disappointed each time when I ended her little water fun.

Since the experts said that we parents shouldn’t prevent the kids from exploring or playing, which stimulates them a great deal, I decided to let her have her fun tonight. Never knew a floor of water could entertain her so much. She just “dived” onto the pool of water, and went pat pat pat, sweep sweep sweep, wipe wipe wipe with her hands. When she was done with an area, she then moved to another watery zone and started pat sweep wipe again. And suddenly, she slipped and fell forward. My usually whiny girl actually didn’t cry but get up immediately to continue her fun. Was she afraid that I might remove her from the water before she could complete the whole area? I should have given her a piece of rag so that she could help me mop the floor dry while doing her pat sweep wipe actions.

Seems that messy things always fascinate these tiny minds.

New skill always leads to new mischief. It was amusing a few days ago when I saw her managed to climb onto our bed herself, but not funny anymore when she tries to climb onto the coffee table, sofa and low shelves. And today, she almost climbed over the cot railing. I didn’t fully closed the cot gate because I thought she was still too short to climb over it, and it would be easier for me to get her out of there. Well, just plain lazy of me to have open and close the gate repeatedly.

Anyway, seems that she suddenly grew taller this few days, and had enough practices from climbing up the bed and coffee table to let her perfect the skill of lifting her leg and extend it over the low railings. Gonna close the gate permanently from today onwards.

And never be obsessed with snapping shots of the kid like I was. If I didn’t caught her just in time after my last shot, she would have fallen head down, probably in hospital now.

Met my three most talkative aunties (I have a total of seven aunties, all very chatty) at my father’s place last night. They were surprised that I am still breastfeeding the kid as she is turning 10mth soon. The usual concern, “Your milk enough meh? Baby got eat porridge or not?” But luckily the three of them are big TV fans and watches TV all the times, so they must have watched all the parenting programmes that praised the goodness of breastmilk. They all agreed that mama’s milk is more nutritious, but then, must train the baby to take formula also…well, the strong marketing strategies of formula milk is so powderful, it has already became a norm to take formula, while breastfeeding becomes the uncommon practice.

Then my sixth aunt begun advising me to eat more tonics, because the baby is drinking my milk, and milk is blood! She will be sucking away all my nutrients. I was laughing it off, and then my second aunt showed me a very serious face and told me, “Really, milk is blood, or else why you don’t menstruate when you are breastfeeding.” I have come across this old wives tale before in the Asia Parent Mailing List, and managed to dig out the relevant information to dispell this myth.

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First contact with an art event. I am really not sure if she showed the slightest bit of interest in those black ink calligraphy at all. She was definitely more excited about the red plastic chairs and the carpeted floor. And of course, she disturbed the quiet and serene atmosphere with her verbal protest, left me embarrassed and packed my stuff to leave exhibition hall immediately.

Hopefully more arty farty exhibitions for her in future. Let’s see she would take after the father to become more geeky, or takes after me to be more arty.

Weekend visit by my mother-in-law again. She was asking me if Yauyau has started learning to stand on her own several times last night. My guess is, the other “3 days older” boy living down the street must have been trying to stand or learning to walk.

True enough, she told me that that boy has been learning to stand lately. This was what she said, “That boy who used the walker has been learning to walk.” She seems regretful that we refused to put our girl in the walker, which resulted in her not trying to stand or walk.

We are more then satisfied with her development (but of course, I would be happier if she decides to be more vocal). It would definitely thrilled me if she is “advanced”, but since the date she started walking or talking wouldn’t be reflected on her resume and affect her chance of securing a scholarship or job, it doesn’t matter whether she started walking three months earlier, or three months later then the average kid. Afterall, who really cares about that, except us parents who are always so proud of them.

I have been very busy running around to different places these few days, no time for lengthy entries at all. A quick record of what I observed this morning:

1. If she wakes up at 8am or later instead of her usual 7am, then she will not take her 1hour nap at 11am, and I had to entertain her all the way until she leaves for my father’s place at 1pm.

2. She will stand holding on to the coffee table for half an hour to watch the Baby Einstein show. It really entertains her a great deal.

3. She will poo every morning, has became a routine. Next, time for me to try catching her poo, using the potty, not my hands.

4. Her bums slipped forward and she fell backward into the water during her bath, body fully submerged in the water except her head, which she held up high to prevent it from getting into the water, and her hands, gripping tightly on the sides of the tub. This was the third time this happened. The first time it happened two weeks ago, she cried and I immediately rush forward and steadied her. The second time, she cried too and looking at me desperately for help, but I told myself to let her try solve her own problem of getting up, and she did after much effort. Today, she didn’t utter a sound, except looking at me frantically for support, and then managed to pull herself up again. I hoped this serves as a good reminder to me not to rush forward to help her upon her slightest tumble, she is capable of simple physical problem solving.

5. She stood for 1sec before squatting down. Whenever she let go her hands from the support, she would immediately squat down. She would never let go her hands and shifts herself from one support to another, she would sit down first, hold on to the next support and pull herself up, e.g.: from the sofa to the coffee table. Today, after releasing her hands from the bath tub, she stood for 1 sec before sitting down again. I see another new chapter beginning soon.

第三届心海书学会书法展开幕典礼，暨《曾守荫草书千字文》发布会将于十二月二日（星期四），下午六时正，假中华总商会二楼展览厅举行。

正式展出日期如下：
展出日期：十二月三日（星期五）至十二月五日（星期日）
开放时间：上午十时至下午六时正

The opening of Xin Hai Calligraphy Society (Singapore)’s 3rd Calligraphy Exhibition cum Launch of “Zeng Shou Yin Cao Shu Qian Zi Wen” will be held on Thursday, 2nd December 2004, 6pm, at Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Level 2 Exhibition Hall.

Exhibition Date: 3rd December (Friday) to 5th December (Sunday)
Exhibition Time: 10am - 6pm

Do come down to the exhibition and enjoy the beautiful calligraphy works from my teacher, renowned calligraphers from China and my seniors. I am not up to standard to take part yet, hopefully I could see my work hung up on the walls in five years time. But I have an important job too; I will be the emcee for the opening night.

Brought the baby for her second salon hair cut this morning. Previously, I had wanted to let her keep long hair and thought her first hair cut will also be her last one, until she manage to grow an “acceptable” length.

This strong desire from me to let her grow her hair long is probably to make up for what I didn’t get to do during my childhood. As a kid, my aunt cut my hair short whenever it needed to be done. How I wished to plait my hair my hair like my friends did! I have kept the ugliest and silliest looking hairstyle. Though I boycotted my aunt and visited the saloon during my secondary years, my hairstyle was still a disaster and still short. It was only until I entered JC, I started keeping my hair long, and it is a road of no return. Hmm…silly girlish thing which is still going strong.

Anyway, my good friend Shufen (who is into this silly girlish long hair affair with her two daughters too) advises me not to keep the kid’s fringe long. Very uncomfortable and messy. Yah, the fringe are really starting to poke into her eyes.

Cutting her fringe at the saloon cost two dollars. I thought, “very cheap!” But it was such an easy task. I carried the baby (didn’t even need to sit down), the lady combed a bunch of her fringe, snipped snipped, combed them straight so they sticked to her forehead. Snipped snipped the loose strands straight again. Took a tower and dusted away the hair. Done in 30 seconds! I almost said：“哇！这么快。两块钱很好赚hor！”, but swallowed it back. She just started her business, didn’t want to spoil her day. I think I will buy a scissor and do it myself next time.