The Beginning of the Rummaging Era

Lock the drawers, shelves, 'cept for one that baby can pull the items out to play without hurting himself.

Independence

J now knows how to pick up the pacifier and adjust it to fit in his mouth now. In the past, he could not quite figure out how and would eat it upside down or try to put it in the other way round.

He's into stacking containers (nesting toys) together and also pulling paper bags or other similar objects as though they are carts. He's also into tearing and shredding paper or such material.

Soak Up the Sun; Strutting Your Stuff

The boy needs to have more vitamin D to build his body immunity - so says the Chinese sinseh. And so we have been taking Junior out to sun (hee... a piece of clothing?). Here's the boy at the Lower Seletar Reservoir. Besides, he just learnt to walk. Though wobbly for a start, he sure enjoys strutting his stuff.

To Leave or Not to Leave

Junior has been in childcare centre for 8 mths now. He'll turn 18 months in 2 months. I'm considering changing him to a new environment. Somewhere that has a philosophy that complements the GD Baby Program. But this program doesn't seem to be widely known and I couldn't get any information from mothers' forums. Really no idea where to begin. Well, in the first place, I can't decide whether to change or stay put at the current chilcare. However, we'd definitely want to get a non-air conditioned place. It'll help J's constitution, I'm sure. Let me pray about it.

Meanwhile, here are photos of Junior and his cousin Terrie, snoozing away after a tiring day visiting for the CNY. But... where's the baby?

Little Kids Want to Learn

It was at the TCM centre that we first heard about the GD Baby Program from a mother we met there. This got me really interested, despite many people saying little children should just be having pure fun and play. Let formal learning happen when it should when they are older. Why stuff the poor kids with so much education at such a young age? It kills their interest in learning when they go to school. Being a none-the-wiser parent, I was tempted to subscribe to this 'doctrine.' Yet, somehow, I feel something inherently unsound about this 'doctrine.' Is it really true? What if it isn't? What if my child really wants and loves to learn?

Well, I can only test out one of these schools of thought. After all, parenthood is all about trial and error. Sometimes, if it doesn't work out, we can try another way of doing it. For instance, if a one brand of diapers doesn't work for my son, I find other brands till there's no leakage and he feels comfortable in it.

But for this topic on letting children learn when they are young, we shall see. For now, I want to subscribe to the benefits of teaching Junior while he's young. Little kids want to learn.

Walking! The Beginning of a New Era for the Family

Berry and I took Junior to a TCM centre for the doc to assess his health. He is good generally but his lungs and spleen are weak (something which we have noticed). She also said he has too few teeth. He only has 6 when he should be spotting 8 to 10. Hmm... Wonder if I should take it with a pinch of salt. His paediatrician said it really varies for little children.

The doctor got him to walk for her to see. Boy, was he elated to strut his stuff. But of course, he could only take a few steps in that pair of crocs. Wa... Ambitious parents. Think this little baby can manage a pair of crocs when he is barely walking.

However, when we went to my parents home that evening, this amazing little human being started to walk non-stop, through the living room, then the kitchen, then back to the living room. He's finally walking!