Peek at the Boo'er

Calleigh started doing the Peek a Boo game a few months back. It's funny to see how a simple game can be entertaining. Although it is really cute, it's really hard to keep acting surprised each time.

Lately, she's been wanting to watch her Barney videos and boy, I've got all these songs stuck in my head. I think I'll go out and buy a different Barney video or maybe try Blues Clues. She's not too big on Sesame Street or TeleTubbies.

Hmm...Games
Repetition is common with toddlers. Wanting to do something over and over again. If you want to avoid this, try exposing different games or actions that might distract them to do something else. Eventually, you'll get them to do something new and mix things up. 

Look Who's Walking Now

Almost 15 months of anticipation for that first step, Calleigh gets the courage to stand up and walk. I can't say I've been disappointed but I have been waiting for a long time and it felt as if Calleigh just didn't care. She's become very mobile with crawling and I thought having her hang around kids that could walk would encourage her. As I stated in a previous blog, Calleigh does what Calleigh wants.

Last night, Calleigh used my chest as leverage to stand up and I slowly slid away and told her to walk. She did. I yelled to her Mom "Look Look!". I cannot express how excited I felt inside to see this day come.

It's been some time since I wrote on this blog, but here are some things that occurred with Calleigh in the last 3 months.

• Drinks from a straw cup. She never got the hang of sippie cups.
• Talks more using vowels/syllables, Speech is coming more defined
• Dances a lot, especially to Barney videos, and claps hands a lot
• Had her first Kid's meal ordered at a Tonkatsu restaurant
• Eats pita bread, oatmeal, Cheerios, sushi, ramen, bolognese, Kalbi, lots of different foods and loves cheese
• Loves her shoes and tried to put them on herself
• Officially off formula, although we are still finishing her last can. Instead drinks Pediasure
• Grew taller and has outgrown lots of her 12mth clothes
• Weight is still 3%, but head and height I think in the 20% range
• Learned to finger slide to access iPad or iPhone
• Holds the phone to her ear, tries to put ear buds in ear
• Had her first diaper rash which got out of control and turned to a yeast infection
• Likes to watch Dad play AngryBirds
• Gives big wet kisses on the lips while grabbing cheeks
• Wants to do everything that we do, i.e. eat with adult forks, sit with us on the couch watching T.V., play with a phone, computer or iPad

I'm sure there is a lot more to mention but I guess that's what blogging is for...to capture these moments as they happen.


Hmmm....Changes
When you want your kid to change, they don't change. When they do change it's unexpected. Being a new parent and understanding how I developed as a child, I now see a different perspective. Kids will change when they are good and ready. How they change may not be what you expected. The key is that they grow up because who wants to spoon feed a 21 year old child!

Before and After

Here are some before and after pictures of Calleigh after waking up and getting her ready to go out. Her hair was sticking up so much all I could do was put some water on her hair to keep it down.

Hmm..Hair Clips and Hair Styles

I've been trying to learn how to do different hairstyles for Calleigh so naturally I went onto YouTube to find something that will show me what to do. Most of the hair vids I saw when I used the keywords "Baby Hair Style" resulted in a bunch of videos with African American Woman. Not exactly what I wanted to see. Then I went to eHow and did a general search on google. Well, there's not much relevant information out there. If someone has a site they can share with me. I"d really like to know about it. One day, I'd like to be able to tie her hair up and make it look reasonably attractive.

1st Birthday Weekend - 2011

When I hear parents talk about their kids, many of them can't believe how fast time has passed. I feel this way about my own life before Calleigh, but now I just feel the time that has passed has been jam packed with more memories and it has made life quite fulfilling. It's sensory overload. A year has passed and life has become increasingly more interesting as I have had to go through so many changes with my daughter and the rest of my life. It's a strange feeling because it's like this new vertical in my life which is already filled with other verticals.

The video posted here is of Calleigh's big Birthday weekend. She still isn't walking as I had planned, but I hope she will before her Aunt's wedding day. But no loss here. I see some of me in her. Calleigh does what Calleigh wants to do....when she's good and ready.

Visit CalleighTV on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/calleightv

Hmmm....Keeping Promises

I have not yet given Calleigh her birthday present. Truth be told, there isn't really anything to give her more than I already do everyday, but there is one promise I made to her the day she was born. It is a promise that has occupied my mind on and off and I know it is something that I need to follow through on. Knowing myself, I know I will expect myself to break promises to Calleigh, both intentionally and unintentionally for various reasons I can only imagine. But, I think as a parent, you try to keep the promises that matter. If you are keen on knowing what this promise is, keep in touch with this blog as my promise to my daughter will be fulfilled this year.

Stanley Market

Calleigh and I headed to Stanley Market hoping to catch the dragon boat races. Mom was still out in Florence. The main beach area is where all the activity was happening and it was packed. Maybe the stroller wasn't such a good idea trying to get on the beach, but it did in fact come in handy in the 88 degree heat.

Too many people so we took a bunch of photos and videos and then headed to my Aussie mate's cafe to grab a burger and fries, which they dump sour cream, bacon and chives on top. Yummmmm.... After Calleigh had her milk and playing around for a bit, the heat got to her and she slept for a couple hours while Pops had a couple of beers.

Hmmm...Beaches Preparation

I didn't really expect the Dragon Boat event to be near a beach. But it got me thinking, strollers and beaches...leave the stroller at home/car or bring a crappy one. All the sand will just muck up the wheels. When I do take Calleigh to the beach I can imagine brining a bunch of other things, mats, umbrella, water proof suntan lotion, change of clothes. Or, just be spontaneous and get her naked!

Bangkok

Calleigh's first time to Bangkok. It was a short, short trip. Decided to tag along with Uncle Jim and family. Stayed a night and a full day, booked on miles, and Uncle Jim stayed for 3 days. It was a fun trip but there is only so much you can see in Bangkok in one day.

Hmmm...Traveling in Southeast Asia

There is always the fear of a child getting sick from food or water in Southeast Asia. But you can only worry so much. Buy name branded bottled water, just in case there are those people who you try to sell bottle of water filled with tap water. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly with bottled water. Try to avoid street foods that may not look well cooked. Calleigh had her baby jar food so the only concern was water if we had to give her formula. But Mom was around to break open the tap on the milk well.

Cypress Hill

Here is a little clip I forgot that I had. It was made for Uncle Dave. He knows the song from Cypress hill. Thought to have a bit of fun getting Calleigh into Hip Hop early. It was in a mall in Bangkok.

Hmmm...Generation Gaps

It's pretty cool that a lot of the music I used to and still dig has been remade or played still at current bars/clubs/radio. Having the next genration dig it as well is pretty cool. Rock Band and Guitar hero has definitely helped to link different generations. Therefore, I wonder if Calleigh would like the same music I like. Thank goodness for MP3's I can now ditch the rest of my Vinyl and have all my music to share with her one day. Or I can keep some Vinyl for memories, but I no longer have a turntable. If she does like my music taste at least I can feel we have something in common, especially when she is a adult. So the hmm is using music to bridge genration gaps and have something in common with your kid.