Archive for the 'Kids' Category

Sophie’s words

February 29th, 2012

Ajay can I are able to recognise a number of words that our daughter has been uttering lately. Here is a list of them, and some other things she has been consistently showing. A number of them she has been doing as far back as six months old! We just realised now that she has been talking so much (Kicking myself, I should have documented these ages ago!)

As of leap year day, 29 February 2012 (she is now 17 months old)

Can actually say the sound:
Topeee = Sophie
Dada/Papa/Dapa = when pointing to her father
Mama = either pointing to me or my breasts (!)
Lala = her grandma, lola
Mamam = food
Dait = light
Dat = clock
Ka = Car
Aw = owl
Mo = Elmo/more food (this can be confusing, have to take into context!)
Popo = hippo
Hays (whispering) = eyes
Hosh = nose
Chi/Chin = her chin (so clear!)
Sh = Orange
Nana = banana
apt = laptop
ap = up
daaaaan = down
Bo = ball
Chichee = Hello Kitty
Puuuuuu = Winnie the Pooh
awoooo = ouch (while holding her head, no matter which body part she gets her ouch)
Baaaaa = Bye
A-a-a = Hi (like a singsong do-mi-re)
No-o-o = no

Sound effects:
hoo hoo = dog
Mmmmm = cow
(squeaky sound with lips) = mouse
(similar squeaky sound with lips) = fish

Signing/action/dancing:
Milk = 2 hands as if milking udders
Eat = one hand as if susubo ng kanin nagkakamay
Sleep = along with fake snoring
Donkey = one hand flapping above head (hee-haa as the Wiggles do it)
rooster = Cock-a-doodle-doo signing above head as Wiggles do it too
“arms go up” = both arms go up
jump = jumping a few times ending with dropping on her bum
kiss (with so much laway!)
Ba! = peeeeeek-a-boo! or eeeeeeeat bulaga!

pointing to things/body parts when named:
shirt
hair
eyebrows
tummy
hands
fingers
feet
legs
toes
cheeks
ears
mouth = she doesn’t point though, but stretches her mouth wide!
teeth = grinning to bare her front teeth!
tongue = not point either, but sticking it out

She loves books. She will run to her bookshelf every morning and pull some of them off the shelf, digging for what she wants. She will bring these books to you and grunt, asking you to read it aloud with her. At almost any book, when you show signs of starting to open the pages, she will shriek with excitement. The book she most memorised (as her mom has) is the Eyes, Nose, Fingers and Toes. We need to get our own copy of this book, we’ve borrowed it a few times from the library.

She loves Elmo and almost all other Sesame Street muppets, Hello Kitty, and will smile when seeing other characters like Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Tinkerbell, etc.

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Picasso, zombies, IKEA, mommy’s health state and a nanny.

February 28th, 2012

On Saturday, we went to see the Picasso exhibit at the Art Gallery. It was also a chance to meet with tweethearts Ivy, Chris, Lena, Jay, Mindy and Jo. Lena introduced us to a quaint cafe hidden in the grounds of Hyde Park Barracks. We spent some playtime with the kiddos at Hyde Park, before the Zombie Walk commenced at 3pm. Ajay met up with Noel and Marc, both former PinoyCSers from SG. On the way home we stopped at IKEA Tempe to buy some storage as recommended by the Araullos, the Antonius modules. Of course no IKEA visit will be complete without IKEA food. It was our first time to munch on hotdogs and donuts in Tempe; we usually went to the resto but it was late and too close to closing time.

This was also the first weekend I was on my new hormone therapy. So far my heavy bleeding has stopped, but not without the side effects. I’m very dizzy most times, and I had so far three short migraine attacks. The tingling on my left leg is still there, but it goes away when I do some stretching: this indicates to me that my blood circulation improves with exercise.

Today, Tuesday, is somewhat a better day, health-wise. Since 14 February I had been on a daily morning exercise routine. Yesterday I missed one, owing to an “all-knotted-up” feeling all over my body. But today I resumed this routine, and went for a walk with Ajay and back home. I’ll be going to work in a few hours for a meeting.

In other news, we started bringing Sophie to her nanny yesterday. Today was her second day, spending a half hour alone there with Yaya Ann and Filip. On Monday Sophie was there alone for 15 minutes. Tomorrow we plan to leave her there for an hour. She seems to be getting on well with Yaya Ann and Filip, which is a good sign of things to come =) One thing we have to get is a new toy ball, coz Sophie can’t get enough of Filip’s Disney bouncy Cars ball.

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Some christian music for children

February 21st, 2012

I may not be the biggest Christian now, but when I was little I was introduced to a lot of Christian music. I think I had a short blog about this before, and I might just link to it if I find it.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to present this link http://www.nubeat.org/Albums.html. This is a website that lists and links to low quality mp3s of a LOT of christian music specifically written for children. One word from me: Nostalgia.

If you are, for any reason, interested but unable to pick, I’d recommend the following albums: Little Things, Sweet Dreams Tonight and Say I Love You.

For specific song recommendations, I recommend the following for some “life lessons” – and they’re not necessarily exclusively Christian values, but those marked with * are about belief in God, so you can skip those if you’re not interested:

From the album “Little Things“:
If you Give Love You Will Receive Love = a lesson in “loving your neighbour” or in non-christian speak, a step beyond altruism? =) some may disagree but that’s how I see it. I once sang this song while I was in grade school (thank heavens there were no video cameras around!)
Don’t Give Up = as the title implies, keep on trying (wipe away the tears and don’t give up)
Do It Now = discourages procrastination
*Magic Painter = I like the metaphor
*He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands = this song I eternally associate with Steve Buscemi coz of the film Con Air

From the album “Sweet Dreams Tonight“: I love this mainly coz each tune is a lullaby, and I sometimes hum them to my daughter too while I lull her to sleep
*Did I remember = a reminder to pray to thank God for everything
*There Among The Stars = a song about heaven
Little Eyes = a lovely melodious lullaby, the very first one I instinctively sang to our little girl from the night she was born
Sweet Dreams Tonight = another lovely lullaby

From the album “Say I Love You“:
Say I Love You = I just pretty much love to imagine that my daughter will learn to “say I love you one hundred times a day” as this song instructs, or at least “put I love you in every word you say”