Thank you for visiting my blog

This has been a wonderful journey. Before I was born till the day I turned one, this blog has taken the pictures and stories of my life to you. I may not have met you yet. Or maybe I have, just for a short while, but then we had to separate again in our journeys. But through this blog, I could be seen or be heard. And I know you have been coming to this site to follow on my progress.

This blog has made the world so small for me. I know you came from all around the world. No matter where you lived or where I was, you could see me grow or take my first baby steps. Wasn't that wonderful? What's more? I get to keep this as my memory as I grow old.

Many thanks for your loving thoughts and encouragements. I may not be able to read them yet, but be assured that my mommy and daddy tells me of them everyday. And I will read them when I grow older. I also hope that we'd meet soon - so I can tell you my story myself. Until then, do take care.

This blog ends here. But the journey goes on.

Happy First Birthday

So, the long awaited day finally arrived. First it was 29th itself. Mommy put together a small home pizza party. We had the cake, candle to blow, balloon to decorate, but in a small way. Think of it as a dress rehearsal for the event on 2nd. It was a cozy way of marking the first anniversary of my life. Everyone was very proud of me. And I had my first attempt at blowing the candles.

Then it was the big day on Saturday. We had booked a room in Eden Garden. The theme of the party was of course, In the Night Garden. Any surprises? None there. So with the garden all set to celebrate my birthday, all I had to do was wait for Iggle Piggle to arrive. That was arranged for too. Iggle Piggle and his mates joined in the fun and games and danced for me. Isn't that a pip?

The party had everything for little ones to have lots of fun. Of course, there were balloons. Lots of them. Then there was the ball pit. My friends loved to dive into it and swim around the balls. Even the bigger kids loved it. Then there was bubbles. You know I love touching those shiny large balls that can float in the air. That was instant hit too.

Then there were games. I couldn't join that part of the party - a. because I can't quite run that well and b. I took that time to take a nap. But tita Jebs, the games DJ, ensured all other kids (and their moms and dads) had some good laugh with musical chairs, news paper dance and finding Night Garden characters. There were some nice prizes up for grabs. Everyone went home with some gifts - souvenirs and loot bags and cup cakes, lovingly made for me by Ninang Wella. 

Lola Bing made a Night Garden themed double-decker cake for me. Titas and uncles gave up there sleeps for many nights to blow the balloons and make the table decors. They even handcrafted the beautiful painting and story books that my friends took home as souvenirs. Everybody chipped in their pot of love and the party was so full of it. They were smiling, laughing, happy people enjoying my birthday.

By the time it was afternoon, I was totally exhausted from all the partying. You see, I am not totally comfortable when I am the centre of attention. But then, I didn't cry at all. Just didn't smile that much. Mommy and daddy really appreciated my sporting attitude. Daddy was particularly worried that I might spoil the party by being upset. I proved him wrong.

The food in Eden Garden was great! I even sat down with mommy and tasted some of the sumptuous buffet selection. I can share any food just like an adult these days. Alina and Lachlan from Eden Garden were always at hand to ensure everyone had something to eat or drink throughout the party.

Towards the end of the party, daddy thanked everyone for coming and celebrating my birthday. He also broke the surprise news to everyone. Then it was time to go ... the gifts table was full of goodies that people have brought for me. We turned the music down, gathered our stuff and headed home. We had it all captured in video and pictures ... so when I grow up, I can see what a huge excitement have I caused by turning one.

Magic Moments: Birthday

The front entrance

Me in the ball pit

The bubbles are in action

Everybody enjoying Iggle Piggle's dance for me

The loot bag and souvenirs

The cakes table

The guests and me

Newsbreak!!

Those of you who were in my birthday party would have heard the news. Those who weren't, here's the birthday present I am gonna receive, hopefully in six months or so ... a little brother or a sister. Yahoo! So not only I became a year old, very soon I am going to be The Big Sister. How about that, hey?

As you know, I'd stop posting on this site soon ... but wait, not before my very special birthday edition! You can however, catch up on how I am doing in my sibling's site - poult.blogspot.com. Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on that cute little thing.

Meanwhile, keep your eyes open for the grand birthday edition to be published soon, right here in "my crib". You'd understand, as the elder sister, I do need to establish some of my territory. LOL.

Birthday Wishes

Leave your wishes and greetings for Ayesha on her first birthday ... Click on the comments link below.

Then I get a rosy cheek

Tuesday night, my fever was looking well under control. Most day, I had below 38 temperature. So by night time, it was a surprise when my mom discovered red rashes all over my body. Not being sure what it could be for, we again rushed to the doctor's. It was late in the evening and we were hoping we'd still get a chance to see the GP - I certainly wasn't keen to visit the hospital this soon again. As we entered the GP, there was another lady in front of us who was told to wait and she will be fitted in if anyone ahead of us finished early. So we'd be second in waiting and chances of us seeing the GP that night was looking bleak. Mommy and daddy started to talk about driving to Westmead Children's.

We then saw the lady ahead of us smile at us and leave. Soon after, we realised the receptionist has managed to fit us in to see the GP. The lady just made way for me. That was very kind of her. We very much appreciated her kindness.

Shortly it was my turn to meet the GP. She managed to make us feel bit more comfortable saying this looks like a common viral fever pattern known as Roseola. The pattern goes like this - high fever, followed by red rashes all over the body which then moves to the arms, legs and cheek and goes away. There isn't any medicine really. And just to make sure it wasn't an allergic reaction, she also asked to stop the antibiotic.

Next couple of days went just as the doctor predicted. I had no or low fever but very red rashes all over my body. By Friday evening, I have red cheeks to complement it all. Meanwhile, I was eating and drinking pretty well. And doing some great walks too. I prefer to be on my feet now. I walked from the living area to the kitchen and back several times the other day.

Saturday night was the most uncomfortable though. For the first time my rashes became itchy and irritating. I started to twist and turn at 4 am at night - waking my parents up. Initially daddy was quite upset with me thinking that I was just being naughty. Soon he realised I was in a lot of bother. Mommy and daddy tried to soothe my itch by massaging my legs. Anyways, after an uncomfortable couple of hours, I fell asleep.

The rashes have started to disappear now. We still went back to the GP to find out if there are any medication I can take tonight to get a good night's sleep. It was good for me to go out and about too, as I have been pretty much locked inside the house. I even managed to catch a ride on a red car.

Mommy and titas have been very busy preparing for my birthday next week. They were practicing their skills with balloons and drawing up plans for the party. Everyone is just hoping that I will be fully fit and well for my birthday party. All that is left to do is to find a beautiful dress for me to fit the party mood. My night garden friends are dressing up too for sure.

Since I started playing with the soccer ball couple of weeks back, I became very fond of it. I not only like kicking the ball around, I even learned how to call it 'boh'. I love my game of 'boh' even when I am sick. And if I am in the bed, I settle for peek-a-boo.

Night out in the hospital

Trust me, it wasn't fun. You already heard I had high fever over the weekend. On Monday morning, mommy took me to the doctor with my fever still relatively high. The GP recommended to see till mid-day if the fever was under control and if not, take me to the hospital. At mid-day, with my fever at 39.5 and no sign of release ... mommy summoned daddy to come back home from work. We met up with him in Westmead Children's Hospital. After the initial triage, the nurse told us to wait for the doctor to become available.

With my temperature still very high, the pediatrician who saw me thought it would be safer to run some thorough checks to rule out any nasties in my blood. So I had to face the most daunting moment of my life - 20 minutes of gruelling by the doctors and nurses. Already tired from the high fever, I hated all the attention from those busy people. The poking with the stethoscope and needle for the blood felt equally annoying and I cried through the process. The doctor even left the little opening for the blood in place just in case I needed it again.

We waited for several hours for the result to come through. At about 1 am, the doctor came out to say it's all clear. Yup, after that ordeal, the white cell count in my blood appeared normal ... ruling out invaders in my blood. The urine was clean as well. So the only rational explanation was some sort of viral fever which doesn't have any direct cure. The nurse took out the bandage off my hand and we were free to go home. Mommy and daddy was told to keep a close eye on my fever and keep consulting the GP. My feeding pattern and how well I was coping with the fever would determine the next course of action. We are all just hoping I can ride out the fever.

Titas were waiting for me outside till early hours of the morning. Everyone was relieved there wasn't anything to worry about.

My sick day off

Mommy organized a book-look at home on Saturday. She bought me a number of story and picture books few weeks back when she visited a book-look session. She asked Rachel from Total Learning to come over and talk about her range of children's books and CDs and she invited some of our friends to join us at home. Mommy and daddy picked up a few more books. Tita's and tito's were also there to select some books they liked. Only trouble was, I wasn't feeling too well.

On Friday, Tito Jovan treated us for dinner in Ribs and Rumps, which was booked out till 8.30 pm. It was a late night dinner on a rather cool night. The fact that I am also getting two more teeth added to the complexity. By Saturday morning, I was feverish - with temperatures hovering around 38. So I wasn't feeling quite myself. Having said that, I am an active girl. So I kept up playing and eating and taking my Panadol. My parents thought it might just pass by.

By the time night approached, it turned little worse. At about 10 pm, my fever had started to cross over 38 close to 39. The Panadol wasn't working. Mommy and daddy was getting worried but decided to see out the night. I was totally composed though. By about 3 am, my fever has crossed 40. I couldn't sleep ... so there I was in the bed, playing peek-a-boo. Daddy wanted to do something and gave me another doze of Panadol. Which really made it worse - I just didn't like the taste and vomited it out with my food. I couldn't help but cry. Mommy took me to the living room to watch In the Night Garden. That would have been the only thing that could calm me down. I watched Iggle Piggle for some time and then fell asleep. Rest of the night, I had my fever hovering around 40+. 

So first thing in the morning, we went to the local GP and waited for him to arrive. We wanted to be the first in the queue. When my GP arrived, he had a quick check and decided it was a bout of flu virus. But to control the high fever, he gave me some antibiotics. He also recommended some Nurofen to go with it. Having had the first doze of Nurofen with the doctor, by 10 am, my fever was in control. And I was running around again playing peek-a-boo with mommy and daddy.

My parents have been praising my strength. I've been a very good girl during this fever. I kept up my fluid intake to keep myself hydrated. I am eating well. Only trouble is - I don't like the taste of the medicines. They just have to put up with some cries as they try to make me take the medicine.

Because of my illness, mommy had to cancel attending two parties. I missed out on Celeste's birthday too! That was a shame. I am just hoping and praying I get well real quick in time for my own  birthday.

Easter holiday

The best part of Easter is having everyone at home for a whole 4 days. I get to make most of it as I get up in the morning and go down to the kitchen for breakfast. I have too many options - and hence I get to demand who I want to carry me. Pity mommy doesn't think that way. She has rules. And the rules dictate, I should be on my highchair or my baby pod and have my breaky. So I ended up crying for 20 minutes asking to be released from the shackles of the highchair. Neither daddy or mommy or anyone else came to my rescue. Well, my lessons of growing up has just gone a notch tougher.

Other than that though, it was lots of fun spending the holiday at home. Nothing was planned for this Easter. Mommy and daddy decided to take it easy this year and take a break from their routine long Easter drives. We took a short drive to Ku-ring-gai National Park for a day picnic with our friends. I met up with a selection of exotic wildlife, which included a turkey, lots of birds and a really long Guana. The creepy creature was brave enough to reach very close to us in search of food. I was safely planted in daddy's arms just in case it felt I was small enough for its jaws.

My walking skills has improved impressively this week. It's now one of my favorite game to play. I take turn to walk from one person to the other and back. If I successfully finish the walk, I get a big cheer. If I fall in the middle, I can quickly pick myself up to continue the walk ... again amid the cheers of the spectators. It's a fun game.

I got hold of a soccer ball in the picnic. It turned out, my skills of soccer isn't bad either. I was pretty good in kicking the small soccer ball around - making daddy wonder why the ball at home is the same size as me. So he brought out his old soccer ball from the garage to give me ample practice before I start calling the Matilda's for a trial.

In the communications department, I have got a great addition. I can very well communicate 'no' when I mean it. Say mommy is trying to feed me and I have had enough, I'd shake my head to say no. When daddy is trying to put me down but I'd like to be carried, I shake my head no! Daddy loves to see me do that. The other day I was crawling around the room and reached for the TV unit. Daddy called out 'no' with his head shaking. I stopped and turned back to him and shook my head to confirm I understood what he did not want me to do. You should see how excited that got him.

I am also pointing to things I want to get or know about. Complimented with the phrase "Ei Je" and the finger pointing, that tells people around me I am interested in it.

Magic Moments: Fun in Easter

The unhappy rider

No wonder lola loves ironing, this is fun!

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

Magic Moments: Lazy in the park

Make me fly daddy

Hey, give me my ice cream

Australians all let us rejoice ... what's the next line mommy?

Enjoying my walks

This week started off with a rather nervy setting - it was the first week with tita Jebs. Daddy, mommy and tita Annie had to take turn to stay at home and support me with her, as she transitioned into being my nanny. Since then, I have become a better friend with tita Jebs. I am feeding with her, playing with her and if there is no one else around, I am happy to stay with her for as long as I have to. Next week will be a stronger test of our ties however, as I get to spend some close bonding times with her.

Saturday, it was Ninang Wella's birthday celebration. We spent most of the day in her place. It's always a good time for me to catch up with Katrina and kuya AJ and have some play. With me being able to walk a bit as an option, I had jolly good time. In between great food, naps and play - I didn't hesitate to show off my walking skills. If I weren't walking, I was trying to imitate a very talented dance show from Katrina and kuya AJ.

Sunday morning mommy and daddy wanted to take it easy. After breakfast, we headed for the Bella Vista Farm Park open day. It was a festival atmosphere - but was a great way to laze around on the grass on a Sunday afternoon listening to the country music. As a bonus, I got to go close to some sheep and goats and ducks and rabbits. I get pretty excited when I see animals - and I am not afraid to hold them when I get a chance.

After lunch, we thought of having ice cream ... yes, that would be my first ever. I was sharing the sorbet-top with daddy. But then I wasn't giving him much chance to eat - I loved it so much, I kept pulling it from his hand onto my mouth. With cream all over my mouth, I looked funny. But that wouldn't stop me! I licked and licked until I reached the bottom of the cone when mommy decided to allow me to hold it by myself and eat.

Throughout the week, I kept on improving my walking skills. I can now just wander around on my feet when no one's watching. At one stage, I followed tita from my room out to the hallway. Quite often I'd just walk from the bed to the wall and back.

Since lola left, I have been sharing bed with mommy and daddy. I don't need much feeding at night. With a late night and early morning feed -I do just fine.

It's getting close to the big day - the day I'd turn one. Hey, don't forget to send in all your thoughts and wishes for me ... because soon this blog will be turning into a book to capture the memories of the first year of my life. And I would like to have your notes for me in there.

The week of change and a month to go

I probably shed most tears of my life this week than any other. Another word for it is hysteria, almost. Here's why. Lola has left for Manila on Saturday. She'd be there for a month with the plan to come back just before my birthday. And tita Jebs arrived on Thursday to take over from her. But the transition wasn't something I planned for. Mommy and daddy decided to get tita take over on Sunday while they were still at home. Tita Jebs made sure her's was the first face I saw as I woke up. While I was getting along pretty well with her in the presence of mommy and lola, I didn't expect just to be with her alone. So I panicked. I cried and cried - while my parents stayed away with the hope that I'd eventually wind down. After about half hour of watershed, mommy caved in and took over. They tried a couple of times again as the day progressed - with the same result.

I suppose I am missing lola... as she is missing me. It is hard for her to be away from me for so long as since my birth we were always together. It will take me a while to get used to a switch. Mommy and daddy is now planning to swap days to be at home with me.

This week daddy was also away from Monday till Friday... missing out on one of my key milestones. Luckily mommy got it on camera for him. He was biting his hands for not being able to catch me take my first walk. To make up for it, I did a number of walks since he returned on Friday evening.

Sunday also marked 11 months since I was born. What does that mean? That means I'm just a month away from my birthday. Gee, time has gone past like a super-rocket! It's going to be a day to celebrate - I have achieved quite a lot in such a short time. I think I'd be a very proud girl when I complete the first year of my life.

Poll Result

Mommy had to concede. Your vote has sealed it. Overwhelming majority has voted for daddy - confirming that I look more like him. Having said that though - daddy says I am looking more like mommy every day.

The day I started to walk

Well, everyone knew it was close. And it happened today! I decided to take it all in my own hand (or legs) and decided to walk. Small step at a time, I took a number of steps to walk towards lola - who was trying to lure me towards her. Not once, not twice, a good 15 or so of them. And I kept doing this all evening until i was too tired and fell asleep. Mommy had her camera rolling. So check out the first pictures of me walking!

The photo shoot week

I have been standing on my feet unsupported for quite some time now. I don't like my pram or being locked out for too long in one place. I prefer to be carried or even better, to roam around by myself. I switch between crawling, furniture surfing and in between them one or two steps unsupported walks. My push bike has been handy as I can push it around while I walked on my feet.

Tita was away for a few days - she went to Hong Kong for a office conference. She was back on Saturday with a pile of shopping done just for me. I was able to put on my new clothes and show it off as I stood on my feet. It felt like a fashion catwalk as the camera went off amid the cheer of mommy, daddy, lola and tita. They kept on encouraging me to keep standing.

On Sunday it was the same show again. This time, I was getting ready to attend my friend David's first birthday. It was a costume party and I decided to wear the traditional Indian dress moni brought for me last year. They just about fit me now. With the costume on, and the flash light going off again, it was just like a fasion parade.

I met up with Katrina in the party - she wore her traditional Chinese costume too. Two of us sneaked out of the party next to the lake outside and guess what, another round of photo shoot. Katrina, being the elder of the two of us, was showing how it should be done. She was showering me with her hugs and doing her dance moves as daddy and tito Jo clicked away.

Magic Moments: On the fashion runway

They say I should be shy when I put on this Indian look, but I can't just stop laughing!

I now can stand, got my parka on, where are my skiing boots

Daddy Diary: Daddy is home

Since December, Ayesha picked up the word 'daddy' and has been saying that out loud quite frequently. Last few weeks, she has been using it to address me directly, in between many of her other words. She has managed to relate that word and me pretty clearly. But this afternoon as I returned from work and walked through the door, I saw my little princess having her dinner in the kitchen with mommy. As soon as she saw me walk in, her face lit up with her usual big smile and she yelled ... "Daddy!"

I think I will be knocking off work about 2 hours early over the next few days.

Exploring Montessori

Mommy had planned to spend the Saturday morning going to couple of Montessori schools as they had a open day in Sydney. First stop was Hills Montessori. It's not too far from where we live, and with the commitment of couple of hours a week for the first couple of years, mommy was quite keen about the school. At a first glance it looked quite interesting. I was crawling around the classroom they have setup for the open day and took lot of interest in the things placed around the room. There were lots of treasure troves and other Montessori tools spread around the room. Mommy was having a chat with the Directress of the school to understand the steps to go through to enrol and what's involved in the early schooling.

After spending some time there, mommy decided she wanted to explore other environment for me before committing. Even though it was nearest to us, she did not feel too excited about the environment. So we drove further north to Northside Montessori. This would be bit far from our place but was worth exploring. As we entered Northside Montessori's Stepping Stone campus, we were greeted by its principal. She was a very friendly lady who explained to us the enrolment process and some of the benefits. While mommy was speaking to her, daddy took me into the psychomotor room for some play. I was quite keen on the activities in the room - and was saying hello to some of the other kids who came to explore too. The principal also pointed my parents to few other staff members who could provide us with bit more details about getting involved in a Montessori teaching method. Mommy and daddy proceeded to speak to those staff members, giving me the opportunity to doze off to a much needed sleep.

After speaking to some of the staff members, my parents were feeling much stronger about enrolling me to Northside. So mommy filled up the enrolment form and dropped it in with the principal. This means we will now proceed to a close observation session followed by an interview with the principal before making the final decision (assuming I can make through the waiting list). If I do enrol, I'd be attending school once a week till I turn 3 years. First part will involve attending psychomotor sessions until I am comfortable moving around and ready to take simple instructions - after which I can graduate to a more involved pre-school activities.

After exploring the schools, we dropped by Borders for checking some books and have coffee. While mommy and daddy had their coffee, they bought me my first babycino. I finished my babycino pretty quickly ... loved the taste. Only problem was, most of the froth was on my nose. So mommy put the rest of the babycino in my sippi cup. I forgot to mention, since mommy bought me the sippi cup with straw, I can sip my drinks straight through the straw. Which means, I no longer have to look up and pour drinks down my throat!

Later in the afternoon we were in Ninong Ronz and Ninang Wella's house for dinner. Katrina was there too so I had fun crawling behind her as she ran around. At times I was cranky which made mommy bit upset. Lately I have been vocal and at times aggressive when things didn't go my way. I'm sure mommy is putting together a comeback plan in place to rectify that.

But the best part of the day arrived when I was playing with Ninang Wella. I was on my feet and dancing with the music when she lured me to approach her. I figured she was close enough for me to just walk up to her. So I did ... one, two, three and dive. I took three steps before I dove onto her. That was a first. In case anyone had any doubt, I repeated that shortly afterwords, again with three steps. Oh, I am this close to stay on my feet and walk around. Keep tuned and you'd find out when that happens.

Calling it out

Mommy was complaining again - how come Ayesha doesn't say mommy yet? This has been a constant complain from her in recent times. So to make her feel comfortable, I have been calling her out all weekend long. Yes, I have been yelling 'mama' or 'mom' all day long. At times its hard to draw her attention. So I have to yell.

Apart from mommy, I am calling out 'tata' every time I see her or go to her room (my auntie). Of course I have been calling 'daddy' for quite some time now. You should also be glad to hear how I try to speak these days. I know they don't often make much sense... nonetheless, they are pretty decent effort.

I took a break from potty use last few days. I was scared of that thing. Lola has been trying to get me back on it, but that didn't work. This weekend, daddy decided to break that fear of mine. He had to put up a little show with the potty and that made me laugh. But as soon as he tried putting me on it, I got terrified again. He didn't lose hope. Another round of potty show (he looked funny as he tried to sit on my potty) and he tried to put me on it again. This time I cried with little less effort. He pounced on that opportunity and distracted me with a toy. That did the trick. I forgot I was afraid of that thing and went on about my business.

Sunday morning he repeated the same trick and with not that much push-back from me, again I was on my way. So, it seems, I am back on using the potty.

Mommy finally managed to take a picture of my two new teeth. With a fraction of them out, my upper teeth is hard to catch on a camera. But this week she managed to make me give out a big smile and with that, out came all four of my teeth. Well done, mommy.

Ninang Mitch started a war

Ninang Mitch left a comment on my blog,which literally started a war. Although ninang meant no offense, mommy did take a few, it appears. She can't accept that I look like daddy. On the contrary, she thinks I am a perfect replica of her childhood image. So to take this war further, she decided to pull out the old album and started to compare photos against that of mine. I thought I'd post her comparison for you to be the judge.

Some of you may remember the very first poll on this site asked the same question. They like to think that I have grown into some more of their features. If I had my say, I would have said I looked like myself and mommy and daddy both got a bit of my looks. But hey, I am too young to vote!

So here we go - for each pair, the one on my left is daddy and the one on my right is mommy. Don't forget to vote.

Magic moments: All in a days work

Told mommy not to put this big hat on me, now I am lost

Mommy showed me how to start the music - now this darn thing isn't working ... is it the button or my finger?

Poll update

I asked you if I deserved the potty training certificate, and you all gave me a thumbs up. I am delighted. Nothing better than getting a huge bout of appreciation from you as I learn to do things by my own the right way.


Note from mommy: Ayesha stopped using her potty for the last week or so. For some strange reason she gets very traumatic when asked to use it. Hmmm, we think we have given her the certificate a bit too early. But it was nice of her to be on it for almost a month. Although we don't know why is she suddenly scared of her potty, but we want to give her a break just in case she had a bad experience and think that the potty would cause her pain.

The missing day of birth

Every month mommy likes to celebrate the 29th as my day of birth. This month she had the same plan - except, there was a small problem. February didn't have 29th. So we had to settle for a day early. Another month - the tenth in fact. One may consider me to be a toddler already.

Mommy says she loves the interaction I bring in her life. Daddy gets jealous, because I have learnt to give mommy big cuddles and kisses. The other day I heard him complaining how I never kiss him like that. So Sunday morning as he was cat-napping on his bed, I climbed onto him to give him a big kiss on his forehead.

There are other ways I am expressing myself now, for example, my annoyance. I can be very vocal about not being happy about certain things. I just dont have the words yet - but the noise I make says it all. So, not surprisingly, I had a bit of feedback from my parents already. If I am persistent in demanding, they are starting to tell me very vocally it wasn't the right thing or the right time for me. But daddy is still having trouble keeping up a strong face. He's caving in pretty soon and showering me with hugs and kisses. Yey, I win!!

I am learning to imitate others in what they do with their hands and at times, the sound they are making. And I prefer to crawl around more than being carried. And worse of all - being put in the pram. With the total teeth count now at four, I am also open to most foods adults will eat. All it needs is to be a bit smashed. Starting today, mommy has switched to use fresh milk instead of formula. She's a bit worried if I would show any allergic reactions - we will see. I have also tried my first cheese today and I loved it too! While I was having my breakfast, mommy made me stand in the kitchen - and so I did for a good fifteen seconds. The countdown is on when I will be taking my first step unassisted.

So, back to my day of birth celebration. Mommy hurriedly put together a carrot cake for the day. She's been practicing her cake making skills and they are getting better every time she makes it (so says daddy). Too bad I am not yet allowed to have that much sweets. We spent the evening at home with a takeaway meal and the cake for dessert.

Montessori way

Mommy has been looking up a decent school for me since I was in her tummy. That was when she got the idea of Montessori schools. She has been looking up the Internet since then - trying to work out the best way to introduce me to the Montessori way. Thursday night she got herself a book on it - How To Raise An Amazing Child. Since then she has been swamped with ideas to make some big changes in life around me. She's thinking of spending the weekend on fixing my treasure trove and already trying to convince daddy to setup my room using inspirations drawn from the book.

Top of the world

It was time for my bath. Mommy wanted to take me up and get me ready for that. But instead of the usual way of being carried up the stairs, she decided she'd give me a workout. She asked me to climb the stairs. I was a bit puzzled at first. Looking at her for some instructions. She climbed up and down to show me how it was done. That's all it took. I started climbing up. With a little pause in between to take some breath - I managed to climb the last flight of stairs like a bird. Check it out!

My two new teeth

There is just a tiny bit of white starting to come out where two of my front-top incisors would be. That is enough for me to start taking big bites off the fruits and at times, people. No blood, but big noise comes out from the recipient of the bite. Thankfully, like any responsible user of teeth, I am quickly learning the correct use of them. All up, I can officially count a total of 4 teeth! I have been enjoying brushing my teeth as well. I am yet to fully comprehend difference between a gurgle and drinking water, but my attempts at gurgling is pretty commendable.

The other day I woke up in the afternoon with a pleasant surprise. Iggle Piggle in my bed has found his friend, Upsy Daisy! It was a gift from Ninang and Ninong. I was very happy - as I realized how happy Iggle Piggle was. So thank you Ninang and Ninong. I am still deeply amused by my friends at Night Garden. I suppose I am lot more interactive with them than I used to be too.

We had a quiet Saturday at home since Mommy was learning to bake from lola Bing. Daddy and I spent most of the day watching golf on the TV. So on Sunday, mommy thought of giving me a treat, taking me down to the local Lollypop Land. I figured it is rather risky navigating around a bunch of 2-12 years old and that place was full of them. Mommy and daddy found me a safe corner for 0-3 toddlers (although I suspect some of the kiddies there were more like 4-8). I enjoyed a bit of swim inside the pool of balls. In one little moment, I managed to stand up holding daddy's arm. But then the attraction of picking up the balls became compelling. So I bent down to pick one up, holding daddy with the other hand. That's when I saw the other ball I wanted to pick up. There I went and picked up the other ball with my other hand. With my two hands full, I couldn't hold on to daddy anymore - so I stood there for a short while just looking at the colored balls in my hand. Daddy was going nuts seeing me hold my balance for that long. For me, it was just another day's play.

Valentines day, washed out

Perfect timing

daddy managed to capture the moment I took my hand off the chair and stood on my own

Valentines day fell on the weekend this year. Perfect opportunity for a quick getaway for us all. Love was in the air, but so was raindrops. The plan was a drive to Nelson Bay. The forecast wasn't in favour. But we thought we will take the chance. After all, mommy and daddy both took Monday off to spend more time together. It was a large touring party too. Ninang Wella, Ninong Ronz, Tita Jopai, Tito Allan and Kuya AJ joined us for the short drive out of Sydney.

As we all arrived in Nelson Bay, it was overcast. By the time we found a place to eat, it was pouring down. We rushed into the shelter of a nearby eatery and had our lunch. From there it was straight back to the apartment we were staying for the weekend. With not much to do outdoor because of the rain, we decided to camp indoor and watch movie. We thought it would be just for the day, but it went on for the rest of the day and next. Sun was the hardest thing to find for the whole two days. Movies, indoor games, pizza and short trips to cafe were the next two days' major activities.

As Monday arrived and we were getting ready to check out, hey presto, the sun was smiling bright! It was perfect 20+ degrees outside. While the water was still a bit too cold to go near too, it made the rest of the weekend look like a washout. Mommy didn't want to ignore the sun and we went down to take some pictures. As I crawled around the pool and use the pool chairs to stand up and look around, daddy managed to take a snap of me standing by myself without holding the chair. I am doing that quite often lately, at times standing for good 5-6 seconds.

The drive back home was quite cheerful. We drove under the bright sunlight, taking a longer than usual pitstop in Toukley to make most of the sun.

Now I'm a Certified Potty User (CPU)

Not that I am too excited talking about my toilet habits - but at my age, you have to say this is a big achievement. So much so, daddy and mommy awarded me the certification for potty use. What's the fuss about, you say? Well, looks like I have to elaborate.

Last week mommy bought me a potty just to get me started on some good habits. Next morning, lola thought of putting it in use. She put me on the potty about the time I usually do my poo. With some animated expression, she gave me the encouragement I needed to figure out how to use the potty. Hey presto, that was all I needed and history was made. For the first time, I had my poo in the potty and not a soiled nappy. Wait, there's more.

Next day, it was the same routine. But a little bit of advancement. Lola this time took me to the toilet instead. I used the potty with total perfection. Same story on day three. Mommy and daddy was getting excited as they heard from lola how I used the potty for three successive days.

Day four, lola thought she'd just get me on the potty in the kitchen. As she tried to make me sit on the potty, I wasn't happy. I made her aware I am not comfortable sitting their in the middle of the kitchen. Lola obliged and took me to the toilet. Guess what, that's exactly what I was after and minutes later I was out with success!

That was pretty much how the week went. By the time it was weekend, mommy was there for the final exam ... you know, of my CPU training programme. She got me setup right in the middle of the kitchen. Oh no, not there. Have some decency mommy. I want the toilet - I said with my fist up and pushing myself out of the potty. Mommy agreed (smilingly by this time) and took me to the toilet. Five minutes later, it was done and dusted!

Yahoo! I passed my potty training course with flying colours - with extra credit for learning to use the toilet environment. Now you decide if I deserved the CPU. Don't forget to endorse it in the current poll. I need the encouragement!

Last poll result

Overwhelming majority (of the 9 votes) thought I looked just as cute with no hair ... Daddy would be pleased - as he knows, he will never dare to do this again in his life.

Catch me if you can

I am very mobile these days. Its getting harder for anyone to keep an eye on me. Here's a small example of that.

Nine months

Count to nine. It's a long way. That's the number of months I have touched this week. And I have a whole host of tricks in my sleeves to show for it. Let's take standing for example, before I touch the nine-month mark, I was able to stand up from my sitting position quite freely. At times, I let go of my support (the wall or someone) and stand on my two feet for a few seconds. This morning I surprised daddy by pushing myself up my feet without holding onto him.

I am lot more mobile by myself now. I love exploring the living room. Usually with my toys scattered around and people sitting in various corners, my game is to crawl around in between them and pick up the toys. My boundary is the carpet. Each time I attempt to cross that boundary, I hear a loud "NO" from one of the people sitting around and have to turn back. I then climb up against the sofa or anything hard that can support me. Sit back down and crawl again. I think you get the idea. In short, I am a very agile person.

To confirm the signs of my maturity, mommy bought me a potty today. I need to start training on my potty soon. That would be my next challenge. I enjoy full-on solids. I am quite happy to dip into a plate of lasagna or beef pie when mommy or daddy are eating. I wont let them go away without sharing their naan with butter chicken. Don't waste time trying to mash it for me. And I am a fruit person. Most fruits are ok with me.

There are a few gestures I learned recently too. Well, somewhat. I often confuse a kiss with a bite. I'd lovingly hug the person carrying me, take my lips close to him or her, just about the time the person would be starting to expect a loving kiss, they get a bite instead. The other day, I woke up next to my mom and dad and found daddy still sleeping. I pulled his head by his hair. He turned to me and said 'good morning'! I held his face lovingly, snuggled my face into his. Daddy gave me a few kisses in return and a few nice words. Just as he thought I reached out to kiss his nose, ping, it was bitten! He he he, he'd think twice before letting me go near his face again. Everyone fell victim to my prey.

Then there's this hello' gesture. I raise my hand and then clasp and unclasp. I am very fond of this. Each time anyone shows that to me, I reciprocate. I like that to do that in front of mirror too - saying hello to myself.

One thing I am yet to get full grasp off, making mommy rather sad. While I love saying, mum-mum-mum or ma-ma-ma, I am yet to say mommy. Especially since I've been saying 'daddy' for a while, mommy is eagerly waiting to hear me call her. Something tells me though, she won't have to wait too long.

Happy birthday, Australia

Long weekend! Always makes me feel good. Mommy and daddy usually at home or we are out and about. To make it special, this was my first Australia Day!

It was good timing all through. Mommy had an annual company dinner - this time in Sydney. So we packed our bag on Saturday and headed off to Shangri-la for the weekend. The dinner was on Saturday evening. Tita and Lola had plans for the weekend. So my parents booked Uncle to look after me while they were out for dinner. Uncle arrived shortly after finishing his work - but just in time before my parents had to leave. I was with him for the rest of the afternoon. It was meant to be a nice little bonding time between the niece and uncle - and it was well on its course the first session. I played and ate with Uncle and listened to the music. Eventually I fell sound asleep. That was the start of a little problem - it's not always I get up and see myself with uncle alone. So when I did, I didn't quite like what I found. I was crying.

Uncle dialed in for emergency help - he called up daddy. In between dinner, daddy gave him instructions on how to manage me. From there on, Uncle's sincere effort to calm things down meant, I cried a little longer, fell asleep, woke up again, cried a little bit more and slept again. Finally when my parents arrived, they found both the uncle and niece sound asleep in the hotel room! So that was uncle's first official baby sitting duty.

Next morning, we went for a city tour. We the Sydney-siders don't tend to spend too much time in the touristy part of the town. So it was quite a pleasant day out for my parents. They spent some quiet time in Borders reading books as I behaved like the best little girl around, giving them the quiet they needed. We all bought a couple of books to read through the long weekend (I bought a In the Night Garden little library). Then back in the hotel to enjoy Australian Open with Jelena Dokic play Kleybanova. Boy, wasn't that a fantastic match to watch! While my dad was pacing the room, mom kept pleading to change the channel as she couldn't take the thriller and I kept on clapping seeing my mom and dad sweating it out just watching a game. I wonder what they'd do if they were playing it themselves.

Top: Sydney Harbour ferry race
Right: I am appreciative of a spectacular Sydney Harbour view celebrating Australia's birthday

It was Australia day the next day. We had a late checkout arranged so we could watch the ferry race on Sydney Harbour. I do take a lot of interest in the outside world, now that I can appreciate things moving around me. So mommy and daddy gets a lot of entertainment themselves just by pointing things out to me. Every now and then they were also getting excited seeing me stand with just one hand support and occasionally taking that hand off to stand by my own for a few seconds. I have also perfected the art of clapping and get a quite a bit of attention every time I demonstrate my skills.

After the race had ended, it was our time to checkout as well. We packed our luggage (gee, it felt we were out for the month!) and after a quick city-shopping sprint for mommy - we were finally back home. I missed my walker the two days we were away. So I was having lots of fun running around the house on my walker again.

Oh, before I forget, I must tell you - since last week I have picked up the healthy, hygienic habit of brushing my teeth regularly. Mommy bought me a baby brush and toothpaste suitable for my baby gum and two little tooth. I have been cooperating with the process of brushing my teeth as I know a good, early dental habit will go a long way in my dental life.

Mommy makes me laugh

Mommy has this magical ability to make me smile - and better, burst into big laughter. Here's a moment daddy caught in his camera while mommy was weaving her magic wand.

Learning to stand

Despite the bumps and bruises, it is much too exciting for me to stand, than to lie down or sit back. I am aware of the trouble it comes with... I am quite prepared to take the fall. And as I finally make it on my feet, I am always glad that I did... until the next fall, that is. Check out the video.

Where'd my hair gone?

Whether it was a cultural thing, or the believe that my hair is going to grow fuller and darker afterward, or to give me a respite from the Sydney heat, my parents decided to set a new milestone right into the new year. They shaved my hair! Surely had I been a grownup with a voice to raise against this atrocity, this would not have happened. My parents knew it and they thought 8 months is the best age to carry out such a massacre. My beautiful, silky baby hair was gone in a matter of 60 minutes. It was daddy who carried out the task. I have been suffering a little cold lately. Even that did not melt his cruel heart. He was onto it with full precision, complete with his tools and techniques.

Well, a new year was meant to bring in some changes in life. Daddy had one in mind - he was growing his facial hair! That gave him the idea - lets bring one to baby Ayesha ... let's cut her hair. And a cut he did - first trimmed to the smallest length with his trimmer and then full on razor to shave it clean. To be fair to him though, he made sure I had it all done without any scratches and with as little razor burn as possible.

Left: The proud culprit with the tool alongside the innocent victim

Daddy's culture dictates baby hair to be shaven within the first week of birth. They could not quite take the razor to a soft skin of an infant. but at 8 months, my skin was firm enough to take a shave and it is early enough for me to have a head full of hair by my birthday. And I have to say, I am quite enjoying the hot summer nights with lot less sweat on my head!

Anyway, rightly or wrongly, it has been done. Be sure to vote and let me know what you think about this.

Happy in the water

You saw the pictures, now check out the video.

Daddy Diary: Ayesha's world of Night Garden

During the weekdays lola feeds Ayesha her breakfast and lunch. Since she moved to solids, Ayesha at times needs distractions to continue her meal. So lola usually turns on the childrens program on ABC. Last couple of months, she has been keen on one particular programme - In the Night Garden. And it appears she also has a favorite character, Igglepiggle.

It is fascinating seeing her so engrossed with the dreamy world of Night Garden. True to the programme's intention, it really calms her down and lets her focus. More exciting, for us the parents, is identifying our daughter's first love. While she loves the entire programme, the sight of Igglepiggle on screen gets her excited with her arms up in the air.

Ayesha pretty pleased to meet her new friend

So it did not come as a surprise when we went shopping for Christmas gifts. As we trolled through the toy aisles, we bumped into the Night Garden family (soft toys). We decided to let Ayesha take her pick - between Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka. Well, guess what, she knew what she wanted. It was Igglepiggle. Just the sight of him brought smile to her face. That is such a pleasant thing to watch.

And since last week, Igglepiggle is her bed-buddy.