Letter to Christian at 1 1/2 years old

Dressed for warmth while camping.

Dear Baby,

You are quite the monkey boy these day. Not only do you delight in climbing onto every possible surface in the house, but you ape whatever you see us do. Yesterday in the shower I was amused when I looked down to see you with the scrubby gloves on your little hands, busily scrubbing your face as you’ve seen your father do many times. Then I laughed when next you lifted one leg to the side of the tub (standing balanced on one leg in the tub!), and started to scrub down your lifted leg, as you’ve seen ME do many times.

We also have to speak with caution, because you like to repeat every thing you hear. As a couple of people have told me now, after spending a few hours with me and Christian, they are overcome with an urge to repeat the last word of each of my sentences as Christian unfailingly does. While he likes to say short phrases now (“get it” or “back der”), his favorite verbal activity is naming all the members of the families of the kids he knows. Most often you start with “Anna,” immediately followed, by “Siewa” (“Sierra”) and “Olibur,” etc. Then you move onto Momoca, her brother Senna, and mother Yoshie. Another favorite family group (besides our own – you love yelling for Bella), is naming Ganma, Gampy, and Mak (Granma, Grampy, and Max). In fact you make a point of it every single time we pass their picture in the hallway. If we mention your cousin Sammie, you unhesitatingly remember the pet pig, Oblio. Lots of associative learning going on right now in that busy brain of yours.

You can reach the door handles now, and yesterday managed to open the bedroom door by yourself for the first time. Walking, and even running, is old hat – although you still enjoy the challenge of climbing (and re-climbing) a good set of stairs. Likewise, walking along the top of a narrow brick wall will entertain you for a toddler’s eternity (ten minutes).

Last weekend in Santa Barbara motel room you saw your first bit of TV (a SpongeBob cartoon, whom you already know via the iPod touch) and I was grateful that we don’t have TV in the home. I could see that it would be a hard trap to avoid setting you in front of that mesmerizing machine for a few hours every day.

And deadly too, because there already aren’t enough hours in the day to burn the tremendous amount of energy you have. What are you, a gyroscope? It doesn’t seem possible sometimes, how far and long you can go before dissolving into a cranky heap. The outdoors remains your favorite place, and we’ve been lucky enough to squeeze in a camping trip every month for the last several months. Next weekend we head out to Joshua Tree (Ganma and Gampy’s house), which will be your “wilderness” fix for the week. On weekend mornings anymore, when I ask Chad what he wants to do for the day, he invariably responds with, “Whatever it takes to exhaust the guy.” That means time outside. If we don’t take care of that energy, then it becomes difficult to get you to sleep at night, and your parents NEED THEIR SLEEP!

We love you and you continue to make us grin and laugh. You cheerful sweet boy – how did you get to be a year and half so fast?

Love,

Mama

Photo by Ellen, minutes before he took a tumble (not off the deck!) and gave himself a purple goose egg in the middle of his forehead.

How can you not adore a boy who looks at you like that?

 

The Sound Wood Makes

I don’t what sound wood makes, but you could ask Christian.

One of his favorite pastimes is to “plug” a pair of old airline headphones into a small hole in a wooden pestle (as in mortar and pestle) and walk around “listening” to it.

Must make some cool noise that only kids can hear.

 

Letter to Christian at 17 Months

Dear Baby,

I swore that after you turned a year, I wasn’t going to count your age in months, because it has always seemed like a silly over-specific practice to me, but here I am – You just change so much month to month that it would be unfair to give you a less precise age.

Communication is exploding for you. Not only are you eager to repeat any word you hear us say (today, you said “LAME” after you heard your dad say it – we are having to be every more vigilant about the words we use), but last week you heard me mumbling numbers under my breath. I was trying to figure out the time in Bangkok and I was quietly counting, “seven, eight, nine…” I paused to refigure my calculations.

You leaned forward, put your face in my face and said very clearly, “Ten?”

And ironically, you are even more into the sign language that we taught you so that you communicate before you could talk. For instance, when I read you sign language book to you, you mimic every single sign I show you – and sometimes you babble in sign language too – making silly gestures with your hands to pretend “talk.”

The boyness in you is starting to assert itself more strongly. I don’t remember Bella ever being so cut up and bruised, but you seem to have a nonstop violent relationship with the floor and corners of things. Nowadays when I ask Chad what he wants to do on the weekend, he says, “Whatever it takes to exhaust the little guy.” This usually means small adventures to the beach, or to the local Santa Ana Zoo (I’m sticking to the San Diego one from now on though), or up in a hot air balloon at the Great Park.

I am delighted to have an excuse to plan more outdoor events though. I have somehow managed to plan at least one camping trip every month for the last several months, through to the end of the year. You ADORE camping. And the six other people who slept in the tent with us in Joshua Tree know its true. You woke up each morning with a huge grin on your face and hugs and kisses for all your friends.

I love you Baby!

Love,

Mama

 

I like to bite

While I was in Bangkok, Joss set up a practice photoshoot before one of his jobs to make sure all his equipment was working properly, and ended up taking quite a lot of photos of my sister and I with our babies.

Here’s one of my favorites, which catches me in the act of nibbling Noi naa’s toes. She isn’t batting an eyelash – so I think she’s used to that kind of treatment.

 

P.S. to Christian’s Letter at 16 Months

Your dad wonders what you’ll look like as a teenager, so he used a little tool called yearbookyourself.com

 

Letter to Christian at 16 Months

Dear Baby,

During our last week in Thailand last month, right after you had turned 15 months old, language exploded for you. You delighted in the power to communicate and suddenly you were saying a half dozen new words every day. The exciting adventure into talking makes you extra fun to be around.

I remember a point in Bella’s babyhood – at nine months I’m pretty sure – when I decided that nine months old was my favorite stage thus far. And then as she grew older, I had to keep revising that statement: “No, THIS stage is my favorite!”

The same thing is happening with you my dear little Ti-ti. THIS stage is my favorite. You’ve been confident and happy-go-lucky, but now you’re able to relax and cuddle more too. It delights your dad to no end when you rest your head on his chest when he asks you to. And you love giving soft little kisses.

You crack me up! You and all your hand holding and kissing of friends (making out with Kyla in the kitchen – granted she may have been more interested in the smear of cream cheese frosting on your upper lip). You and all your giggles and mischievous deeds (yes, tossing things off either of our two balconies has become a favorite).

And now you trailing behind me all day plaintively saying, “Mama. Tigga,” because you want to get back in your Tigger costume AGAIN.

I love you Baby!

Mama

 

Letter to Christian at 15 Months

Dear Ti-ti (since that’s what everybody calls you here – following Noi naa’s lead),

You are having the blast of your little life here in Bangkok. You adapted very quickly and now as soon as you sit up and open your eyes (yes, sometimes in that order), you point to the door and demand to be taken out to the rest of the apartment to see who else is awake (um, usually everybody).

Noi naa has a pretty enormous collection of fun toys – so you are always entertained by some new contraption. The only trouble is that everything belongs to Noi naa and as soon as she sees you have it – well, she wants it MORE. Still, she’s been pretty good about sharing and also learning how to trade you for things. And anyway, a little push and pull with a sibling-like cousin won’t hurt any; if anything, I like that you know that you don’t always get your way.

You watch and watch and watch. You are pretty impressed with how she swims across the pool (all the way across the width!) and you duck your head in periodically to see how it feels. You are also talking a lot more. When the kind grown-ups in your life hand you a toy, you respond politely “thank you” with a little Thai intonation. And yesterday when Joss asked Noi naa what color something was (she’s very into colors) you were lying on the bed and I distinctly heard you say “red” and “geen.”

!!!

I don’t think these corresponded to any colors you saw, but that you knew that those words were one correct response to a question involving colors. I was pretty impressed.

You and Noi naa really adore each other and often stop just to smooch or hug. This is a clip from the airport when we dropped Bella off. You are making sure that Noi naa is getting some of your mango sorbet.

You’ve really been getting attached to your uncles and aunt too. When I put you down on your feet, it’s not MY hand you want to hold, it’s Songbae’s or Joss’s. Often I carry Noi naa (in the Beco!) and somebody else has got you for the walk down to the skytrain.

We skype with your dad every few days and he always puts a grin on your face. Then you say “da-da” over and over again during the rest of the day, chuckling to yourself. We’ll see him soon – in less than a week.

You with Daddy, already 1 1/2 months ago. Look how much littler you look.

You’ve been cutting two molars on the right side of your mouth and that’s been driving you a little crazy. Luckily you’re still nursing like a pro, so when eating solid food gets too painful, you nurse up a storm. And I don’t mind burning the extra calories, because I’ve been eating treats off the soi like a fiend.

With friends at the La Leche League Toddler Meeting (first Wednesday of every month at Cabot Park).

And while you’ve been enjoying your time here, I think you’ll enjoy seeing your old friends back in Laguna Niguel as well. Just last night you caught sight of Anna and Aiden on my computer and you started shouting and pointing. You haven’t forgotten them in the least.

I love you Baby. You’re a trooper traveler like your big sister Bella (whom you now call Babla). I have so much fun with you.

Love,

Mama

 

Hanging with the Family

It’s comforting to have extended family around 24/7. There is always somebody who wants to hold the baby.

And in a few short hours the grandparents arrive from Korea. No shortage of love and cuddles here (no shortage of bouts of intense questioning or sharp criticism either – oh, and the subsequent eyeball rolling).

Just outside Chattuchuk Market in the park.

At the pool on the second floor (which we visit at least two times a day).

In Sue's lap for the tuk tuk ride home. Is he trying to catch a dust mote??

Noi naa and Ti Ti (as she calls him) in a peaceful moment.

Despite all the serious expressions on Christian’s face, I assure you he is spending a lot of time laughing and smiling. I guess at those moments I’m laughing and smiling too and not thinking about grabbing the camera.