Strum

K-bao exhibits here an early knack for the guitar and musical performance in general, including the applause piece at the end (self-given). Our kid also gives a lesson in percussive guitar, whereby she deftly uses both the strings and the wood to achieve an optimal sound (note the rhythmic pounding on the soundboard as well as the scraping along the frets and strings). There's even some less than tonal grunting and squawking in the background as K-bao attempts to contribute some vocal harmonies, though at this early stage the intonation and musical ear could use some refining.

Moral Dilemma

In the below video, K-bao has a tough choice before her. Should she do the right thing and share her cheese with K-Mum? But if she does, will there be any left for her? What does the Monterey Jack inventory supply look like??

On the other hand, if she doesn't share, K-Mum will be sad and perhaps hungry, and K-bao might be burdened with guilt - for issues ranging from hoarding and miserliness to ungratefulness and gluttony.

In a world of scarcity, with limited visibility into the supply chain, such a choice presents a moral quandary indeed. How will our little one navigate these tricky waters?

Well, what K-bao lacks in scruples she makes up for in imagination. Want to have your cheese and eat it too? The solution lies in a combination of deft hands and artful relationship management. To wit:

1. Offer the cheese to K-Mum.

2. Before she can actually accept it, pop it into your own mouth.

3. Then, apologize profusely (her sign for "sorry" is to cover her face in shame).

4. Hopefully, this preserves the relationship - "Hey, the offer was made, it's not my fault you were slow to react"; plus, there's an apology on the back end to smooth over any hurt feelings.

5. This also deals with any lingering guilt (so long as the contrition is genuine).

Very clever. But very alarming.

Vanity

K-Mum made the mistake a week ago of showing K-bao a couple of the video clips on her blog. K-bao obviously approved of the camera work, along with her own performances in those clips, because since that time she has been insistent on seeing the videos multiple times a day. In fact, she will proactively crawl over to the computer desk, tug on our pants (or bang on the floor) until she is lifted up to our lap, and then preemptively plant a few kisses on the cheek to encourages us to press play.

While the videos are on, she will alternatively (i) smile shyly, and (ii) reach out to the monitor, to get closer to her virtual self. Her early favorites are "Bribery" and "Can't Touch This." When one clip is done, she will beg for the next one by attempting to say More and signing please.

"More K-bao? You want to see more K-bao?"

"Mmmm, mmm!" (scratch, scratch)

Vanity, thou dost strike early.

Update: K-bao's second favorite video is now in fact the below video, which creates the eerie situation of K-bao watching K-bao watching K-bao. She doesn't appear to mind, however, the mind-bend.

Personality

K-bao's personality is rounding into view.

(1) Curious and stubborn: during her bath, K-Pop probably forcibly sits her down in the tub 25 times, only to have K-bao, by hook or by crook, pull herself back up each time to a standing position so she can get a closer look at the faucet handle.

(2) However, willing to trade if she sees a deal: e.g. kiss for cheese.

(3) Sophisticatedly aloof: not one to pawn over anyone, she waits for the attention to come to her. When Daddy first comes home she even pretends to look away for a little bit.

(4) But knows who she likes and trusts. We tried to leave her with a babysitter once - turned into World War III. On the other hand, she was perfectly happy to hang out with Uncle Calvin, though she only had seen him once before as a baby.

(5) Also knows what she wants, and is quite loud about it: When offered a choice between two books at night, she will slap her choice (usually the larger, longer one) strongly and clearly. K-Pop tried to go with the other one once and was loudly chastised for it.

My guess now would be INFP.

Bribery

The below video is an example of pure, unadulterated bribery on the part of K-Pop. Give in order to get. Not a very good example of grace for little K-bao.

On the other hand, said K-Pop to himself in self-justification mode, no pain no gain. She's learning that nothing comes for free. You've got to work for what you want.

By the way, in case you're wondering why K-bao seems to have a case of itchy nipples, she's actually frantically signing "please," which in baby sign language is supposed to be a chest rub.

Exerpoo

K-bao's exersaucer has become productive for the Hu family in an unexpected way. We started noticing over the past few months an increasing correlation between her saucer time and her #2's, especially if she had a little grub in the tummy. Maybe it's the angle, maybe it's the leverage. In any case, at this point in time, there's a pretty high correlation coefficient - I would guess an R-squared of 0.8 or more, to the point where we're calling the saucer her "Poo-poo machine." Just pop her in and in a few minutes the grunting starts. Who needs prune juice when you have an exersaucer? Evenflo (aptly named) should advertise this hidden feature - "Promotes regularity!"

Can't Touch This

K-Mum is K-bao's favorite entertainer - above even mighty Barney. Any given thing that K-Mum does or says might tickle our little one's funny bone and throw her into a fit of giggles ("She thinks I'm hilarious" says K-Mum modestly). K-Mum thew in a little MC Hammer with her usual fist bump affirmation the other day. Turns out K-bao likes Hammer. The unedited footage was summarily vetoed by K-Mum as too compromising as it involved some 80's style dancing by Mommy; here is an edited reprise.

Cruise

As you can see above and below, K-bao is now quite the cruiser. Whether she uses the side of her playpen, the edge of the ottoman, or her Daddy's ears, she ain't happy until she pulls herself up to a standing position so she can survey her land from a better angle.*

Once on her feet, she wobbles methodically from one side of the couch/crib/ottoman/playpen to the other, then back again, pausing only to let out belligerent bellows in between.

While she has had her fair share these past few weeks of slipping on her noggin', she is surprisingly aware of her own limitations. She'll reach the end of the couch, wave around one fat hand, recognize there isn't any more couch to hang onto, verbalize her frustration, maybe jump up and down in a dissatisfied manner a couple of times, then turn around. Not one to dwell on her shortcomings, our little one.

* By the way - with K-bao's new mobility, there's no use trying to change her on the pad anymore. Highly dangerous; we gave it up ages ago. We now do it on the floor on a disposable sheet, generally in a highly stressed state, with several toys around her and a blanket which we throw repeatedly on her face to give ourselves the extra few seconds before she twists her stubby legs out of our hands and goes scurrying off with her dirty bottom exposed to the world.

Kiss & Tell

K-bao's newest trick is to kiss on command. She'll give K-Mum or K-Pop a smack on the cheek when asked, and happily she understands the request in both English ("Kissy-Poo") and Chinese ("Qing-qing") so neither parent feels left out. She hasn't quite learned to smooch her lips, so as of now it has been the wet, slobbery kind. You can see above we are trying to teach her to differentiate between the froggies and the princes.

The bad news is that she's learned that we are quite tickled by it, so she has incorporated this little trick into her formidable bag of tactical maneuvers. Over the last week or so, we've noticed that whenever she really wants us to do something, she will sweeten the pot by leaning over and planting a couple of wet ones, just in case we were in doubt as to whether to fulfill her request.

This past Sunday we took a quick excursion to the Bay Area Discovery Museum where K-bao enjoyed visiting the Tot Spot. At one point, she was having a bit too much fun, splashing water left and right and all over her clothes (see below), whereupon K-Mum removed her from the scene. Initially, howls of protest. Squirming, squiggling and loud vocals. That didn't work. Next, several determined kisses on the cheek. K-Mum dissolved into laughter and soon little K-bao was enjoying her splish-splish.

G.I. Jane

K-bao demonstrates her full suite of ground mobility skills below. The G.I. Jane army crawl, which she picked up over the past couple of weeks. The sneaky-quick double-roll. The patented wall stop, K-turn and two-legged push-off with full extension. The slap-the-floor-hard-and-scream-hoping-it-will-magically-create-forward-momentum tactic. Ready for boot camp, captain.

Making Strides

K-bao's latest joy is holding on to the side of her crib and doing an assisted moon-walk. In fact, it's gotten so that if we don't prop her up to do this routine in the morning, she doesn't want to come out of her crib.

Short Hike

After working for some 210 of the last 240 hours, K-Pop managed to get a couple hours today to take K-Mum and K-bao to Golden Gate park for a little bit of R&R. We also thought it would be a good opportunity to test out the Kelty Kids baby carrier that our dear friends A&Z's Mum & Phat Baby Photographer gave us, pictured above.

Now why exactly we thought it would be a good idea to test a hiking backpack at a city park is unclear, given that it took all of 2 minutes to walk from our car to the kids' playground, all on smooth, paved asphalt. Especially since it took us about 10 minutes to load her up in the carrier, figure out all the straps, buckles and other bells and whistles, and another 3 minutes to unload her once we got there.

Of course, our lengthy loading time was due in no small part to K-Mum insisting on attaching the "UV Screen" with its fancy hook and loop system - this despite the fact that the sun was setting and K-bao frankly would probably have been quite pleased to get a few warm rays on her pale, chubby cheeks. All in all, with our hiking backpack, UV screen, diaper bag and other paraphernalia, K-Pop felt like a traveling circus. Barnum, Bailey & Hu.

K-bao appeared to have fun though. It turns out that she enjoys people-watching; she spent a good deal of time staring at the older kids hollering and clambering all over the monkey bars. Hopefully she didn't pick up too much. She also enjoyed the baby swing and slide, shown below.

Do You Want Some Cheese?

Response:

Optimism

K-bao is a generally optimistic soul. Even when she doesn't like the mush that we're spooning her (e.g. of the stringed bean or other veggie variety), she will dutifully continue to open her mouth another dozen times in the hopes that she will get something better in the next bite. When she finds it's more of the same nonsense, she will protest loudly, flail her arms and give us an angry look - but then open her mouth again for the next one.

To prevent her from developing cynicism at her tender age, and to get those veggies down, we mix up the less delightful foods with some treats. Recently, she's fallen in love with cheese. A hunk or two of Monterey Jack and our girl's as happy as a mouse in a house. Just look at the way she lights up when she sees the cheese coming her way after a few dreary spoonfuls of beans and parsnip.

Roll Call

Can't crawl? That's ok. I roll with the punches.

Ain't nobody would accuse K-bao of gathering any moss.

Pah-tay

K-bao went to visit her friend Sasha last weekend for Sasha's first birthday. The last time she was over a few months back, K-bao was not exactly the model house guest. In fact, she took one look at her friend's smiling face and started bawling like a drunken sailor. This time, thankfully, she held herself together and actually had some fun with all the other kiddos. K-Mum put her in the right frame of mind on the way there by doing a song and dance routine to the words of "Pah-tay....Pizza Pah-tay" which threw K-bao into a serious fit of giggles.

Speaking of birthdays, K-bao will be a full 9 months in a few days. In other words, as much time out as in. Hopefully K-bao has found the outside world almost as warm and hospitable as Mommy's tummy.

Da-da

Kayla's first word is officially "da-da." She says it loudly and likes to repeat it. She stumbled upon it a few weeks ago amidst her la-la's and eh-eh-eh's, and found that she got a lot of praise and affirmation for it.

K-Pop would otherwise be quite proud and happy if K-bao would only cease the practice of directing her special first word not just at K-Pop but also at her toy blocks, the checkout person at Trader Joe's, and Steve the stuffed monkey. "Take not my name in vain," says K-Pop...in vain.

To confuse matters, K-Pop likes to refer to himself in front of K-bao as ba-ba (the Chinese version of "Daddy"); K-Mum, who speaks to the little one in English to give her the bilingual environment, has only recently switched over her reference to Pops from da-da to ba-ba in order to stay consistent. Unfortunately, da-da also happens to mean "spank" in Chinese. Daddy = spank. Not exactly the association K-Pop would like to encourage.

A Dip

K-bao got in her very first swim in a real pool yesterday. The weather was quite warm but the water was a touch cool, and K-Mum only consented to the swim so K-bao could show off the styling swimwear her mom got her. You can see K-bao posing in her orange and pink suit on the right.

Below is a short action clip, which mostly highlights K-Pop's lack of experience holding an infant in the water. Unfortunately it wasn't long until K-bao's lips turned blue despite her active frog kicking so we had to cut her off after a few laps.

But well on the way to chasing down Torres' medal count, we say.

An Apple A Day

K-Mum has begun giving K-bao an apple slice every once in while after a meal. K-bao, who only has half of two teeth, can't actually eat it but sucking on the cold apple slice soothes her sore gums and gives her a taste of that apple sweetness. More importantly it gives K-Mum five minutes to clean up and rest up before the next battle, um, adventure with K-bao.

In the below example you'll also see a bit of K-bao's feisty (a.k.a. bratty) personality shine through.

If You're Happy and You Know It

Having heard plenty of applause from the folks over the months as she embarked on various clever or cute endeavors, K-bao decided to learn the trick herself so she could give herself a hand anytime she felt like it. She is now a vigorous clapper - always left hand on right - and she claps when she's happy, hungry, tired or bored.

Newport

A few weeks ago, we took K-bao to the site in Newport, Rhode Island where the K-folks got engaged. K-Pop even showed K-bao the place where he popped the question. Of course, said K-Pop, it looked a lot more romantic at the time, with the sun setting and the waves crashing gently against the shore. K-bao didn't appear too impressed.

Perhaps it was the visit to RI, or perhaps it was this book (on the questions every dad should ask prospective suitors of his daughter - a playful gift from Da Goo Goo a.k.a. Auntie Esther, K-Pop's sister), but K-Pop has been dwelling on the unfortunate topic of one day having to give little K-bao away to some wet-behind-the-ears, eager-to-impress little chump whom K-Pop will have to pretend to like. And all that we have to prepare the little one for before that day so that she takes that journey gracefully and well-equipped. Weighty questions indeed. In the meantime, K-Pop has already begun eyeing little 1- and 2-year old boys suspiciously.

Breaststroke

Yes, it's true that K-bao is a bit behind on her terrestrial skills. Babies many months younger are crawling vigorously while K-bao continues to perfect the stationery arm flap and the anchored stomach pivot.

However, she is making up for it by getting a head start on her swimming strokes. Look at the expert breastroke frog-kick below, for example, and the obvious joy and exuberance with which she is doing it. Left to her own devices, K-bao practices this kick 20-30 times a minute...all day long. Lying down. When being held. And especially on the diaper changing pad.

Ballin'

K-bao's early attempts to interact with her first basketball reflect a passion but not a skill for the game.

As you can see below, things are looking good for rowdy bleacher fan but not so good for varsity point guard.

(Incidentally, you will notice the ball has a Harvard logo on it. No, we are not trying to send our child any subliminal messages. The ball was a gift to K-Pop almost ten years ago by the esteemed JOQ, Esq.)

Puffdaddy

Yes, we did it. We ran a Pavlovian conditioning experiment on K-bao. How? First, we shake a bright yellow, sleekly-contoured HappyBaby Organic Puffs container. The whole grain puffs (with faint banana flavoring) make a nice rattling sound as they bounce around inside the container. K-bao stops whatever she's doing and fixates on the yellow container. Her eyes light up. Then, with her eyes never leaving the container, we weave the container above eye level, slowly open the cap, and finally let a few puffs tumble onto her tray. "Ooooh," she would say. Out would come those gummy hands, grabbing and pinching and then stuffing the puffs into her mouth as quickly as she can. Below is an example.

These puffs are her favorite snack in the world. In the early stages, it would take K-bao five or six tries to secure a puff. Then, half the time, the puff would fall down her shirt or off the tray en route to mouth. Then, when she did manage to get it there, another 50% of the time it would get stuck in her palm or between her fingers in such a way that she couldn't release it. She would end up either punching her own face or sucking on her knuckles, desperate to get that sweet banana taste into the gills.

Now, however, she's a pro. And if we want K-bao to quiet down and stop yammering? Perhaps she's in the car and isn't quite the model passenger. Or she's being fussy with her peas and carrots. Shake-shake-shake. Immediate focus and peace, along with the attendant Pavlovian saliva. Ahhh.

Cousins

K-bao got to meet Cousin Elizabeth, who is almost 2, last week at the house of Da Goo Goo (Aunt Esther) and Da Goo Chan (Uncle Ying-on).

Cousin Elizabeth is unbelievably precocious and normally runs around like a steam locomotive, but demonstrated empathy for her infant cousin by lying on the mat with her and Pompous the 'Po, asking to play in the little exersaucer she hadn't had occasion to use for a year (she had to do it on her knees because her legs are now too long), introducing her to Disney's Mulan six times in three days, and taking K-bao into her lap every now and again. Good times by all.

Shu-Shu

K-bao had fun with Little Uncle ("Shu-Shu") James on her recent trip to the east coast. As for Uncle James - well, let's just say he was stretched. You can see above an initially pleasant meeting ultimately resulting in Uncle James being driven to tears by an insatiably curious and active K-bao.

By the way, if K-bao was somewhat fidgety before, she is now a wriggling, squirming earthworm, equipped with flapping arms and fingers that are not happy unless they are scratching or clawing at something - be it a toy, article of clothing, or nearby face.

Pompous

For our East coast trip, K-Mum got K-bao a purple hippo stuffy. As you can see, Hippo is fat and has a complacent, self-satisfied smile plastered on his face at all times. K-Pop calls him Pompous the 'Po. K-Mum introduced Pompous a few days prior to our departure, thinking that he would provide some stability and continuity given the many different beds where little K-bao would lay to rest her royal baby head on our trip. That's right - create some artificial dependency.

K-Pop was dubious of this strategy and his skepticism was proved prescient when it soon became clear that the order of affairs on this trip was K-bao first, Pompous second, and K-Pop third.

"Where's her hippo?"

"K-Mum, I was just about to fall asleep."

"She can't sleep without her hippo."

"She looks asleep to me."

"You need to get it, I think it's in the car."

(K-Pop in boxers with eyes half-closed trudges to car. Repeat half a dozen times throughout trip)

One of our smarter friends went out and bought six or seven of the same stuffy and put one in every room, bed, car or closet where the little one might show up. K-Pop has plans to implement that genius strategy immediately.

Material Girl

We took K-bao to a Jersey mall to run a few errands. The trip made clear that any attempt to instill some frugal, self-denying values in the little one will be an uphill battle. With maybe a 90 degree incline.

Down With Thoreau! could have been her motto as we walked through the mall and her little fingers grasped at every passing dress, handbag and piece of jewelry. When held back, K-bao would flail her arms wildly and make unhappy grunting noises.

The little pic above is a good snapshot of the entire afternoon. The full inscription on the table reads: "For Nice Girls Who Like Things" - quite apropos, except the "nice" should probably preceed Things and not Girls.

Attention

K-Bao has taken residence at her maternal grandparents' home in western NJ these past few days, glowing under the never-ending adoration, effusive praise and tender loving care provided by K-Mum's folks and sister.

Her own parents seem like stoic meanies by comparison, and K-bao from day one was reaching for her grandparents or Little Aunt. The kid's no fool. She knew where the love was. Why sit quietly on the floor, as ordered by K-Pop, when there is always another pair of arms waiting in line to hold you and rub your pampered, chubby little feet?

Yesterday, for example, the K-GPs threw the little princess a party and invited all of their friends. The elder generation crowded around and fussed over her like she was royalty, with Aunty after Aunty clamoring to hold her so they could sing her praises individually. K-Pop and K-Mum were quickly elbowed aside and stood rather pathetically on the fringes of the crowd while K-bao, beaming like a rockstar, was passed around like a gem for everyone to see close up and opine on.

"Her eyes are like little saucers!" "Just feel that hair!" "She looks like a barbie doll!" "Her hair is curly - she must have a forceful personality!" (What?!) "What a cherubic little mouth!"

It is going to be tough going back home, little one.

UPDATE (1 year later): That bit about the forceful personality cannot be more true. K-Pop will be extra mindful of all curly heads here on out.

Baby Opera

This is Kayla's rendition of a Chinese nursery rhyme we've been singing to her. She has a ways to go before she hits the notes. But the lung support is clearly there.

Immobile

K-bao visited her friend DL yesterday down in Cupertino for a pool party. K-bao doesn't yet have a suit so she watched enviously as DL splashed around in the pool in her spiffy hot pink beachwear. DL is also fairly nimble; despite being several weeks younger, she is able to crabwalk around on her tummy. At one point she was facing K-bao; the next she had spun around and was leading the charge off the mat. You can see below a frustrated K-bao, unable to follow and burying her face in shame.

When it came to mealtime though, K-bao was the one inspiring awe and envy. DL's family watched with disbelief as K-bao polished off one carton after another of peas, avocados, pears and oatmeal and pounded her fist on the tray for more. Of course, it isn't hard to connect the dots between K-bao's appetite and her relative lack of mobility.

Literature & Music

K-bao is making the case early that she is both an artist and a musician, as evidenced by her enjoyment of fine literature ("The Going to Bed Book") and her keen sense of rhythm (the bongo drums). While it is true that mostly she puts the book in her mouth, and her music-making is limited to when she is excited or angry enough to flail her arms (during which time she occasionally hits the drum), who are we to say that all this does not in fact mark the beginning of a cultured, illustriously bohemian life?

Routine

This is a snapshot of K-bao's daily morning routine of watching K-Pop doing his daily morning routine. This is actually one of the few moments of peace we have every morning - plopping K-bao down in her Bumbo and letting her quietly observe K-Pop shaving and brushing his teeth. The operative word being quietly. She actually treats the shaving much like a spectator sport, watching the razor going back and forth from the faucet to K-Pop's face like a tennis ball being hit to and fro. Luckily she appears to know the rules regarding silence while the ball is in play.

She also seems to enjoy the multiple angles the perch affords in terms of seeing her own visage. Notice how she checks out both profiles. With the set-up here and her 80's style hair she resembles Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, in the mirror scene at the end. Hopefully as the other character in the plot here K-Pop doesn't end up impaled on his razor.

Gula

So after returning home Sunday and feeding Kayla her milk, K-Mum and K-Pop settled down finally for a quick take-out meal. We brought K-bao out to sit with us in the living room, thinking that she would be content after having a full feeding. Wrong-o. When she she saw K-Mum enjoying her hijiki and soybean salad, she turned as green as the lettuce leaves her mum was eating. Her little chops started to move in rhythm to K-Mum's chewing, and we could see a puddle of drool starting to form in her half-opened mouth. We knew what was coming but tried to ignore her. Then K-Mum turned to the spicy burdock root salad, and that was all the little one could take. Angry slapping of thighs. Mean, accusatory stares. We offered her a teether as consolation. She took one bite and realized she'd been tricked. Loud, angry wails ensued.

We didn't think we would be talking about the 7 Deadly Sins at this tender age, but if we were Catholic we would be having K-bao doing penance and saying Hail Mary's for gula, invidia, and ira.

A bit of this drama was captured on camera, starting with the teether debacle, and K-Pop was going to post the video but K-Mum summarily vetoed it as being too embarrassing for the little one. Above is a snapshot from the video, immediately after it dawned on her that the teether was a red herring, and again shortly thereafter.

Active

K-bao is becoming more active by the day, as evidenced by the attached video. You can also see on display her mischievous nature and loud personality, which we've alluded to before in these pages. And by the way this is only her "indoor voice." A far cry from her "outdoor voice" - which she saves for indoor spaces everywhere outside the house.

Is it true that we also occasionally put her in the jumperoo solely to tire her out so she'll go quickly to sleep and finally give her parents some much-needed rest? We won't admit to any such thing.

"Help Me" - Guest Post

The below is a guest post from a good friend, Phat Baby Photographer, whom K-bao reached out to recently with an invitation to share a few thoughts. PBP has two dynamic kids, a smart and sassy wife, and about 15,000 lbs of professional camera equipment which he lugs around the Bay area and elsewhere taking sharp pics of toddlers and nuptials.

---------------

Since my Phat Baby Photography Blog is supposed to be a professional, customer facing communication, there are certain things I can't write about. So an invitation to post on K-Bao's blog is liberating to say something like, "Help me." That's as in the help me you would see written in lipstick, on the mirror of some gas station's bathroom. That's my summary of parenting.

Nothing anyone tells you prepares you for the feat that lies ahead...or that your tender moments with a first child, will, for many, lead quickly to similar (and perhaps less tender) moments with a second or worse, fourth one. Yet it's really not the sleepless nights, constant feedings or the subsequent diaper changes that are difficult. For me, it's the fact that A and Z (my two kids) are a mirror of my soul. They reflect not only my priorities (how many things have I given up to be a parent), but also my most unfavorable attributes and habits. Let's take a simple and somewhat innocuous example. I like my bubbly, fizzy, slightly sweet Diet Coke with lunch. Truth be told, no one should be putting a mixture of phosphoric acid, glycerin and aspartame into their body. There are few parents who would substitute cola for breast milk (undoubtedly some do though) but as the kids get older they naturally start imitating parental behaviors and habits. So that puts me in quite a pickle - give up Coke, tell my kids one thing and do another or let them drink Coke. As they grow up the changes that I must make become increasingly difficult. What of drinking, drugs, relationships... I try not to think about it now and thank goodness they don't jump from being a baby to a teenager overnight, even if it feels like they do. Fortunately, I don't need to be a perfect father (I never will be) since someone already provided the ultimate example.

And part of what I love about being a photographer is capturing the tiny piece of perfection, whether it be a little hand, an innocent smile, or the glistening eyes, that is to every parent, a little bit of heaven here on earth.

Whitman

Phat Baby Photography

Photography, Two Kids and the Ultimate Love Blog

Milestones

K-bao is reaching new milestones every week now. Below is a quick run-down of some recent developments:

1. She can now sit up by herself for a few seconds at a time. The three things preventing her from doing more than a few seconds are: (i) a tendency to lunge for whatever is in view, whether it be a book, Mr. Caterpillar, her toes, etc. - the effort generally causes her to topple over; (ii) we've let her fall backwards a few times on the bed, and lo and behold she enjoyed the sensation, so if she isn't lunging forward she is gleefully falling backwards - a dangerous habit; (iii) her unusually large crop of hair, which we conjecture causes her to lose balance frequently.

2. She is now eating solids. K-Mum has introduced oatmeal, sweet potatoes, pears and avocados, all of which were big hits. Her favorite activity is now sitting in the high chair, savoring the sweet goodness that appears in her mouth, and banging on her little tray like a street drummer if we don't shovel the grub in fast enough.

3. She is now, for the most part, sleeping through most of the night. We've been through one round of "Gotcha" with her on this issue several months back, so we're not celebrating too early. And yet...Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! God is good!

4. She has entered the stranger anxiety phase, and that includes kids. A few weeks ago we visited our good friends in Oakland, who have a baby girl several months older. Granted, K-bao was outweighed 2-1 (her parents called their kid "the gentle giant"), but from the moment little K entered the house and saw who she was dealing with, she started looking for an escape hatch. I'm afraid we have a little 'Fraidy Cat on our hands.

5. She is now flipping over regularly, back to front, and occasionally front to back. When we check on her in the middle of her night we generally find her on the opposite end of the crib to where we placed her, face down, with her blankies swaddled about her neck or feet, one foot dangling in between the crib slats.

6. And finally, if this were possible, she has developed an even louder complaining voice. If she ain't happy, everyone darned well better know it. That means everyone in the library. Everyone in Safeway. Not quite everyone in Costco just yet, thank goodness.

Publicity

K-bao decided that it was time to get her name out there, so here she is taking up real estate on the blog of Phat Baby Photographer.

Actually PBP is a good friend, father of two, and a class A photographer who asked us recently if we might do a guest appearance on the blog. K-Mum and I were shy but K-bao forced our hand. Don't you hold me back, she said.

Tasty

K-bao has found a new hobby: maneuvering her chubby and somewhat flat feet straight into her mouth. She discovered the possibility last Sunday at church while sitting on K-Mum's lap, where, instead of paying attention to the sermon, she seemed fixated on her lower ten digits. Hithertofore, her protruding stomach and overall lack of mobility had inhibited a clear view of her feet. This day, seated upright, they appeared in view, and after what appeared to be a short stalking period, she suddenly lunged forward for the kill. Triumph! Soon the pews around us were treated to the sweet slurping sound of K-bao feasting contentedly on her big toes.

Now, when laying on her back and feeling bored, K-bao will reach for a foot or two and jam them into the kisser to pass time. We have seen her with a teether in the left hand and a foot in the right, alternating between the two, like she had different-flavored lollipops in each paw. Below is a typical session.

Exercise

At K-bao's current rate of development she will eventually have the flexibility and adroitness of an indolent land-bound penguin. To inspire some marginal strength and suppleness into those chubby limbs, we have been plopping K-bao on her tummy at every opportunity. K-Mum has also succeeded in tricking her into turning over (by placing an oversized stuffed frog maddeningly just out of reach). Here is one of her recent tummy times in the crib where she is testing the G.I. Joe crawl...very early stages. Beta version. No, alpha version.

Give Yourself a Good Name

Cousin Justin has been visiting the last couple of days from L.A. We told Justin, who is 3, that he could hold Baby Kayla but to be extra gentle with her. Here he is holding on for dear life and treating K-bao as if she were made of precious glass, looking like he might crack from the stress.

At one point astute little Cuz Justin figured out that one of the primary ways we calm K-bao down is to sing to her. The next time he heard the little princess fuss, he took on the responsibility of settling her down with a song and busted out with the tune on his mind. Here we've asked him to sing his song for us again. You can guess where it's from and where he learned it.

Appreciation

K-Pop had baby-sitting duty today and took K-bao out in the afternoon for a leisurely stroll by the water, where she looked out on the Bay and watched the boats sail by. Strangers walked by and nodded and smiled approvingly as K-Pop pointed out the birds and the fishes. Unfortunately K-bao either did not share their sentiments or else inherited K-Pop's short-term memory, for when it came time for feeding and bedtime, any sense of appreciation seems to have been long forgotten.

First, K-bao refused to settle down and take her bottle unless K-Pop made non-stop Zulu clucking sounds throughout, during which time she would stare at Daddy's mouth and swallow absent-mindedly. No cluck, no swallow. By the time the bottle was done, K-Pops' jaw was aching and his lips blue.

Second, K-bao magnanimously presented her Dad with...wait for it...three dirty diapers in less than 15 minutes, all while taking said bottle. Surely this is a record of some kind. And in one case - diaper #2 - the stench was so foul that K-bao herself gagged mid-suck and could not continue. Took a deep breath and literally started choking on her milk. Of course, given prior experience, K-Pop threw off the boppy and rushed the soiled tyke to the changing pad each time lest she spread the wealth to her other clothes. Too late. K-bao managed to sully one onesy, 3 changing sheets, one clean back, one K-Pop hand and about 40 wet wipes on top of the diapers themselves during this period.

Third, K-bao has officially declared war on the changing pad. When placed on it she screams like a punk rocker, and if she is kind enough to have mercy on our eardrums, she will at a minimum raise her pudgy legs in the air (see above), twist like a belly dancer and kick her feet out of our hands and into the dirty diaper at least once.

All of which she could have made up for had she gone to bed quietly without a fuss; instead, K-bao seemed intent on proving the foolishness of the architects who designed our apartments so close to our neighbors'.

What was that? Mommy's home? Hallelujah!

Update: So guess what our royal K did this morning during K-Pop's bottle duty? You guessed it. We are not talking here about leaking out the sides of an undersized diaper. This is overflowing up the back, with a very large and tightly clad diaper thank you, all over K-Pop's hands. Rise and shine, Daddy, rise and shine.

Dads

Over the past few months, we have met up with quite a few new dads-of-daughters. By and large these men are opinionated, articulate, strong characters, guys who know their way about in this world. Now however they have become like so many pieces of pink cotton string tied around their little daughters' infant fingers. Like triceratops with their soft underbellies exposed. In other words, K-Pop is quite relieved to have found some company.

Friend Feast

If there is any dispute that human instinct from day one is to grab, possess and consume, K-bao sets the record straight. Here she is exerting every last ounce of her strength trying to force her friends Mr. Monkey and Ms. Parrot into her mouth. K-Mum and K-Pop spent an enjoyable 20 minutes this afternoon watching her wrestling with her hanging stuffies and bellowing like a raging buffalo when she wasn't able to get their noggins into her chops. We didn't raise no quitter though. K-bao kept at it, pausing periodically to trumpet her disgruntlement, until one object of her attention finally slipped off the hook. Whereupon, of course, it went straight into the fly trap. Sweet satisfaction.