Tomorrow marks Khalish's 13th month in C&C universe. Another vaccine due. More milestones, too. The photos above were of him being exactly 12 months old. Today, he has a prominent upper central incisor, with another one poking through the gum. The funny three-teeth toddler has been up to these as well:
1
He cruises and crawls on all fours still, having transformed from a bullet train to a Concorde aircraft. Last weekend, he stood without support for the first time in front of me. Twice. When I bragged about it to the rest of the family in Chez Chembong, he stared at me, like he did in photo number two, then continued to cruise along the furniture, and at times, using the stride-to-wagon toy, or crawl around the house like nothing significant had occurred in his life. Cheeky boy, he is.
2
As he cruises along the furniture, he would try to climb the coffee table and sofa, or switch on or switch off the television. Next item to buy, under Khalish's account: home safety equipment set. Thankfully, he is wise enough to descend the stairs with the legs first, just like he does when reaching for the floor from the coffee table and sofa. He offers the caretakers great workout opportunities.
3
The rigorous physical activities and reduced daytime nap mean an increase in food and beverage intake. His favourite meal is still the brown rice with potato, fish, as well as broccoli, carrot, or spinach combo. In between the main meals, he demands for a piece of fruit, with apple, banana, and pear topping his choices, followed by two pieces of rusk or a tub of yogurt. Then, he shows interest in adults' food and beverage as well. We do allow occasional ice cream or chocolate treats from the grandparents, uncles, or other adults. Never yet from our hands. The key word is moderation.
4
He enjoys having snacks on his own seat. Kamal and I got him a mobile booster seat from Safety 1st for his first birthday. The reasonably priced Ikea white plastic high chair was sold out the last time we checked. It is tempting to get him a better high chair, like the ones that double up as mini study set later, but our priority is for a toddler car seat. Thanks to my second cousin, I now scour for second-hand items at babybarnitems.com. I envision a nice high chair being on bargain. Another option is to buy Mothercare high chair, which was also sold out the last time we checked.
5
Apart from having snacks on the booster seat, he enjoys watching Playhouse Disney from it and playing chef on its tray, too. Yes, I did mention playing chef. Recently, the uncle who works as a cook, passed his miniature professional cooking set to Khalish. Now, Khalish gladly offers the adults the dish that he has vigorously stirred in the pan, complete with a satisfied look when we utter "delicious!"
6
Khalish is indeed at a phase where he learns everyday's life through imitations. He insists on drinking directly from a cup. It does not matter if only three drops of water end up in his mouth while the rest wet his top. If the adults hand him an empty plastic cup, it will land on the floor. Yes, gravity still fascinates him. A sign of protest, too. Gullibility is nowhere in his book of life.
7
He shows great interest in toys that promote stacking, building, and sorting. Books that involve actions, like Peekaboo and Monkey See, Monkey Zoo are second in his list of favoured entertainment items. The least favoured are the flash cards. The entertainment basket needs more puzzles.
8
For someone who does not favour vocabularies being directly introduced to him, he surely talks a lot. At least, with those close to him. Albeit in Khalish-speak. The adults find amusement in his replies as we converse with him. His sentences are accompanied with facial expressions, and, at the time he is most animated with the conversation, body gestures.
9
Right after bath every morning, afternoon, and evening, he signals for a walk to the goat barn. According to the maid who humors his request, as the next-door barn in Rembau is manned by fellow Indonesians, thus an opportunity for the maid to socialise with her fellow countrymen, the kids no longer charm him. He now demands to touch Boer goats. A friend suggests that my parents rear a goat just for Khalish. Put on a diaper on the goat for a hassle-free rearing. Oh, he was half serious.
10
Khalish really loves animals that he does not mind sharing a ball with Cumi the kitten. That vibrant plastic ball he is kicking in the photo below, yes. A present from the maternal grandmother for Khalish and Cumi, bought at the same local grocery store where my father got Khalish his first water pistol.
11
He sleeps throughout the night now. However, he prefers to sleep in a rather cold temperature, with the maximum temperature being 27 degree Celcius. This boy sweats easily. Kamal and I are training him to be more adventurous by bringing him to family gatherings where air conditioners are nonexistent. Such gatherings provide chances for him to interact with other children, too.
About gathering, the following incident horrified, and later, tickled me:
During a family gathering last weekend, I let the maid take care of Khalish when I bathed. After fifteen minutes, I checked on them and I found Khalish being fed bread dipped in Milo by his aunt who was simultaneously feeding her son then. He would return to the aunt for another bite as soon as he swallowed the piece that he had been munching while playing. The incident horrified me because Khalish might have disturbed the other boy's meal time. I apologised to A and asked the maid's help to get Khalish his snack instead. Nevertheless, A explained that the maid had intended to do so, but was asked otherwise by A herself because it was good for her son to see that Khalish enjoyed the food as well. How we hope Khalish does not mind sharing his toys with other children, too, like he shares the ball with his pet.
A note: we switched back to Enfapro A+ after trying Enfagrow for two weeks just because the preparation calculation is easier.
More about Khalish later.
