My Son, the French Fries Junkie

A day shy of his one and a half year milestone age, and suddenly Mummy remembers that she hasn't made a blog post about Aiden's milestone review for the past 4 months! Thank god Mummy makes it a point to record everything on her trusty iPhone, so here goes!

At 17 months, Aiden:

• Loves joining Mummy for her nightly dose of cornflakes and milk, minus the cornflakes.
• Hates vegetables (like Mummy!), even resorting to heaving out the entire content of his mouth whenever he tastes any long beans in his favourite nasi goreng cina.
• Knows how to imitate cat (meow) when Mummy reads out a story book, and dog (woof woof) when he hears our future opposite neighbour's dog barking.
• Still obsessed with cats, now even resorting to pulling their tails!
• Scared of water, pulakkkkk (need to upload pictures of those, soon!) but still enjoys his daily bath routine.
• Knows an SLR camera is used to take pictures - picks it up and puts it at his eye level, and after I snap a picture he insists on seeing the display picture.
• Sometimes stops to pose when I tell him to. Although has yet to understand our requests for him to smile.
• Whenever he hears us ask "nak...?" he would shake his head even though it sometimes does not specifically mean no.
• Knows how to ransack his diaper bag for his pacifier holder, takes it out and hands it over to any adult and gestures frantically for the adult to open it so he could take his binky.
• Raises his hand up to the guard whenever we pass thru the Cahaya SPK guard house! (This one never fails to amaze us, every time!)
• Insists on passing money to the toll booth lady, or the credit card to the cashier.
• Recognises the play area in Tesco, even running up to it all by himself and insists on getting on the token rides.
• Enjoys the impromptu visits to the sundry shop opposite our house, even insisting on walking in all by himself.
• When Mummy comes home, insists that Mummy brings him out for a walk outside the house. If not he will cry his eyes out (must be the boredom of staying at home). When Aunty Awien goes out at night, he would insist on following her too, so we have to resort to going into her car for a few minutes then going back into the house.
• Dah pandai berkawan, and prefers to play with kids older than him. He actually had a very loud hide and seek game with a boy at least 3 years older than him in Macy's just last week!
• When he bumps his head or hurts himself, he would point to where it hurts and insists that we blow at it to make it better (he once actually made ppfff ppfff sounds to show what he wanted us to do)!
• Claps his hand at Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Club House theme song!
• Claps properly with both hands hitting each other (as opposed to only one hand hitting the stationary other hand).
• Knows how to wear a cap then takes it off the very next minute.
• Loves chasing birds on the roadside.

At 16 months, Aiden:

• Muttered his very first word, which was unfortunately "Daddy". Although very rarely used but definitely used when seeing Daddy. Mummy still remains as "mamamama".
• Still obsessed with phones, even wrestling the phone away from the owner whenever the phone rings.
• Able to hold conversations on the phone. Able to say eyooo (hello). Insists on pressing the keypad on the phone or touching the iPhone screen until it lights up before speaking into the phone.
• Refuses to Salam, preferring to give a high 5 instead.
• Knows how to get off the bed, flipping himself over and scooting tummy down to the edge.
• Knows how to go down the split level steps by sitting down near to the edge and scooting his butt nearer and nearer until he is able to slide his butt to the next step.
• Climbs stairs confidently on all fours (with supervision of course). When Mummy holds his hand on the staircase, he would take one step with one foot, just like an adult.
• Enjoys cartoons (Mummy only allows channel 613 for now). Shakes his body and head whenever he hears music.
• When mummy puts on an mp3 on the iPhone, he would hold the phone in his palm and dance.
• Is more creative in manipulating his toys, like putting a ball in a cylinder and the cylinder in a box etc.
• Very adventurous in opening fridge doors, drawers, cabinets.
• When given a toy car, he would take the toy to the nearest uncarpeted floor and roll the car back n forth, making vrooming sounds.
• Knows how to ask for dukung - by raising his arms up to you.
• Loves munching on tempe goreng and popiah simpul.
• Has finally stopped putting everything in his mouth (except for keys and batteries). Loves batteries till he would actually smash the Astro remote on the floor so that the batteries pop out from the back of the remote.
• Puts his leg out to wear his slipper and voluntarily holds his arms up when we want to take his shirt off.
• Has stated imitating the movements of solat.
• Not only points out to something he wants, but makes a fist and unfists his hand to further show that he wants it.
• Loves to wag his point finger "no no no".
• Insists on pressing the elevator door buttons whenever we go out gallavanting to shopping malls.

At 15 months, Aiden:

• Eats by himself using a spoon, refusing help from absolutely anyone.
• When holding a steering wheel (in an actual car or a toy), he would make vrooming sounds.
• Points at something when he wants it or wants to go there.
• Knows how to wriggle himself out of dukung so he can walk by himself. Prefers to walk rather than be trapped in the stroller.
• Cries when we take him out of a playarea or away from doing something he likes.
• Knows how to indicate he doesn't want something (e.g. milk) by shaking his head furiously.
• Knows how to ask for his binky by spreading his palm out (his official gesture for binky).
• Knows how to climb the sofa and get down all by himself.
• Knows how to turn the television on and off (oh no!!!).
• Knows how to salam and cium tangan.
• Knows to wave bye including the rare flying kiss.
• Loves playing and throwing a ball across the room.
• Knows to duck when going underneath a table or a low platform (even though the height is actually higher than him)!
• Knows how to imitate the action of geram by grinding his teeth and shaking his body.
• Knows when he is being reprimanded - either keeps quiet and looks at you guiltily or screams back in protest (depending on how angry we are at him).
• Removes both his crocs slip-on sandals by himself and claps his hand at this achievement.
• Claps his hand when he accomplishes something, like putting something in the right place.
• Loves munching on crackers, keropok.

At 14 months, Aiden:

• Is starting to try to feed himself using a spoon.
• Knows how to comb his hair all by himself (although it looks like he messes it more rather than combing it).
• Talks in baby talk on the phone excitedly.
• Loves french fries and insists on eating them on his own.
• Is starting to imitate gestures, sometimes even imitating Mummy's lion growls when Mummy reads his bedtime story books out loud.
• Enjoys grasping and manipulating things - putting the Lego blocks together and then pulling them off.
• Starting to open and close drawers, even hiding his binkys and other knick knacks in them.

Anyway, these are picture proof of my son as a french fries junkie, back when we were in Singapore in July.

Munch, munch, munch.

When all else fails, there is always sucking.

"I love these fried potatoes glazed with salt!"

Despite being a french fries junkie, he isn't stingy in letting others try them too!

Poor Aiden. Daddy refused to try the saliva infested french fry, and told Aiden to give them to Mummy instead. (Hampeh betul, Daddy!)

Playing peek a boo with a fellow commuter on the MRT.

Cheeky smile.

And cheeky laugh.

I can't believe you're turning 18 months tomorrow, Aiden. Time sure flies. But you will always be the apple of our eyes!