Boys Will Be Boys

Those who have met my son will no doubt attest to his high energy level, loud voice and his inclination towards balls and vehicles. But few know that he almost didn't turn out this way.

You see, in June 2006, Derod and I took a holiday in the Maldives and in order to enjoy the unbelievably expensive trip, I had to ensure that absolutely no disruptions would take place whatsoever. This included preventing the arrival of my da yi ma, which was scheduled to arrive right in the middle of the trip. So, I visited my family doctor and he prescribed some hormones which will do just the trick. But it came with a warning: if I were pregnant, and I took the pills, and if the foetus was a girl, no issues. But if I were pregnant, and I took the pills, and if the foetus was a boy, then we should just have to accept that our son will be highly effeminate.

To cut the long story short, it came to a point that all signs pointed to the arrival of da yi ma but I had decided not to take the pills till the final moment, which never came. Then other queer signs started showing: half a glass of white wine got me spinning; I was so tired I slept at 10pm every night while on holiday; the return journey gave me the worst backache I've ever had. Then we discovered that gabe, in his then invisible form, was making his presence known.

It was right then that I knew that God had given us a son, for otherwise, those pills would have been popped without hesitation. Five months later, we got the confirmation at the detailed scan.

So today you see a wide-eyed gabe going absolutely bonkers when he sees the SBS bus (he can now say the "s" in "bus"), train ("aine" as it is known), cement mixer ("men"), and the like, crawling at great speeds towards anything he'd like to lay his hands on, and just being rough and rugged like boys are. And we thank God for our son.

Blabber Update: 14.5 Months

9 month old gabe in front of a Japanese painting in a ryokan in Hakone, Japan

Time flies. Gabe is about 14.5 months old. Staying home with him on a daily basis does emphasize the meaning of routine, and in this, much details are lost. I forget all the little things in his developmental process just a few months ago and flipping through the writing on this blog has proven to be helpful in refreshing some memories.

I have given up listing all the things he can say. The dam is showing much signs of weakness. Any day now it will burst forth into what a friend of mine calls the 10-new-words-a-day phase. But there are some really cute ones which are worth mentioning.

"Itchy. Ca ca (apply). No more itchy!"

Me: What is your name? Tan Tee Guan Ga-
Gabe: -briel
Me: 你叫什么名? 陈智-
Gabe: - 源

Me: 开...
Gabe: ...门
Me: 关...
Gabe: ...门

Me: 宝宝， 我们回家了好吗？
Gabe: 好... Bye bye!

"再见", " 谢谢", "宝宝" and any other Chinese that comes out of his mouth sounds pretty much like a guai lou speaking Chinese.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

Not, I hope...

You see, the mother reads one local magazine a week and much of the front portion is really garbage (in the sort that benefits only the gossipy, batt gua part of me) and who took to flipping its pages when he finds it lying around?

It started with me pointing out pictures he can recognise: taxis, buses, watches, shoes, bags and most of all, maam maam. Then one day, I heard him repeat like a broken recorder, "Mark, yeee. Mark, yeeee." A bit bewildered, I looked up to see him focusing on a paparazzi shot of a Chinese girl and her Caucasian boyfriend. The bulbs in my brain almost blew when it dawned on me what was going on in his mind.

Then on another occasion, he saw a picture of an old lady and promptly went, "po po".

Looks like the sponge is soaking away. Words, pictures, whatever form of verbal and non-verbal communication, I'd better be careful.

Gabe and His Papa: April 2008

Gabe's papa has gone off on a two-week-plus patriotic mission up north. The little one will be calling "papa papa" in the morning in vain; the morning routine involves gabe calling to his papa to come pick him up from the cot when he rises and shines for the day.

Here are some pictures for the papa if he has internet access where he is located:

Bedtime drawing near. Fingers did the talking.

Huge shoes to fill? Wait till you try papa's t-shirt.

About half of papa's body length at 14 months old. Mother shudders.

How many cheeky monsters do you need in one family?

Family portrait for gabe's 14th month-day. Funny thing is that gabe will keep a stern face while watching the light of the timer flicker but gives his hugest grin only after it goes off *faint*

Will You Marry Me?

We have been offered a proposal of betrothal! Derod's good friend jokingly suggested that gabe and his five month old daughter be bound by this traditional arrangement. I turned it down immediately, citing reason of "not in favour of in laws". Didn't help that the son kept yelling "mei mei" once she was carried out of sight.

Surprise number two came from a very unexpectedly liberal mother in church. One Sunday, Gabe was busy walking around chairs when he "barged" into the territory of a feisty little lady who pushed his hands away from the chair she was occupying. After some gentle chiding, her mother proceeded to say that Gabe can be her boyfriend next time, since he was after all, only a year younger. Thoroughly caught by surprise and much amusement I was, at that point in time. After some thought, this could spell good tidings for us, since little lady is a real smart one and her parents are... shall we say... overflowing with abundance in the *keching* sense. Good in laws! *tsk tsk* Gold diggers.

Well, whoever he chooses next time will not have the privilege of planting a first kiss on him. He's already been smooched quite a few times... by the youngest member of the orforgod family. His "true love's kiss" (inspired by the movie Enchanted), they call it. Yeah, if you caught that, the youngest member of the orforgods is a BOY!

Meanwhile, Gabe can start practicing: Seen here with auntie Nikki and mummy's jewellery in right hand.

The 13th Month

Gabe picked up these skills in his 13th month.

Drinking from a Straw
At jemmy's mummy's suggestion, I attempted training by controlling the flow of water from a short straw, releasing water only when he makes an effort similar to sucking. I'm not sure it paid off, either due to my inconsistency or whether gabe was not really ready for it. But one day, I had enough of the stage-3 top of the pigeon mag mag (washed and sterilized) sitting in the cabinet and thought, what the heck, let's just try it. With both mother and baby persisting for about five to ten minutes, gabe's startled eyes widened and later squinted in delight as he felt a rush of water in his mouth. I too saw movement in the straw. So there you have it. My baby is now drinking heartily from the straw. Now the next step, the cup...

Putting Things Into a Bucket
instead of just being obsessed with violently emptying it, though one has to admit there's a teeny bit more throw than drop in the action.

Go Down!
With his ability to communicate this intention, gabe has attempted journeys down from bed, couch, chairs... and... yesterday, we found him standing happily next to the coffee table when three seconds ago, we had left him on the couch. I got no less than a fiery lecture from my mother, but that is another story altogether.

I'd figured that since it was but a matter of time that we got to this phase, it was imperative that he gets the butt-first method drilled in. So since a couple of months ago, many times when I let him down, I'll first turn him around and aid him in the climb, though I'm not sure the extent this has in fueling the thought of independent action.

Complete the Song
Currently, it's the "star" to Twinkle Twinkle, and the "nose" to Sing a Song of Sixpence.

Two Syllable Words
Taxi and lorry (pronounced lorr-lei) loud, clear, and done daily in a broken-record fashion.

Mark Smit

Since his last trip to Singapore, which was a couple of weeks ago, Gabe was able to address Mark by his name. Upon the insistence of the man, he is known as "Mark", not "Uncle Mark" or other age-bearing greetings, which does make things easier for the babe.

So here's the defining moment that sheds light on Mark's standing in the family: gabe looks at his yee yee a week or so after Mark's return to Bangkok, and says "Mark!".

Incidentally, derod's workplace is known by the acronym SMIT.

For those of you who have not seen Mark, this is his 如山真面目, seen here with a 9 month-old gabe.

You raised me up....