random acts of literacy

Sam and i want to try this method of book sharing. We think Karen and Kate would be up for it. It's called bookcrossing. You put an ID number in a book and leave it somewhere and see if someone finds it. sounds charming. There are no books lying around in HK at present, but i think we can do something about that.

Now Tanya just has to find a book she'd be prepared to release...

More to come. Full of things to say.

Love, Tan.

Precious precious

You'll be glad to know that, sitting in his new baby cage, surrounded by bright sparkly crackly appropriately textured CE approved toys, Sam just wants to play with his kleenex box. He drums on it and sings, he can put things in it and take things out. He can whack it all around the place like a football. And maybe most important, he had to fight Mummy for it. For about a week there, she thought it was hers. A place where she kept her kleenex tissues. Now the tissues are in a little pile by the bed and Sam is victorious.

Sam: Epicure or Gourmand?

Argument for Epicure

The delicacy with with Sam marinates his rubber duckie in bathwater before chewing it, and dips it again to refresh the flavour at considered intervals.

Argument for Gourmand

The wideness of Sam's mouth when eating from a spoon, and his focus on the food vs other entertainments increases twofold if Tanya implies competition and starts eating the food herself. Also a possible argument for a rude mother.

Again for the Epicure

Sam thinks Sebastian tastes great.


Sam is 7 months old today! Happy Birthday! And Happy Birthday to Nick and Mick for Friday.

Love, tan.

Fabulous Sam List

There are too many fabulous things so they aren't being writ down.
Here's a list from this week.

Sam let me cut his nails without wriggling, waving his arms around or grabbing the swiss army knife (scissors). When he couldn't resist and gently touched the handle (red & shiny), I said 'nope, no touching' and I put his hand on his lap and he left it there. Trimmed both hands in one go. Amazing. Up till now I've waited till he fell asleep and done one hand at a time.

I cleaned some Sam-drool with some paper towel, and he took it off me and cleaned my mouth, Dit's mouth, my leg and some of the chair.

He can play the xylophone with gusto and doesn't hit himself with the stick.

He pulled some cards out of a book that belongs to him - an 'accordian book' from the chinese stationery shop full of 'welcome baby' card from friends. I helpfully glued them back in. Next time, he went straight for those cards, found his work undone and was FURIOUS.

His football improves daily.

Today he ate spinach with red rice and loved it. He's a broccoli lover if it's fresh and sweet and lightly steamed.

I think he's getting a tip of an upper incisor.

Sam has kissing attacks and has to give big sloppy mushy loving kisses all over the loved one's face, over and over, holding said object-of-appreciation firmly by the ears.

Love, tan.

Reiki

Hi There

Well by strange coincidence, a couple of weeks after deciding that everyone to do with Sammy should do Reiki too (after he never got a bruise and the scratches lasted three days), I found the Usui Reiki guys had an ad in the paper for a course in mid-May. I'd spent ages trying to find and pin them down about a year ago and no one answered any emails. Well, this is where they are: http://www.hkreiki.com. Keven is taking the course. She's lovely. Though i realise i haven't seen her for 10 years... That's ridiculous. Hopefully she's still lovely as I've told K, Dit and Resham about it.

Love, Tanya

weather with you

Bad moment today, Tanya fell down stairs wearing Sam (who'd been sleeping). Did some unconscious semi-aikido I think, so landed on my backpack and with gravel rash on inner arms, twisted ankle, icky knee graze, bruised hip and relatively unscathed baby. Two bumps and a scratch. Anna G was there to collect the baby and be calm and there. Did instant Reiki on his little face, so he didn't swell up. Doctor said he looked fine. Actually he was perky and happy for the rest of the day, so full of reiki and attention. Have to keep an eye on him for 24 hours.

I arrived at the meeting with the web designer a bit shaken and she said 'ooh, have you heard of reiki?'I said yes, I'm trying to do it secretly so you don't think i'm weird. Great meeting. Second one I've breastfed through. After the doctor back in Aberdeen, we got foot massages and the desk lady got me 'the best guy'. He was like a witch doctor. He did one Mr Miyagi thing like starting a fire by rubbing sticks, i thought my foot would light. And another thing with sending a vibration through my foot. All kinds of stuff I've never encountered before. I've been going once a week for nearly a year. Foot's much better. Desk lady said I should come back in a couplea days, really fix it proper, but the witch doctor doesn't come in tomorrow. so I'll go Wednesday. She told me all that in a whisper. I'm not sure if she's not allowed to give personal opinions or the other massage people would get thingy or she wanted me to feel special. Sam brought his dad to the Well Foot Salon and they watched Quentin Tarantino being penetrating and nasal on cable until another customer got sick of it.

Love, Tan.

Malunggay

Ditas' Mum, Merci, sent us Malunggay, leaves & seedpods, specially picked by Dit's sister in law. It is high in nutrients; increases breastmilk.

You cook the seedpods in stew and they taste like okra inside (wood outside). Fun food. You pop the casing and scrape it with your teeth. We are saving them until anna g arrives on saturday night.

The leaves are small and round and dark green and cute and tasty, I've had them in soup all week. They make me happy.

Sam and I have a new filter for people we're thinking about doing business with. I tell them that I'll be bringing a baby to the meeting if that's ok. If they say 'Sure, no problem at all, we love a baby.' Then they are in. So far, it's the women who pass the test. Turn out to be competent, helpful, communicative, take my intelligence for granted. I never thought to differentiate between a women-run or a men-run company. Maybe it's a coincidence. Only really two so far.

Sorry, this is the Sammy blog. This week Sam is as sticky as a sticky date pudding. He has lots of showers, which pleases him.

And he hardly has any milk now for second breakfast. He has FOOD, cooked by his personal chef. Ventura brand only. It's good, as i am not going so good with expressing milk in the mornings. He drinks it all.

And he sees a lot of uncle Matt through the magic portal.

And Keon's good morning daddy project is very very good. So funny.

That's all for now.

Love, tan.

Good Morning Daddy!

Keon has started his 'one picture every day' project with the photobooth on his mac. (GMD). Sam and Keon hang out in the morning after 'first breakfast'. This morning that was 6am. Keon wondered if Sam will still sit on his lap each morning when he's 16.

We started the day (2nd breakfast) by eating papaya over iChat with the Hart Grandparents in Canberra.

We ended the day having a cocktail-hour iChat with uncle Matty and Peter in Sydney. Sam had milk. Tanya had a fear&loathing.

Somewhere in the afternoon we went to the Aberdeen Centre II toddler casino. You buy chips, play games, get tickets, claim prizes. Sam thought he was at the zoo. Keon thought he was in flash-back whimsy-heaven. We saw a dad continually retrieving his tiny daughter from the shooting aliens machine to roll a tiny bowling ball. There was a cage to put your baby in full of pretty balls and slides and climbing stuff. They have air hockey! And clowns where you put the ping pong ball in his mouth and it always goes in the 5 slot. Full of possibility. we bought membership for $15. If you get 4250 points you can redeem a pink walkie talkie. (that's 850 goes on the clown). But only the one. We gave our tickets to a passing dad-&-daughter team and tried to run home.

But tanya saw a shop with very small socks. Keon saw a shop with various-sized robots. Who would imagine so much fun two blocks from home. Sam is going to bring Alex here on their first date.

love, tan.

Walk? Walk!!

Sam being excited about leaving the house. You can't see Miss Dit's head as she hadn't done her hair...

Sam was saying mmmmmamama mamamamamamam amammamamamam all day. He said it while gazing at me and i was touched. And then he said it to the pumpkin mush and I found myself re-categorised.

I am testing using divx and the only video i managed to convert before the test ran out was 'baby vs kraken'. You can find it by going to 'toys' on his little page.

We've been a bit sickly but we're mostly better now.

love, t.

I'm a fan of Raymond Fan

Sam and Tanya have been models twice for the Joy Art Club in Fo Tan. I like Raymond's paintings.

Fo Tan is the new cool place to have an art studio in an abandoned warehouse.

What's it for?

Hello Hal'monis and Harabojies

This is a blog for grandparents and mates who wonder what Sam is up to and can't be bothered emailing me to ask. It doesn't mean you shouldn't write to me anymore!

Love, Tan.