Playing with Atticus

Atticus and Elora played with Abi and Pascale this afternoon, while Jen attended the funeral of Ted Bock. First the cousins all played with the same toy, then gradually each found something of interest and then they played on 4 different toys.

Atticus took each of the nesting cups and said "is this blue? NO! it's yellow" etc, deliberately using the wrong colour name first then the correct one. Abi built a tower out of all the cups, then Elora who had been watching her, stepped up and pushed the tower over with glee. The children also liked the Pop-Ons and Atticus made a tall pole by stacking them, with traffic lights at the very top.

After some musical instrument play and push car play, Atticus decided to make breakfast: toasted bread with lettuce on top. He called out "breakfast is ready!" and the 3 girls came to sit at the play table. As there were only 2 pieces of toast, Atticus got other food out of the play drawer for the others. Soon nearly all the play food was on the table.

Later, when Jen said it was time to leave, Abi said "but we have to go to the castle first, and it's a long way." Why was she going to the castle? "To get married (to Atticus)" But you can get married another day. "But then it won't be the right TIME!" As Atticus wasn't moving from his toy, Abi started to kiss him: first on the cheek, then on his arm and finally on his calf as he was sitting on the floor. He didn't seem that pleased about it. Priscilla said "maybe you need to go to get away from the kissing girl?" Atticus got up and followed his mother out the door.

Staying at Por Por's place

After a fun filled day at South St, with Owen and Yee Ma there and playing on Kau Fu's computer and watching DVD, Abi was finally in bed.  Just before she lay her head on her pillow she said "I wish we lived 
at Por Por's place all the time, and that Owen and Yee Ma lived here too."

Wet Sand

Priscilla and Chris found Abi playing with a small tub of water containing some sand.  She had been let outside at South St as Por Por was busy with making dinner.  Abi had been carefully transporting small buckets of water from the hose drip bucket, and Gung Gung took pity on her (!) by giving her her own bucket of water.  Joy!  Abi was engrossed in making mud pie, hair and face splattered with sand blobs and half heartedly trying to keep her twirly dress clean.  Her sister was allowed to share some of the quicksand, and both got soaked while enjoying themselves immensely.  It took a while to get Abi to remove her sand encrusted dress prior to going inside for dinner, and longer to calm her down.  She ate hungrily after satisfying herself she had played for long enough after coming inside.  By that time Pascale had finished both her dinner and her bath!  

Butter and salt

Whenever Abi has the opportunity to, she will put her fingers into butter and lick the yellow stuff, or slather it thickly onto her toast and eat it.  She used to do the same with cream cheese.  Also she likes to lick salt and tries to grab the jar/cellar at every opportunity.  It's the same fascination with soy sauce on rice, particularly that from Por Por's oven baked chicken pieces!  Pity that soy sauce on white rice is high in GI (glycemic index) - we are eating brown rice nowadays.

Making up a Bedtime Story

Sometimes before bed, when Abi asks for a story, she might be asked to tell one instead.  A few weeks ago she would include one or more of the following elements in each story that she told: a fox, a stranger, a giant, a ghost.

Abi's turn at writing a blog

abiclcxxmbny19;bnnns5wwyr64fgsgxfxccvyvvyhsssssxdjjccccrnigcnfjgnnnnvfnnfng


[comment from chris:
Unfortunately abi erased her writing here.
First she typed her name: abi

Then she played with typing characters randomly.

Then she asked "how do you spell days?".
When I looked at the screen she had typed "60daus"
When prompted, she explained that it's 60 days till christmas
[she had earlier asked Priscilla how many days to christmas, which she is really looking forward to since pawpaw bought her purple/silver tinsel ...]

Abi can count in her head

Tonight Abi surprised me by saying "Papa, 1 and 1 makes 2".

When I asked her how she knew, she said "I just did it in my head".
(Papa continues working on his project... "thats nice dear...")
She then said "1 and 2 makes 3!"
(Papa stops - and says - "wow, that's good....)
"and 2 and 2 make 4!!"
(Papa looks at Abi with a slightly stunned expression...)
"and 1 and 1 and 2 and 2 make 6!!".

Good grief, she's picking up addition already!!

As an aside, this evening Abi saw the sky and stormclouds above the back yard.
She said "there are HUGE rainclouds, they almost cover the entire ...
(pause while searching for a word...)
(prompted by Priscilla: "The Sky?")
the ENTIRE BUILDING!, the one WE ARE IN!!!!!"
[accompanied by 2 arms waving in the standard Italian conversational style with a frown on her forehead]

Bubble bath

The past 3 nights have seen bubble bath for the sisters, a whim of their mother's. They love the bubbles and tonight a tired Pascale managed to nod when asked if she would like a bubble bath. She played by herself in a big sea of bubbles as Abi was eating her dinner. Towards the end of the bath Pascale got quite tired and slipped, causing her face and mouth to come close to the bubbles. She cried to be taken out.

Abi then had her bath and enjoyed the remnant bubbles. She asked for and got extra bubble mix, frothed up using the shower head rather than bath tap. Fab bubbles but Abi also had enough and came out willingly when she realised her fingers were getting wrinkly.

Doctor's visit

Abi had a temperature of 39.1 degree Celsius after returning from childcare yesterday (Union). Priscilla was a bit annoyed that Maryanne, director at Union, commented on Abi being a bit hot but failed to measure Miss Moody's temperature.

At the doctor's surgery today, Abi was her usual bouncy self. She stood still for ears and temperature to be checked, then let her heart and lungs be listened to before sticking her toungu out fully for the throat exam. No infection visible, just a virus same as Pascale's. Thank goodness no jubie was offered (regular doctor absent).

As we walked to the pharmacy Abi was concerned about the sun on Pascale. She asked her mother to stop and tried to put up the red stroller umbrella for her sister. Unfortunately Priscilla found that she had tangled the umbrella within the stroller upon setting it up, and we couldn't shade Pascale.

Fending for herself

Abi told her mother that today at Blackfriars, Dash was naughty because he didn't have a sleep. "He hit me", she said. "Then what did you do?" "I hit him back!".

Stickers for Pascale

After her bath, Pascale discovered that the paper stickers she had put onto the backs of her hands had fallen off. She was a bit upset and kept picking at the remaining sticky goo. Abi had been putting a Sesame St band-aid on a scab on her knee, so she got out a Wiggles band-aid from the drawer and put it onto Pascale's leg where she had a recent scratch. Then she put her arm into the bathwater to try and retrieve Pascale's stickers. Unfortunately they didn't stick very well.

Later, when Pascale was being put to bed, Abi crept (unusually quietly) into the room. She whispered to her mother that she had Pascale's sticker. Her mother suggested the sticker be put onto the side drawers for Pascale, or onto the cot. Abi stuck something onto the cot railing, then waited for sleeping Pascale to be put into bed before leaving quietly with her mother.

Trimming the avocado tree

Abi was helping her father, and playing with the swept leaves/branches as well. Then she decided to climb the ladder while it was not being used. Good thing Priscilla was there. Then snacks were brought out and she ate while sitting on Megan's fence. Pascale led the way to sit on Megan's porch threshold which was more comfortable than the sandstone fence Abi had chosen. The the sisters wandered onto Megan's porch and sat there. Priscilla told them that this was another person's home and we didn't have permission so shouldn't be there, and Abi willingly left (Pascale was picked up but she didn't protest). They sat on the step.

A little while later, Megan came out of her house and started to sweep her porch. Abi went up of her own accord to ask Megan if she and her sister could sit on her porch and got permission to do so.

Tai Gung's birthday dinner

Held at Crystal Seafood Restaurant, with almost all relatives attending, including Kinson (from California) Aunty Pauline (HK) and Greg and family (Melb). Abi wished Tai Gung happy birthday then sat for a while next to him before going to meet her cousins.

So many kiddies (the grea-grandchildren) under age 7 playing after their meal. Abi struck up with Tara and Madeleine immediately, holding hands and hiding and drawing and doing craft together. Before the meal all sat to watch a DVD with conversions of Tai Gung's old super-8 movies plus recent photos showing the extended family. Excited to be seeing herself and others on screen.

After a massive play session lasting almost the entire meal, there was cake cutting and longevity buns distribution, along with red packets. Abi ate heartily from a bowl of e-fu noodles and crispy skin chicken (around 10pm). then had about 5 buns (helped by Great Uncle Bernard who she remembered from a previous dinner when they amused each other with drawing and conversation). Then a pyjama display as the younger great-grandchildren changed into PJs, in anticipation of the drive home. Abi discovered her peers no longer wore sleep nappies but was not fussed.

Aquarium

Had fantastic day with Greg Yu and family who are in Sydney for Tai Gung's birthday dinner. The aquarium was full of amazing sea creatures but the best part was Abigail playing with Madeleine all day, holding hands and dancing and running around being excited together. They were quite well behaved altho full of energy. Loved the underwater tunnels and sharks and rays and turtles and fish zooming past. Favourite was the shark and fish tank that had lots of picture windows looking in, and the huge stage like area in front of one window where we stayed to chill out and eat (this was the last exhibit before the exit). There was eerie music playing (Harry Potter type theme) and Abi and Madeleine free danced for a long time. Abi being very expressive with whole body, working on the floor as well as poses. Took her shoes off for better pointing etc, did the splits and even some modern dance.

After walking through the gift shop/exit, had an icecream (chocolate and in a cup), then as we strollered around King St Wharf towards Chinatown for dinner, Abi fell asleep. Woke at Xic lo vietnamese restaurant and ate heartily before continuing the gross motor explorations inside the restaurant under the bar stools which fortunately were empty (pre-6pm).

I can't understand you

Is Abigail playing up when she ignores Priscilla's questions and remarks, some of which are in Cantonese? When asked why she didn't reply Abi said that she couldn't understand what her mother was saying. Parental fear that she is losing her ability to understand Cantonese, again! Must speak Cantonese whenever possible, maybe have Thursdays (?) as Cantonese only day - is the mother's brain able to sustain it? Will Chris understand?

Star chart

Made one to encourage Abi to remain seated at meal time, to feed herself, and to put dishes away at the end of her meal. After claiming a reward for 5 stars, Abi said that she didn't need to do those things anymore cos she already had her nails painted (reward). Also read today that reward charts are not good, teaching the child pleaseant consequences of doing those things are better. (Montessori and Louise Porter)

Like an adult

Abi was yelling. When asked why she said that she was an adult and she was angry....

Stretching the boundaries

Abi has been deliberately ignoring her parents' questions. she climbs up on the edge of the bath to reach high onto the bath wall. Yesterday she discovered she could kick her leg in the bath to produce splash, and the entire bathroom floor and cupboards was dripping. An innocent smile when castigated: but I only did this ballet move. The unusual hot weather has given everyone cabin fever and Abi is so full of bounce she tries her bed then the play mattress as trampoline / tumble mat frequently. Sofa is a climbing gym into the craft area.