Platypus and Big Sisters' Update

"Platy" or "Platypus" is now Pepe's preferred nickname for Philippa. It's really quite catching and I find myself sometimes using it as well. Platy is growing well, and at 8 months is finally able to sit more steadily on her own, showing a little of her first tooth, and just beginning to be able to crawl forwards a few paces instead of just pushing herself backwards!


It's amazing what an enticing object (e.g. the usually forbidden brightly coloured highlighters) can do to encourage this forward movement. She's also been babbling more lately (often of the plaintive sort), and I thought I heard her say "Mama" today :) She loves 'walking', and going out, exploring new objects... food-wise, she has shown a liking for strawberries (just like her sisters); we've introduced a range of foods, and some of the ones she likes better include prunes oatmeal cereal, cheerios, Heinz fruit puffs, cream cheese toast, applesauce, breadsticks, sweet potato brown rice porridge, and soup stock cereal. Had thought she had some allergy to egg yolks but it turned out I introduced them too early (6-7 months) and now she's fine with some yolk, and I am looking forward to her enjoying her meatballs once more teeth emerge.



Polly is beginning to get used to the idea of school each day, and has not cried about it for more than 2 weeks now. She continues to like her Bebe ballet class every Tuesday, and can finally write her nickname "Polly" all by herself. What a che-che! The other night at bedtime she asked "Does Narnia really zexist?" to which Pepe replied, "No lah. You think you can really meet Eustace and Lucy ah?" Her pronunciation continues to improve (even though she still gives grandpa a hard time :) and we find her baby voice really cute. Polly loves to "set up show", enjoys Angelina Ballerina, Olivia, and Katie Morag stories, and is every inch an art-and-craft girl, so often spending her time drawing, making "play sets" that are sometimes surprisingly creative and cute! She is also making up words big time, with "Bimmer Bower" being the fave for now (".. means che che"), and about one fake Chinese song a day (I take her inclusion of some real Chinese words such as "zai na li"--"where is it?"--in the last few days a sign of progress).


Pepe has just started Chinese enrichment class (one-on-one for now at the new centre just opposite our place at Sunset Way) and under the guidance of a really sweet teacher is showing less of a resistance to the language now, after just 2 lessons! I must say I was proud of her today when she replied an aunty in Chinese! That's a breakthough for these Loy girls if anything. She continues to love the zoo and the Science Centre (thanks Grandpa for transport and free entry tickets!), Ally (of "Ice Age"), Bolt, Miyazake animation films ("I think he likes trees a lot.") dinosaurs, unicorns, shiny things (what a magpie!) and has learnt to bathe herself "in a flash" so that she can spend more time with dearest Papa in the evenings before bedtime. Pepe continues to be the most emotional of the three girls we have, and with her sensitivity comes much good as well as challenges to control her emotions. "Hug and kiss!" (more than once) with Papa and Mama when we are to be separated from her :) and oh the bucketfulls the night before Papa left for a week-long Taiwan trip. Yes, she's "Wa Wa's" (her recent nickname for me) girl of many feelings. I must have cried and fussed my fair share in my childhood to irritate my dad. Polly has a 'cooler' persona and I tell Loy that she's definitely him in that respect :) One thing she loves to say nowadays would be "Happy bye, Papa... happy dreams Papa, sweet dreams Mama!"


Pepe and Polly still have their conflicts from time to time, and hardly a day passes without a mean tease (" 'fraidy cat" etc.) or some other occasion for irritating each other, but I'm glad that in the recent days I have observed a greater affection and harmony between them. The other morning before breakfast Polly gave her giraffe Olyll (a result of a failed earlier attempt at spelling "Polly") to Pepe (who is like some stuffed toys 'karang guni', or 'rag and bone man' who collects things that people do not want anymore) who was all appreciative and who proceeded to make an Olyll paper play set for Polly who then made a Thank You card for "my Che" (Pepe has said "call me Che Che" but cheeky Polly said "my Che sounds nice" and occasionally calls Pepe "Penelope Che Che")