Happy 2008!

Today is my 21st month birthday! I am well on my way to being two years old, when I will no longer be a baby.

I have had a fantastic 2007. In January and February, we were in Taiwan attending my uncle's wedding, my aunt's wedding, and celebrating Chinese New Year. Then we returned to Seattle and my mom started working again after her maternity leave and I had a fantastic nanny named Sherie. I still talk about her and her dog, Kobuk, all the time. In 2007, I had my first birthday, took my first steps, went on my first hike, went camping for the first time, picked my first strawberry, spoke my first sentences in English and Chinese, had my first haircut, posed for my first modeling gig, learned how to use the potty, swam in a pool then in the ocean, went to Vancouver, England, Germany then to Hawaii and finally Taiwan. It has been a very eventful year and I am lucky to have so many people around me who adore me.

For 2008, we are looking forward to more adventures in Taiwan and abroad.

My new year hopes are:

• Eat more Chinese food
• Play with more friends

My mom's hopes for me are:

• Keep being a happy child
• Learn more Chinese

and lastly but most importantly,

• Be the first child ever to not go through Terrible Twos

Baby Fish!

Today my mom took me swimming at a public pool. I can now blow bubbles in the water and kick really hard with my legs and splash water everywhere. The lifeguard made us wear swim caps for sanitary reasons. This is different from the pool we used to go to in Seattle. Even though I don't really like to wear hats anymore, I kept my swim cap on because my mom told me it looks pretty.

Happy Christmas!

Today is Christmas day, the second one I've celebrated in my life. My friend Nina and her parents celebrated with us this morning.

My Busy Sunday!

Today we went to a Christmas Party with the Taipei City Playgroup. It was held at a nice house with a large playroom full of toys. My mom asked if I wanted to move in to this house and I nodded my head. That night, we went to a steamed dumpling place in a resort seaside town that was kind of far away but the food was good. I especially liked the soup they had. I can now pick up the whole bowl of soup and drink the broth without spilling it too much.

My Busy Saturday!

Today we took my friend Nina and her parents to Danshui and had wonton soup. Then my Ahma came over and cooked dinner for all of us. She said that because it was winter solstice, we had to eat tang yuan (glutenous rice balls) so she made our solstice dinner. Then my uncle and aunt came over so it became a big family gathering, which is what people do during winter solstice. I got a little jealous when my Ahma was holding my friend Nina but I am learning to share – not just toys but also my family members.

My Busy Friday!

Friday was a very big day! My friend Nina and her parents came to visit us from Seattle on Friday morning. I had fun playing with her and learning to share toys with her. I then went with my mom to a Ladies' Lunch at G'Day Cafe. There, we met up with other moms and babies and I got to flirt with other customers at the cafe. We had American food (sloppy joes and brownies with ice cream) which was pretty good. After lunch we went to a park where I modeled T-shirts.






On Friday night, the school I go to part-time had a Christmas recital. I got to dance to songs like "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Jingle Bells". I was a bit scared when Santa Claus came out. For one, he looked Asian and was fairly thin. Also, he passed out things my mom wouldn't let me eat (chocolates and hard candy).

Later on Friday, after I had gone to bed, my dad finally came home from England. I had been missing him all week so it was a nice surprise to see him in the bed when I woke up in the morning.

The Beach!

Today my mom took me to the beach. We took a ferry across the Tamsui river to a place called Bali. There we walked on the boardwalk at Left Bank Park. Then I got to play in the sand!

I Can Count!

I am counting a lot now in both Chinese and English. I don't always have the order right but I've got up to 10 in Chinese and up to 5 in English now.

New Sweater

My mom made a sweater for the first time and it was for me! It's an Aran cable sweater – for the Irish in me!

I had another big weekend with my Ahma and uncle and aunt. We spent the weekend at my Ahma's house. She bought a baby doll for me as an early Christmas present. I've been putting the baby in the high chair and feeding it and putting the baby to sleep.

Today my mom took me to Danshui riverside park for a walk and we saw some ponies. I kept saying, "Sit!" to mean I want to ride the pony. Here are the pictures to prove I rode a horse today for the first time!

More Playdates!

Today we hosted a playgroup and had lots of friends over. We ate yummy muffins that Harvey and his mom brought from the Hyatt. We sang "Michael Finnagin", then played and played. It's great to make new friends!

Paint!

Today we went to a playgroup and did some painting with brushes. It was a lot of fun. Check out my photos!

E-I-E-I-O!

I am constantly singing and humming and making up songs to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" Now I've got a new song that I've been singing for the past few days. It's E-I-E-I-O! I can't sing the "Old McDonald" part yet but I am trying!

Lasagna!

Yesterday my mom made lasagna for the first time in Taiwan. Some ingredients like ricotta cheese were hard to find but my mom was able to find it after searching. The lasagna was so yummy that I kept saying "Lasagna!" over and over again. My mom reminded me that my nickname is "Anja Lasagna!"

Lots to Do!

My mom has been behind in updating my daily life because we've been very busy. Last Friday we had a "Ladies Lunch" at a Thai restaurant with other moms and kids from a playgroup. After that we went to an indoor playground called Playspace. I didn't want to leave! In the first two pictures, I am playing in the sandbox with Brendan and Georgia.

On Saturday we went Christmas shopping for my grandparents in Seattle. We hope they like what we picked out.

Then on Sunday, we went to my mom's cousin's engagement banquet. It was held at the World Trade Center and it was really posh. As usual, I was the star of the event, along with the bride. Lots of people took turns holding me and taking pictures with me. I ate lots of yummy food. After the banquet we took a walk to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. The last two pictures show us at the engagement banquet.

Paint!

My mom took me to a playgroup today and we played with puzzles, then did finger painting, and then had a snack. It was a lot of fun. I found out I didn't like the red paint on my hand. Yellow was great so I made a painting that was mostly yellow.

Happy 20th Month Birthday to Me!

If you correct my age, then I am still 18 months but I am acting like I am already 20 months. I spent the weekend at my Ahma's (grandmother) house and I learned a lot of Mandarin and Taiwanese. My Ahma kept showing me off to her friends and neighbors. I was very good when my mom left to get a haircut and my Ahma babysat. I even let her put me to bed. That's not something I let everyone do!

My Ahma and my mom took me shopping on Saturday. I am discovering that I love girly things like purses and of course shoes. Then on Sunday, we had lunch with my mom's great aunt and uncle. Does that make them my great great aunt and great great uncle?

My dad came home from a business trip to Japan on Sunday and he brought me a hand-made wooden spoon. We are still very sad about the fork we lost at the restaurant at the Hyatt. That was my favorite fork. My parents loved it too because they bought it in Bamberg, Germany and it was the fork I learned to eat with.

"More Moon!"

I know a lot of tricks to delay my bedtime. One of them is to say I need to go potty. Another is to say I'm hungry or thirsty and when my parents bring me one drink I tell them I want something else. My parents read me the same bedtime story every night. It's "Goodnight Moon". Now, I say, "More moon!" to request the story again and again to keep myself awake. I also make up little songs to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" when I feel sleepy but don't want to fall asleep. Basically, I like to stay up so I don't miss anything.

Another Big Weekend!

On Saturday, my parents took me to an indoor playspace for kids. It is in a posh Japanese department store called Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. I was kind of scared of all the big kids when we first got there but then I started to really have fun and didn't want to leave when it was time to go.

We then went to a German Bistro and bakery called Wendel's and had bratwurst. My kids meal came with Nuremberg sausages, mashed potatoes (which I didn't eat because I love rice and noodles), peas and carrots, and gummy bears. I had a lot of fun eating the same sausages that I had while on the train in Nuremberg. We then admired all the pastries at the bakery next door. Christmas season is here because we saw gingerbread cookies and chocolates and advent calendars. It was a fun trip to a little piece of Germany in Taipei.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My parents took me down to the Grand Hyatt for a full Thanksgiving dinner. It was really good! It was Chinese style since there was turkey and mashed potatoes but also a lot of Chinese food available. I ate lots of turkey with gravy and then a shrimp salad. I would pick out all the green onions and then eat all the shrimp. I then ate a big piece of pumpkin pie. We had some new friends join us for dinner. I liked playing with them because they were around the same age as me.

Before dinner, there was a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the lobby of the hotel. The program went on for too long because all these famous people kept going up on stage to give speeches before the tree was lit. My dad got to take pictures with some of the celebrities. They were impressed that he knew who they were. Then finally they lit the Christmas trees and just before Santa came out, they set off firecrackers that made me cry. A lot of other kids were crying as well. Santa came out with two Santa girls, not elves, and passed out candy to all the kids. We had to fight with the TV camera crew to get close to Santa. It was a very different Thanksgiving/Christmas experience.

The first picture is me and Santa's Girls. The second is my dad and two Taiwanese celebrities. The third is me and Santa – he's actually the pastry chef at the Hyatt. The last picture is us in front of Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world.

P.S. My mom figured out how to make the portrait photos come out the right way. Thanks tech-savvy people!

Steak!

I have a new word today. It's "steak"! That's what we had for dinner tonight and I ate all the steaks off of my plate but I kept asking for more. "Steak!!!" I screamed. I ended up finishing half of my dad's steak.

Big Weekend!

I had a very big weekend. I went to my mom's cousin's wedding on Saturday night. It was held at a seafood restaurant and it was really good. Even though I was not the bride, I was the star of the event. Everyone took pictures of me and wanted to hold me or play with me. I loved all the attention. One of my great uncles tried to get my dad drunk. My dad got some attention too because he is American. The third picture is me and my second cousins and aunt and uncle, and the last two are me with the happy couple.

I spent the rest of the weekend at my Ahma's (grandmother) house. I can say so many things in Chinese now that it really impressed my Ahma. She took me to get a haircut last night. The haircut lady had to really negotiate with me for me to sit still and let her bring a pair of sharp scissors near my face. She played with me for a while then asked if she can make my hair look pretty. I nodded my head then sat very still for her. My Ahma and the haircut lady thought I was the smartest 19 month old they'd ever seen. They also said I was one tough cookie since I wouldn't let anyone touch me without explaining what was happening first.

Boo Hoo!

I had to get two shots yesterday. I got a flu shot and a Hepatitis B vaccination. It was really sad. My mom almost cried. When the nurse stuck a needle in my thigh, I started crying really hard and then I said, "Cry!" My mom got into an argument with the doctor because he said I needed to get a chicken pox vaccine but my mom said no so he told her she was not educated on vaccinations. We will be changing doctors now.

More Shoes!

I now love to wear my mom's heeled shoes.

Costco

Last Friday, my parents took me to Costco to stock up on some of my favorite foods. It looked exactly the same as the Costco we used to go to in Seattle with a lot of the same things for sale. My mom thinks this is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I can have my favorite cereals and crackers but bad because everywhere is starting to look the same. Here I am playing with a basketball at Costco.

Kindermusik!

On Saturday, my parents took me to a music class called Kindermusik. It was a lot of fun! We sang some of my favorite songs like "Wheels on the Bus" and "Ring Around the Rosie" and I got to meet some new friends.

Learning Taiwanese

Today I went to my great uncle's house, and played at a park near his house. I can now say great uncle in Taiwanese. I can also say auntie, grandmother, and cat in Taiwanese.

More Shoes!

I love pretend play now. Today, I put on my mom's high heeled shoes and walked all over the house admiring myself. I also love to play with my baby dolls now. I can put them to bed and say "Night night" and feed them food and give them a bath. I think I will soon need some dress up clothes to continue my pretend play development.

Happy 19th Month Birthday to Me!

Today I turned 19 months old. My parents decided to record all the words I said today since I've been a real chatterbox. Of course, I know a lot more words than is listed below but this is just a sample of things I said today from when I woke up in the morning until I went to bed in the evening.

1. please; 2. off; 3. poo poo; 4. dance; 5. raining; 6. potty 7. eat 8. all done 9. shoe 10. xi shou (wash hands); 11. bao bao (hold me); 12. down; 13. book; 14. sit; 15. pen; 16. xie xie (thank you); 17. banana; 18. baby; 19. more; 20. sauce; 21. milk; 22. rice; 23. eisho (grunt); 24. no no; 25. yay!; 26. crocs (I want my crocs); 27. tight; 28. out; 29. wei? (hello?); 30. bye bye; 31. mama; 32. jiejie (older sister); 33. all gone; 34. yuk!; 35. shu shu (comb hair); 36. bath; 37. wet; 38. ca ca (wipe); 39. hop hop hop; 40. jacket; 41. zou ba (let’s go); 42. okay; 43. feet; 44. apple sauce; 45. ma (horse); 46. row row (to request row boat song); 47. pigu (butt); 48. watch; 49. clock; 50. sock; 51. xi zao (bath); 52. stuck; 53. yifu (clothes); 54. ku ku (pants); 55. help; 56. maomi (kitty); 57. kitty; 58. gou gou (doggy); 59. yang (sheep); 60. grape; 61. putao (grape); 62. xigua (watermelon); 63. mel mel (watermelon); 64. didi (younger brother); 65. zheli (here); 66. peach; 67. bebbees (berries); 68. back (put it back); 69. che che (car); 70. bubble; 71. quack quack; 72. fanqie (tomato); 73. bowl; 74. fork; 75. cheese; 76. doodle (noodle); 77. hat; 78. egg; 79. mien mien; 80. yo-yo; 81. she (snake); 82. turtle; 83. cookie; 84. meimei (little sister); 85. pai pai shou (clap hands); 86. corn; 87. hudie (butterfly); 88. bee; 89. flies; 90. bzzzz; 91. eyes; 92. nose; 93. bizi (nose); 94. zuiba (mouth); 95. teeth; 96. jiao (feet); 97. tummy; 98. duzi (tummy); 99. lai (come); 100. bear; 101. niu (cow); 102. whee!; 103. slide; 104. go go go; 105. yao yao (rock); 106. mao (cat); 107. cracker; 108. I want cracker; 109. spoon; 110. wa wa (sock); 111. cluck cluck; 112. niao niao (pee pee); 113. pee pee; 114. go; 115. glasses; 116. baba (dad); 117. erduo (ear); 118. ear; 119. hello; 120. ball; 121. pants; 122. pocket; 123. meow; 124. shirt; 125. blanket (geget); 126. open; 127. hot; 128. Anja; 129. up; 130. backpack; 131. I went night night; 132. good girl; 133. bread; 134. potty potty; 135. tiao tiao (jump); 136. roar (when asked what a lion says); 137. xia yu (raining); 138. fish; 139. yu (fish); 140. rock (when requesting rock-a-bye baby song); 141. chou chou (stinky); 142. tong tong (hurts); 143. what?; 144. TV (itzy); 145. itsy (for Itsy Bitsy Spider); 146. beep; 147. jump; 148. ribbit; 149. jiujiu (uncle); 150. ahma (grandmother in Taiwanese); 151. ahtai (great grandmother in Hakka); 152. ahpo (grandmother in Hakka); 153. mianbao (bread); 154. hua hua (drawing); 155. pictures; 156. wawau (water); 157. happy; 158. upstairs; 159. Sherie; 160. Kobuk; 161. Emma; 162. Sho sho (stroller); 163. buckle; 164. Da wei (that way); 165. two; 166. three; 167. five; 168. six; 169. yeah; 170. up bababa (for up above the world so high); 171. aboo (for peekaboo); 172. brush; 173. juice; 174. brrrr (for cold); 175. yogurt; 176. achoo!; 177. uh-oh; 178. box; 179. ouch!; 180. diaper; 181. toot!

Happy Halloween!

First I am Innocent Child, and then Devil Child: "Noooooo! Don't take my picture!!!"

Shoes!

I love shoes! I may have inherited this trait from my mom. My dad has only three pairs of shoes. I have about eight. My mom has a lot more. She's a little bit afraid to say how many more. I now like to pick out which shoes I wear everyday. Most of the time it's the newest pair. Today I got a new pair of pink shoes and I wore them all day long, even for my nap. I refused to let my mom take them off. When we went on a walk, I kept lifting my legs up while sitting in the stroller so I could admire my new shoes.

Hop, Hop, Hop!

The Chinese word for "rabbit" is "tuzi", and when we're reading my animal books, my parents say "Tuzi! Hop, hop hop!" I also like to pull up my shirt and put my finger in my belly button, and my parents say the Chinese word for "belly", which is "duzi". But I have trouble hearing the difference between "tuzi" and "duzi", so now I like to pull up my shirt, put my finger in my belly button, and say "Hop, hop, hop!"

My Hospital Stay

I just got back from the hospital last night! After a couple of days of upset stomach I got a high fever, so my parents took me to the hospital just to see the doctor, and they said I had salmonella poisoning and was going to have to stay in the hospital for three days! I didn't like it very much, and being sick wasn't even the worst part! My IV line kept me from running around like I love to do, and the hospital didn't even have a play area for me. Even worse, I couldn't eat or drink anything for two days. At one point I got really mad and threw the biggest temper tantrum I have ever had. Now I am almost better, but I have to catch up on all the eating and sleeping that I didn't get to do in the hospital!

Goodnight Rice!

My bedtime book, "Goodnight Moon", has a line that says "Goodnight mush", and it shows a picture of a bowl of mush. But I think it looks like a bowl of rice! So whenever we get to that line, I now say "rice!" ("fice!"). So my dad has started to just say "Goodnight rice" instead, even though it doesn't rhyme with "Goodnight brush".

Learning Chinese

I am already speaking a lot of Chinese words. My favorite word right now is "xia yu", which means rain. I learned this word recently when there was a typhoon (my first) and it rained for four days straight. It was hard for me to stay inside all day when it rained and I kept pointing at the door saying "out" or "Crocs" for my shoes. I now also can say "Niao niao" for potty whereas I used to say "Potty".

The other day we went furniture shopping. I thought I was in heaven because I got to climb up and down all the chairs then climb up and down all the beds. When I got up onto a bed, I would put my index finger to my lips and say "Shhh" then pretend to go to sleep. All the people around me burst out laughing.

My First Typhoon!

Typhoon Krosa just hit Taiwan and has been pretty exciting for me. This is my first time experiencing typhoons. Yesterday, we walked from the subway station to our apartment building and got really wet even though we had umbrellas. I now can say "raining" in Chinese very well because it has rained nonstop for 3 days now. This afternoon, the power went out so we were without air conditioning for about 2 hours. I played with a little radio/flashlight instead, tuning the radio to different stations and dancing to the Taiwanese music. I hope the rain stops soon because it has been a little boring to be stuck in the house all day long.

My First Haircut

It was our first morning in Taiwan and what do my parents do? They go get haircuts! There is a trendy salon on the first floor of the apartment complex where my grandmother lives. They all remembered us from our visit eight months ago. I waited patiently for so long while the nice lady cut my mom's hair that I fell asleep. My mom decided that it was a good time for me to get a haircut so they gave me a fringe in my sleep! Now I look like a little toddler. I am no longer Baby Anja, but Toddler Anja!