Shalom's Development @ 12m 1.5w

Tried looking for Abby's development at around the same age as Shalom but couldn't find anything. Was probably too busy to blog (*argh!*) so now I can only depend on vague memory recollection. Currently Shalom is picking lotsa words! Erhm, stuff that only parents and caretakers can decipher.

Stuff like:
1. Ah-Mah
2. Ye-ye (but rarely now. He calls his grandpa Ah-Mah! :D)
3. Daddy (Dadee)
4. Mummy (Mama)
5. Cat
6. Meow
7. Bird
8. Dog
9. Jesus (Thee-therth)
10. Kor Kor
11. Lina
12. Jie Jie (He can add 'Che Che' after 'Lina' - our helper)
13. Thank you (T'kew)
14. Neng neng (for milk)
15. Come (with hand wave)
16. No (with hand wave)
17. Beat (hits me coz he likes to pinch me, so I'll say 'No' to which he'll wave no and then I'll say 'Mummy beat!' He'll hit my hand and say beat! Shows that he knows what I'm talking about. He stops pinching after that.)
18. Bear
19. Car
20. Star (Tar - and he sings along to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but in gibberish though... really cute!)
21. Flower (Wah-wer)
22. Ball
23. Book (Vibrates lips a lot before the rest of the vowels appear)
24. Lion
25. Tiger
26. Owl
27. Uh-oh! (for mini-accidents like stuff dropped from high chair)
28. Drop (ditto)
29. Up!
30. Mum-mum (for food!)

He can kiss by leaning over, mouth to whichever (cheek or lips), give a high-five, shake hands (he's our church's youngest usher - even has his own nametag!) spot cats and birds even before anyone else can see any, feeds me food, make funny faces (though impromptu just to get people's attention), scramble crawl away like mad when chased by his dad (and sometimes me) and then laugh like mad, pull himself up and push walkers (not those sit in type, but the push type) independently. Eats everything and is a joy to feed - finishes his sister's food especially when she's becoming quite a challenging eater at times. He can climb up stairs - his favourite hobby @ his grandparents' place - and now am trying to teach him to get off beds and sofas feet first, but he seems to prefer the 'head-first' way.

Found out that we've got two more pairs of shoes which haven't been worn - we thought they were still too big - and he's about to outgrow them soon. One's Adidas while the other's OshKosh, and they've got this cute indicators at the soles of the shoes - to indicate 'Too Small', 'Toe Zone' and 'Too Big'. The other two pairs of shoes - Weebok and Polo - are not worn very often but seems like they are too small for him. The OK looks waay bigger when placed next to them. All these are hand-me-downs from my cousins, and I'm so glad we've got them. Otherwise Shalom and Abigail would have to go barefoot at the rate I'm managing their wardrobe.

Found out today that he could be left under the care of others in the church's nursery while I went out of the room a few times. He happily played by himself and got my cellmate - Rachale - to play with him also. When it was time to go home, he managed to put all the toys into the box! :D So proud of him! :D He had his huge smile plastered on his face too! :D

Tonight, I told him that I wouldn't be nursing him to sleep. We used to endure long crying sessions because I wanted to stop nursing him to sleep... but then I did one thing wrong. I was lying down beside him as I tried to get him NOT to suckle. BIG MISTAKE. So this evening, I remained seated while he was lying down. After I told him, he was a little shocked, got up and tried to see if I was serious. Got him to lie down and managed to lull him to sleep successfully! :D Woohoo! Otherwise I would fall asleep with him and then get up about 3 hours later to do my stuff. Very unhealthy because it totally screws up my sleep. Sleep with him through the night also makes sleep very difficult coz he would want to nurse throughout the night.

I'm just so glad he's ok with not nursing to sleep when I'm around. It really is a huge relief. Now I'm not sure if I want to continue breastfeeding. I pump only once a day and am getting only 2 ounces. I enjoy the bonding with him yet my schedule hardly permits pumping. I aimed to nurse him till 2yo, but now only through the halfway mark I'm already thinking of giiving up. Maybe it's because I see my milk supply dwindling down and my workload rising. But I really am not too keen on giving up. Hmm... will continue to think about it. Meanwhile, just enjoy (except the occasional bites!).

*Update: Check out this site from a fan! :D