likes and dislikes

Joel hasnt shown much progress in both his speech and actions for m-o-n-t-h-s. He's first stood up when he was 9 months old, and he weighed 10kg then. Now at 15 months, he weighs just 400gms more! We're not worried since he looks healthy.

I think that Joel doesnt know/learn as much things as other babies - at least from the kids we see at his play class. He's now at Level 3 for 10-16mths. Being the youngest, he's always less responsive than the other babies/toddlers. Now at 15mths, Joel is almost the eldest in the group and the teachers always praise him - coz he smiles & claps more than the other babies! Of course, he's also the most stylish baby there lah! Haha! In terms of size, he's neither the biggest, tallest nor the chubbiest. Many babies who just joined at 10/12mths look even bigger than Joel! Many also know more "tricks" than Joel.

I believe other babies learn better through interaction with family members, grandpas and grandmas. Whereas Joel only has me 24 hours. Daddy Elvis comes home late most of the time (when Joel is already asleep), so he can only spend time with Joel on weekends. And even then, all we do is eat & shop!

I think it's also becoz of me as a mom. Maybe i havent taught him enough, talked to him enough, listened to him enough, fed him enough (HAHA! Just joking!)... Maybe i've been using too much computer.

These are some of the things that Joel can do
- he walks with support (yes, he's still doing that)
- he can stand on his feet for about 30 seconds
- he says Daddy, Mama, Bear-Bear, Car-Car, Star, Socks, Shoes... (i cant think of anything else now)
- when i ask him what sound does a lion make, he will open his mouth wide and go "Arr" very gently. Such a gentle roar! Very cute!
- he understands and looks/takes/points at these objects when told - book, ball, socks, shoes, milk, eat, lion, bear, car...
- he knows the actions for clap, shake, high-five, bye, smile, hug, milk (sign language)...
- he takes a clean diaper and places it at the right place which amuses us a lot!!!
- when i hum/sing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' or the 'Alphabet Song', Joel will go to his piano and play it (by flipping those pre-recorded pages lah)
- he moves rigidly to the song 'Proud to be Me' from Signing Times (it can hardly be called 'dancing')
- he knows where are Bear-Bear's eyes but not his own

Joel likes
People - Daddy (esp on weekends), Mommy & Bear-Bear (whom he shows lots of LOVE to)
Food - mommy's home-cooked porridge, bananas (not satisfied with just 1), chinese buns 包, bread, biscuits...
Daily things - reading (and being read to), spinning objects esp balls, spinning wheels, throwing things outside of his play yard, babble (sometimes it's as if he's talking to us), watching his DVDs, watching TV commercials with beautiful women, baby massage (it's actually just applying his body lotion after his bath), applying face cream (haha! maybe coz it smells good), looking at the mirror, listening to the Smurfs Goodnight Song when he sleeps, twirling his tongue, laugh & SMILE...

Joel doesnt like
- to eat apples (i think)
- to be left alone
* recently, he doesnt like it when we wanna put him down in his play yard. He will grip us at the hips very tightly like a little koala.

And Joel's bad habits are still...
- scratch & pinch (my hands) when he's trying to fall asleep
- bang his head against the bed's headboard or wall (before he prepares for bed or when he wakes up in the morning)
- hurdles over us (on the bed) to reach the objects on the 2 side tables
- toss and turn on our bed, lie horizontally (90˚) and upside down (180˚) and kick our faces
- pretend to cough when he sees his milk bottle coming towards him
- toss his milk bottle when he's done with it
- pull mommy's hair
- twirl his tongue
- "saw" his 2 front teeth with the 2 lower teeth
- lick things esp rough surfaces (eg. velcro, zip, the soles of his home shoes)
- bite his Bear-Bear's nose (till 1 strand of thread broke)
- signature blur look with his tongue sticking out
- sleeps late (usually anytime between 10pm to midnight)
* recently, he starts to fuss when we're eating
* for the past week, he has been waking up at 7+AM!!!

That's all i can remember and list out for now. ;)