Sophie's diaries : 10 months old (short of 3 days)

It is a Friday afternoon. Mummy's typing this over a cup of hot tea. I needed it.

The sight of that bruise on your forehead (while you grin at me) makes my heart ache. I'm sorry I wasn't home yesterday, when you fell and knocked your face on the edge of our bed's head panel. Grandma said that you cried so very hard that you forgot to breathe. Later that evening, you fell again somewhere else and bruised your forehead. What a day! It must be tough being a baby.

Anyway...

You took your first step with no support while we were in Grandpa's residence back in KL last week. What inspired you, sweetheart? Just an effortless step away from the couch, like how we, grown-ups, would... and then you crumbled and collapsed. We cheered. You looked up and smiled like a champion. Keep it up!

Mini tantrums began recently. Whines and whimpers. Kicks. We recognise that you aren't exactly sure how to deal with those overwhelming emotional surges. To tell you the truth, we, grown-ups aren't sure at times, how to deal with our overwhelming emotional surges too... and so, you have my sympathy, baby girl. Frustrations (when we don't let you have your way), crankiness (when sleep-deprived), the inability to put words to how you feel and the insanely hot weather aren't the easiest things to rejoice over - but I am thankful and glad that you don't fuss too long, and are easily distracted and pleased by the simplest things. We love the two-toothed smiles you still give us at the end of each ordeal. We will miss them when more teeth sprout in the months to come.

You measured 70 cm at the routine check-up two months back - and you must have grown taller in the past two months because your head can almost touch the under-surface of our dining table now whenever you stand up under it. You are a lot leaner too. Your arms are a lot more muscular now, thanks to the chin-ups that you attempt everywhere, given an appropriate piece of furniture and our permission to proceed. You crawl everywhere and discovered that you could climb up the staircase in Grandpa's residence in KL; consequently, you want to climb everything now... much to our amusement and half-horror (because we are afraid that this would mean MORE falls).

Food-wise, we haven't been very adventurous in the past month because of mummy's illnesses - but you have grown to accept rice porridge, chicken and formula milk now. A good thing, no doubt.

One last thing. Today, I asked you where the mirror was - and you immediately looked into the cup (at the bottom of which a round mirror had been glued onto) and grinned at your own beautiful reflection. This made my day.

Two more months to your first birthday. I am excited.

Love you,
mummy.