Cooking with the Dragon

Recently, one of mine and Lady Hiva’s favorite aspects of the day is spending time with Tau’aho and watching him learn about the world. He has started in the phase where we have to watch what we do and how we act because he mimics really well. Things he only sees us done once, he will copy and do it for himself.

He loves to sing songs with actions, Twinkle, Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, Pat-a-Cake…as soon as he hears the music he will sing and do the hand motions. He has also been trying to talk more. There are some of his sentences that sound like complete gibberish, but other times it is really clear what he is saying. He is going to be quite the chatter box.

This kid never has a lack of attention...so many loving people in our lives

It wanted to take the photo, not be IN the photo. Everytime I went to take it he would come forward...and this is the result!

In the last few weeks we have completely weaned him off  his pacifier—cold turkey. One day we put them all in a bag and hid them high in a cupboard. He hasn’t wanted or asked for it so I guess that is it! YAY! I did not think it would be that easy, if he ever saw it he would cry to have it, but out of site out of mind for this kid! Hehe.

Lady and I have been having him stand with us while we cook. He loves to “measure” the salt and sugar and other ingredients as we cook. Yes, we end up with a bigger mess (way BIGGER) than we would have experienced otherwise. And yes, it also takes longer than it would take normally, but we love him for it and he is fascinated with doing things with his hands. He likes to sample everything that we are cooking with (which means we have to be extra vigilant when we are cooking with chicken or eggs. His quick hands are sly. I had to laugh the other day he decided to pop a whole clove of garlic in him mouth! He chewed for a bit and then spit it out and tried to scrub his tongue with his little hands as it lulled out of his mouth.

Measuring the flour for bread

Flour all over the kitchen, flour all over him...he at least knew that he needed to go get the broom out of the closet. But was distracted and unloaded all of the closet and played hide-and-go-seek with anyone that would pass by

He also likes to sample all of the seasonings. Today he decided to black pepper his bowl of fresh strawberries he was eating. It must have been good because after the fruit was gone he was using his finger to lick the pepper from the bottom of the bowl! HAHA—definitely my kid! Pepper on EVERYTHING (although I am not sure black pepper strawberries is something I would have done myself!)

Our Lucky Little Dragon has become a ball full of laughter and energy. We spend so much time chasing him around the house or wrestling with him. But he is also beginning the lets-see-how-far-I-can-push-them phase. Lady Hiva tells me that my “scoldings are wimpy” (that could be because he thinks when I put him on ‘time out’ on the couch and talk to him he thinks I am playing a game and starts to laugh. That makes me laugh…I can’t resist). When he knows he is in trouble he we automatically say “I love you,” or come up and say “Uma” (“Kiss” in Tongan) and will keep repeating it until you kiss him. I guess that is his way of apologizing—or at least making sure we still love him even if he is naughty.

What a kid…