Oscar does Angkor

Well, firstly Happy Christmas! Oscar had a fab one with loads of presents (thanks to those who sent cards & prezzies, much appreciated), and Matt had his annual cooking turn with a range of stuffings and a bit of roast chicken on the side.

As you know, we all went to Cambodia earlier this month, to check out the awesome temple complex of Angkor. It was an amazing experience. Some of these temples are over 1,000 years old, but you're allowed to climb all over them pretty much to your heart's content.

Luckily, Matt had been before, so he looked after Oscar while I explored by myself. But the times that we did go to the temples together, Oscar had a whale of a time! Firstly, there was the transport: you can travel around the area by tuktuk. Much better than being cooped up in a car! Oscar liked to feel the breeze in his hands:



Then there was the hotel breakfast:



And then the actual temples, which Oscar could run around in like a big ancient adventure playground, playing hide and seek, clambouring around and generally getting thoroughly dirty.





All in all, a wonderful trip!

For more Oscar pics in Angkor: http://www.pbase.com/sylviewaudby/december_2009

For Sylvie's pics of Angkor: http://pbase.com/sylviewaudby/angkor

Count Oscar-la!

This video is so cute. Oscar's speaking has come on leaps and bounds since his holiday in the UK.

Granddaddy

Oscar has just said goodbye to his granddaddy who came to Thailand for a short visit. We had some great meals. The above pic was taken with Uncle Foz too at one of Oscar's favourite restaurants (plenty of space to wander around, plenty of places to explore, plenty of food he likes) Cabbages & Condoms.



Keith brought with him Knapford Station - which is a key stop along the Sodor network as any Thomas fan will tell you. Oscar and dad had fun putting it together and were most pleased with their handiwork. Then Keith helped Oscar lay down some tracks. I really like the photo below - there's a disarming similarity in the postures of grandfather and grandson!



Looking forward to seeing you all soon: less than 2 weeks now!

***more breaking news*** Did Oscar say a porkie pie?***

Oscar knows that one of the things that is sure to get my immediate attention is the clean up of any poo he's done.

But on two occasions today, Oscar has told me: "Got poo poo." Neither times turned out to be true. Of course, we could put this down to Oscar merely flexing his increased vocabulary... but as he made these claims firstly in his cot (when he didn't want to be in his cot) and secondly while I was on the computer (and he wanted my attention), I'm beginning to think Oscar is fast learning the art of telling porkie pies. Uh oh.

Oscar's Carmen Miranda impression

This video is so cute, and one of the few instances of Oscar actually keeping something on his head. It reminds me of those 1940s starlets who had big headwraps, like Carmen Miranda though we'd have to add some tutti frutti for full effect!

You'll also note the four rubber fishes which he religiously plops into his bathtub every evening. And yes, he is still using a bathtub even though there isn't much room now.

By the way, Oscar now weighs 12.85 kg. He's losing some of the toddler-chubbiness now :(

***BREAKING NEWS***OSCAR SAYS FULL SENTENCE

Unfortunately no video evidence, but Oscar, demanding more crisps, said very clearly and without prompting "Gimme more".

With an additional "please" (said with prompting), Oscar got his request.

Watch out, there's an ewok about!

Well, if you're a fan of Star Wars, you'll know what I mean. On the other hand, it could be an uncanny resemblance to a Franciscan monk...

Oscar swims!

There is one weekly activity Oscar absolutely loves - his swimming lesson. It's wonderful to see him swimming underwater, his eyes wide open, surfacing with a big grin on his face.

Here's a video with me taken by popo:



and one with Matt:



And one more on the 'runway':

Zai jian popo! (Bye bye popo!)

Well two months have gone by in a flash and we're very sad to say that Oscar's popo has left us... Oscar now asks after both his popo and his nainai everyday! By the end of the stay, Oscar was even giving out free kisses to his popo!

So we wanted to say a big thanks to my mum for all her help and gifts. Oscar loved having somebody else to lark around with. Most of all a big thanks from Matt and me for looking after Oscar for a few days while we sneaked off to Luang Prabang in Laos.

If all goes to plan, we'll be seeing you all very soon in September!

Po po lai le! (Po po is here!)

Sorry for the delay in writing. Oscar has been busy entertaining his Po po (grandma on the mum's side) and vice versa.


Po po knew the way into Oscar's heart and brought with her loads of Thomas DVDs and books in Chinese and English.
Oscar is very content, watching the DVDs...



She has also started quite a mania by buying some track and Thomas engines.



The mania by the way is not so much on Oscar's side (though he loves them to pieces). No, it's Matt who promptly brought the old Waudby Brio set home, and is now buying up the whole catalogue of wooden brio-compatible Thomas engines and tracks. Well, at least we'll know what to get for Matt's birthday...

More videos to follow soon!

Easter bunny

The water-throwing Songkran festivities coupled with unruly political mob demonstrations meant we were cooped up at home for much of our holiday. But we did manage to get out last Sunday for an awesome Indian buffet.

Oscar partook of some nan bread, but you can see what he felt about the other stuff:


There was an attempt by father to teach son how to 'egg boule' (see how long a decorated hard boiled egg can last being rolled downhill), but Oscar managed to crack the egg within 5 seconds of grabbing hold of it.



Oscar was much more impressed though with rolling around a toy house.



All in all, a fun lunch for all!

Jumppp!

Oscar has been trying to jump for quite a while now. In rare footage below, we get to see Oscar's version of jumping for a couple of seconds at the beginning.



Well, it's more of a goose-step than a jump, but extremely cute nonetheless!

Oscar also had his 18 month check-up the other day. He now weighs 12.4 kg and is 81 cm tall. That means in 3 months, he's gained 1.2 kg in weight, but only 1cm in height. The mind boggles as to where it has all gone! (His head circumference remains firmly off the chart).

Whilst at the docs, Oscar had a booster jab. I set him up across my lap and gave him my camera for distraction. The needle went in, Oscar grunted and squealed a little, and that was it. He was ready to play immediately after. Such a tough lad...

Oscar does the Daddy-Shoe Shuffle

I swear this was not set up! We were about to go for a walk. I told Oscar to put his shoes on, thinking he would just fetch them. Instead, I found him with feet firmly ensconced in Matt's loafers, ambling about. I opened the front door, and off he shuffled!

It's only a stage he's going through...

Our maid said that Oscar would 'change' once recovered from his tummy trouble. Smarter, more words, more physical abilities... and she's right. Instead of saying 'bah' for banana, he now says 'bah naa'. Instead of just reaching up to grab something off a table, he now stands on tip toes and really stretches to get the desired item.

But one unfortunate development is the onset of tantrums. It began when I refused to give him his third bottle in a row of electrolyte solution. This orange-tasting drink (note 'orange-tasting' - who knows what colourings and flavourings are added?) was vital to keep Oscar's fluids and essential minerals up while he was sick. But on the road to recovery, not so essential in the quantities that Oscar wanted to consume.

Oscar took great umbrage at this: screaming, screeching, crying, collapsing to the floor, rolling around, then getting up to scream and cry louder and louder. Distractions didn't seem to work, but simply ignoring the hoo-ha thankfully did.

I thought the electrolyte solution was the key to Oscar's tantrums, but no. We went cold turkey on the electrolyte solution and he's still had a few tantrums. Thankfully, he hasn't tried anything like head-banging the floor, but he did throw a wobbly in a taxi yesterday - much harder to handle in public.

I'm now clinging to the hope that this behaviour is sugar-related - I'm cutting down his sweet popcorn and biscuits. If not, the mantra is: it's only a stage, it's only a stage.

Stomach bug

Poor Oscar has gastroenteritis.

It started with fever and an incredible vomiting episode on Wednesday morning (I now know what 'projectile vomiting' is), and has now progressed to the watery brown diarrhea stage.

We've had two trips to the doctors - the first doc just thought Oscar needed some paracetamol and a sponge bath - which Oscar absolutely hated. He screamed whenever the doctors or nurses touched him. On Wednesday he weighed 12.3 kg and today he weighs 11.99 kg. They tried to take his blood pressure. It was so cute their little velcro arm band. But Oscar struggled and screamed so much, no reading could be taken.

Anyhow, Oscar no longer has a tummy like this anymore. He's on a diet of biscuits, toast and rice cakes.



On the other hand, he's still quite himself, playing and exploring. Just not as active as usual, which - dare I say it? - actually makes a nice change.

A brighter note is that Oscar has suddenly become very keen on toothbrushing. I don't need to chase after him to get his gnashers brushed. He has a number of molars all coming through at the same time and the taste of the toothpaste and the feel of the bristles must come as some relief.

Cat-Bear

Babies can become attached to certain security items - just think of Linus and his blanket in the Snoopy cartoons.

Oscar is very much attached to Cat-Bear. When he has his sleeps, she must be there to cuddle him. When he wakes up, he is still clasping her in his hands. If she's not there, he gets most distressed!

I manage to convince Oscar that Cat-Bear sometimes needs a wash, and we take her to the washing machine where she is carefully deposited by Oscar, only to be snatched out again at the last minute. Eventually we manage to get her in and yesterday, Oscar accepted a toothbrush as a poor temporary substitute.

Cat-Bear was a gift from Oscar's Aunty Cat - hence the name. Who knows what would happen if we should lose Cat-Bear? She was bought in a big Tescos in Borehamwood under the children's Cherokee range. So if you happen to find one floating around in a Tescos, think of Oscar and... well, I'm sure he would be most grateful for a spare Cat-Bear...

Oscar bathes!

All calm & quiet at bathtime:



or is it?

Oscar vacuums!

Oscar loves helping with the vacuuming and sweeping. He's going to be so useful around the home!

Beach Boy

Last weekend, Oscar got his second taste of the seaside when we all went to Ban Chang to visit Uncle Foz and Nai nai.
The thought of a 5 hour round trip in the back of a taxi with Oscar didn't exactly thrill, but amazingly, he nodded off both ways. At one point, his heavy sleepy head caused his whole upper body to bend double over Matt's arm.
It was fab scoffing seafood and walking on the sand. Oscar was at first sceptical of the sand and waves, but was soon dragging us into the water. He also had a great time building sand castles with his Nai nai.
Many thanks to Foz & Simone for taking us round to all the nice restaurants and helping look after the little ragamuffin.

Nai nai in town

Happy New Year and Happy New Chinese Year!

We are finally back online! I almost cried at the thought of losing all of Oscar's photos when our laptop went loopy. Thankfully they have been recovered.

The biggest news here is that Oscar's nai nai (grandma on the dad's side) arrived over 3 weeks ago. Simone has been busy studying Thai and entertaining Oscar, who has discovered a love of books through Simone's daily readings to him.
He's learning how to listen carefully...
We had a bit of a cold spell recently and Oscar got ill and then I got ill. We're just about recovered now. But the 2o degree Celsius weather (cold!) plus teething plus illness worsened Oscar's eczema and he also broke out in pimples on his chin. Other mothers hurriedly shooed their kids away whenever we approached.......We had the pleasure of a few visits from Uncle Forrest.
And I managed to take this brilliant photo of the Waudbys together.
I've got some wicked Oscar videos to post too, so watch this space!