Will can wave!

Life in Hong Kong has become status quo by now. We know our way around fairly decently. We have met more people. Leah consistently goes to school. Shafi consistently goes to work. Will sleeps & naps well. I am doing dragon boat with the Globe Paddlers, the American Women's Association team, as well as getting to the gym a couple times a week. We fill in afternoons with some classes and play time at the American Club, occasional trips to Ocean Park, various playdates, and sometimes just playing at home or popping down to the beach at the end of our block.

Today at just about 9.5 months, Will waved! We've been working on it - but while he had flapped his arms a few times at the right moment - he flaps his arms often in excitement, so we really weren't sure it meant anything. Tonight after getting him ready for bed and giving him his bottle, I told Leah and Nilda to say good night to Will. And I say "bye bye" and waved at them - he also waved his right hand at them and then got a big smile and little giggle - obviously quite proud of himself. We practiced it a few more times, and he consistently joined right in.

He's also getting around faster and faster - doing a cute sort of crab crawl - using his 2 hands and one foot to propel himself forward, sort of dragging his other knee and then sitting back down onto his bum. But when he has a target in mind - he can scoot all the way across the room in seconds. I think crawling may be soon - he seems to be getting the idea. And I thought he might walk first - but while he is cruising the furniture and finger walking - he is too timid to let go and stand on his own.

Will not quite crawling:

Will finger walking with Baba:Will stealing a rice cake from his friend Isabella:Leah playing with her new Play-Doh ice cream set:
Will trying out a ride-on car:

4 Teeth and a Birthday Party

Will officially got his 4th tooth today. The top front right tooth has been pushing the gums out for a few days and has now broken through.

Will is also starting to move around more and more. He goes from sitting to a hands and knees position - but he doesn't quite put the left leg all the way back - the foots sort of stays trapped in front of his right knee. I'm pretty sure he does it on purpose so that he can more easily get back into a sitting position. When he does occasionally get over that leg he ends up sliding down onto his belly - where he whines until someone helps him up. But his bending and leaning and sitting and reaching does somehow enable him to move around a fair bit - not quite across a room but certainly around an area - so he is able to get to toys that were out of reach.

He's also starting to pull up a bit more. He's not quite good at it yet, but he manages to get up on to his knees and then up to standing on occasion.

Yesterday we had Leah's 3rd birthday party. We booked the Beach Club, a little restaurant on Stanley Main Beach. They were very nice and kept things nice and simple. It was raining, so the party was inside, but there was plenty of space to hang out and play. We had chips and cookies and pizza to eat and beer, soda, water, and juice to drink. We had some balloons to play with and some markers and drawing pages (Disney princesses and Toy Story) to color. There were a dozen 3 year-olds along with their siblings and parents - for about 40 people total. And the Cinderella cake (bought, not homemade) was both beautiful and delicious.

It's been a week of birthday fun for Leah. On Monday we went shopping and opened presents. Posing with one of the dresses she got from family in the US:

Showing off her Snow White outfit - which she picked out on our shopping trip:
Showing off 2 Barbies and a Ken - also purchased on our shopping trip:
Wednesday I brought cupcakes to Leah's class at school - chocolate on chocolate, as per Leah's request:
Riding her new bike - her birthday gift from Mommy and Baba:
Ready for her party to begin:
The adorable Cinderella cake:
Brushing Bride Barbie's hair - a birthday gift from the birthday party:

Leah is 3! Will is 9 months!

Just a short update for today...will post more, including pictures, when I have a bit more time. Will turned 9 months yesterday - and got his 3rd tooth today (top front left). And Leah turned 3 years today. We had some friends over for dinner last night and they brought a little birthday cake for her.

And today I took her shopping. Since the shipping is so expensive from the US, she did receive a few small things (4 dresses, some stickers, a couple books and toys) but several family members gave us money to take her shopping with. All in she had quite a nice sum to spend - and it was no trouble dropping it all in one place. First we looked for a bicycle (Shafi and my gift to her) but decided to check out some other shops before buying. Then we went to Toys Club in Horizon Plaza - and she went to town! She picked out a Barbie bedroom/bathroom set that folds up into its own carrying case and comes with a Barbie, 2 other Barbies, 1 Ken, a Dora "laptop", a Snow White costume, and a few other trinkets. She was one very happy girl!

She had ballet class this afternoon, which she loved as always. And then we played at the American Club for a bit. After dinner I let her play with her new toys a bit...she was thrilled! In fact, while she usually drops everything when Shafi gets home, she could barely even look up to say hello. She was just completely entranced by all her Barbie goodies. I'm a bit afraid of what's to come!

Will is starting to get a little more mobile...but certainly not crawling yet. At least he seems to be getting the idea to move and to pull up - even if he hasn't actually mastered the skills yet. And he continues to be a very happy boy - so no complaints from this mommy - especially since he's been sleeping 12+ hours at night these days!