The new Tinto page

You like the new look? This momma here is quite proud of her amateurish attempts at changing html codes. It's a new year, and new developments in Tinto's little life.

Sleeping

She hates it. She almost never sleeps during the day anymore and spends her time playing, trying to climb out of the window, jump off the bed into the laundry basket, chew raisins and spit them out at people. The naughtiest thing you can think of, she's done it already. You'd think she would tire herself out by nightfall. Oh airena! Like last night. She went to bed (or pretended to) at 8pm. At 11.30pm she woke up and stood at the edge of her cot whimpering and holding her hands out to me. I picked her up and tried to put her back to bed. No can do. She cried and kept pointing to the door. Maybe she was hungry. I fixed her bottle and gave it to her. She chewed on the teat, giggled and chucked the bottle on the floor. My patience was fast waning. She pointed to the door again and said "Teti!" I said "Tinto luv, there is no Teti. Teti la e ka'a i kai". Again, "Teti!" I picked her up and we took a visit to the next room and woke up the babysitter. We all went to the front and Tinto played to her hearts content while we watched TV. "Teti" came home at 1am and we were ALL up entertaining the Tinto. She finally went to sleep at 2am. And now I'm at work with a massive headache.

Songs

She loves her music. I hope she'll be ecletic in this area. Everytime she hears a song, she'll dance in the funniest way. Her bottom moves in one direction, her tummy in the other and hands up in the air. The Tinto Hula we call it. Her grandma bought her a cd of Christian children's music. Her favorites are "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" (she claps right throughout the song), "My God loves me" and a few others. Her uncle Ilu bought her some cds of baby's classical music. It puts her right to sleep. Pulili music.

Books

She loves to read. Or being read to, rather. Her favorite times are when grandma brings out a book to read. She's got a book called "Babies" with different pictures of babies in different styles - paintings, sketches, African art and real photographs. Another book is "Dogs" (doks) and in the same kind of style. It will hopefully teach her to appreciate art and literature. She's also got one called "First Words" and each page has a different item - of clothing, fruit, cars, animals etc. They are all lifelike and she's been trying to eat the banana off the page ever since she got the book. It is a real reward reading to her and having her attention last right throughout the story. She giggles and points and looks serious. All her expressions tell us she is intelligent and like all babies, she is absorbing in the information and stimuli and helping her to grow mentally.

Other kiddies

All her life she has been around children. She has 4 cousins (all boys mind you) ages 7, 4, 2 and 8 months. They are a naughty lot which explains her naughtiness. It's excellent exposure for her, having these kids around her, and helps her to learn how to play with toys, share them with the boys, and she captures their speech intonations and it shows in the way she talks. Which is why she will definitely be a fob. Lol. The boys watch her like eagles and take care of their little "sister" very well. When Tinto goes to Siusega, there are no kids around and you can tell she gets lonely. As soon as she gets back to Malie, she literally screams with glee and can't wait to get out of my arms and get on the floor and play with her brothers.

That's all for now. Needless to say, my Tinto is really growing up. As long as her environment remains a happy one, and she knows she is loved, all is right with her little baby world.