She loves me!

My niece turns one on the 14th, but she's in Singapore, so I can't be there. However, I did get to spend a bunch of time with her (too often in the early morning for my liking!) last month as I passed through Singapore on my way to Austin.

She's really cute, downright hilarious, and into everything. While I was there, she figured out how to get onto and off of the sofa. After I left, she figured out how to open drawers -- and how to climb into and stand up in the stroller. Hopefully, the tipping over and bonking her head is a lesson she learned the first time!

Anyhow, I liked to take her out on walks in the Baby Bjorn, a front-carrier baby 'backpack' contraption. The Singaporean locals LOVE her. Not only does she happily wave and squawk at them, but also she has blond hair and blue eyes (a real novelty there). As I'd prepare for an outing, she'd chase me around the apartment on all fours, alternating between gleeful anticipation and crying dismay, as if I might take some other baby with me instead of her! She'd crawl up next to me, kneel up, and thrust her little arms up as high as she could (universal baby sign for "pick me up!").

It turns out, she misses me!! Or at least our walks. Since I've been gone, she's grabbed the Bjorn, dragged it over, and waved bye bye. SO CUTE! They had to hide the darn thing because it's really hard on your back to strap a human being to your chest for a walk around town.

By the time she gets back to Austin, she'll be way to big for the Bjorn, so I'll have to find something else she loves me for. But the important thing is:

She loves me!