Friday, April 11th, 2008
The kids were on my Mac this morning as I slept in a little longer (1). The two of them came to get me later on, and the older one proceeded to tell me “Mama, I forgot I should not draw on your computer.”
Raised eyebrows, groggy puffy eyed, I said “Draw on my computer? Where and why?”
“I forgot I should not!” He pleaded.
Decided it’s no use to argue without seeing the damage.
Minutes later, I’m very upset. The screen has several long RED LINES across it. I tried to remove them with my dry fingers - nothing.
Frustrated. Stew by self. Sit and read emails, eat breakfast.(2) Still frustrated, having to read through the RED LINES on the screen.
Kids on the floor playing with some toys. “Guys, please take it upstairs to play there” is met with silence. Typical. (WHY do kids not hear us / respond when we need them to???)
I lost it. I went down and cupped his face with my hands “DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?(3) TAKE. THIS. UP. STAIRS. TO. PLAY!”
Traits of Worst Mother:
(1) Sleep in while the kids run rampant.
(2) Eat breakfast at the computer instead of eating and talking to them.
(3) Shouting at the kids.
Friday, April 4th, 2008
Do you know what a toddler diet is? Have you heard of it too AND you practice it? For those of you fortunate people who have no idea what I’m talking about, be glad.
A toddler diet is one where your little picky eaters leave all kinds of food on the plate and you, you feel the need to finish it because you feel guilty if you let it go to waste. THERE ARE STARVING PEOPLE IN CHINA (or name another country) YOU KNOW. And I know, because I was one of them. And this happens on a pretty regular basis because, some days they will eat a lot while other days they eat nothing but cheerios. It also depends on what kind of things you’ve made. If it’s bacon - forget it - there wouldn’t be any left for you.
I hope things are different once they start kindergarten.
***
Dear Kids,
Mama love you both lots. But will you please please please try to finish your meals? Or at least, most of the time? When I was your age, I had very little to eat and this is why I’m so tiny. Not that tiny is a bad thing, but you will definitely have a better advantage if you are tall. I want you to grow into healthy tall grownups and you need all the nutrients to make that happen.
Not to mention I wouldn’t be grinding my teeth and going up the wall as often.
Love,
Mama
Friday, March 28th, 2008
Our daughter Fiona is 2.5 yrs old and still sleeps in a crib. She has been able to get into the crib if the ledge is down; she’ll climb and go head first and slide down slowly. However she has never climbed out of the crib by herself, whether the ledge is up or down. Ever.
A few days ago Hubby thought what a great idea it would be for our daughter to learn how to get in and out of the crib by herself, when the ledge is down. After all, it’s not like she doesn’t climb everything else with full confidence. Except the crib, until now.
As Hubby watched and cheered on, Fiona cautiously climbs out of the crib, taking every step and move ever so carefully, and making sure she’s gripping onto something before she lets go of another part of the railing. She was SO proud of herself when she finally landed on the outside of the crib! She’s been watching her big brother climb in and out of the crib all the time and this is the first time she’s ever been able to climb out of the crib!!! Hooray Fiona!
Ah yes, you can see where this is going.
For the last 3 mornings, instead of being woken up by a shrilling call of “MaMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”, I found our lovely girl standing by our bedside when I opened my eyes each morning. Yes the railing was all the way UP for the entire night - and it was still up when I took her to her room to change her diaper.
Tonight, after putting her to bed, she climbed out of her crib not once, but twice, to visit us in the office downstairs.
I seriously hope this is not going to develop into a habit. One bad sleeper for 4+ years is really really bad already. I don’t need another one to start now.
Saturday, March 1st, 2008
March Theme: Lists.
Right side: It’s March already?! Where did the time go???
Left side: Spring please come quicker! We’re so sick of winter.
While I love being a Mom to two beautiful and intelligent kids, and appreciate being older (31) and wiser (hopefully) and having my own family, I miss some aspects of the life-before. Here’s a list of a few things that I’m able to muster after a long day, in no particular order. The list is subject to change tomorrow or any time without notice.
1. That ignorance is always bliss. (SUCH a myth)
2. Wear non-mommy clothes (as in, no sweat pants, baggy shirts, stained garments).
3. The ability to buy whatever I wanted without feeling guilty or thinking something along the lines of “this money is better used on something else, like the kids’ preschool tuition.”
4. Being able to take a nice long shower, or go to the bathroom uninterrupted.
5. Can talk on the phone without 300 requests from the little ones who are holding onto my legs with the Grip of Death.
6. Able to eat my food while it’s still warm.
7. Don’t need to cook 2 very different meals because there aren’t Picky Eaters.
8. Have the energy to watch a movie at the end of the day.
9. Have the energy and desire to ahem, you know.
10. The flexibility and luxury to sleep-in on weekends. Or simply just sleep, period.
11. Better muscle tone around my belly and thighs.
12. My boobs (didn’t have that much to begin with, but after breastfeeding two kids, it’s totally gone now).
13. The lack of self doubts: Is this the right way of holding a baby? Am I short-changing our son by continuing to work outside of the home? Co-Sleep or not? Cloth or disposable diapers? Am I doing this mommy thing correctly? on and on..
14. The lack of constant worrying: Why does her weight percentile keep dropping? Didn’t meet such and such milestones, what’s wrong - what went wrong - what did we do wrong?! What’s the rash/spots/whatever mean?
15. Not having to pick up toys or things / sweep / mop / vacuum 500 times a day (not that I did that that often before, or even do that that often now). Still with me?
I love our kids dearly that sometimes it’s hard to breath. That lump in your throat when they’re sick is not really there, but it sure feels huge and can constrict air flow. I cannot imagine not having them and being their Mama. But I’d be lying if I say I don’t miss some of the above things.
Monday, January 7th, 2008
I’m not feeling very clever on this Monday morning. So I present you Jenni over at Just Chicken Feed who wrote an absolutely riot of a post about The Difference Between One and Four
Go on, it’s really funny.
If you don’t wet your pants while reading it, then you aren’t reading it correctly.
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007
As a parent to two kids, 2 and 4.5 yrs olds, I think I’m now a little bit more seasoned than I was 4.5 years ago. There are some things that one can only learn through experience, while there are other things where one could benefit from previous veteran moms. I didn’t have a lot of mom-friends who had young kids and therefore I was armed only with what I read on the internet and books. As such, one would only find what they’re looking for, if they knew what to look for.
Or maybe other moms did pass advices to me, I just didn’t take a lot of them to heart. If that were the case, I either can’t remember it or refuse to believe it.
In any event, there are some things that I wish I knew much earlier.
- The mesh crib thing you see in the pictures in this post? The white thing around the bottom perimeter? It’s called a Mesh Bumper and it’s wonderful. If the baby is sleeping in the crib, get it. It wraps all the way around a crib and prevents the baby’s arms and legs being pushed through between the slats, and since it is mesh, it’s breathable.
- It’s OK to let the baby fuss a little bit while they are trying to settle down / fall asleep. There’s no need to pick them up at every fuss and whimper, especially when all their needs are met (fed, burped, changed, not hot, not cold, etc.)
- Introduce a white noise / sound machine. It not only soothes baby to some degree, it also help drown out noises outside of the baby’s room so that while baby is sleeping, other people can continue to carry on conversation and normal activities in other parts of the house. It is especially helpful if the living quarter is small.
- Let them feed themselves as soon as they are able.
- Keep them in a high chair / booster seat for as long as possible. Always insist to sit down* if any eating is involved.
I’m sure there are other things which I can’t remember right now. If you’d like to add anything, please do so. It is already overwhelming as it is for any new mom preparing to enter parenthood, any and all advice ahem, experience from those before her would be extremely beneficial. Even if she thinks to herself, Ha, *I* will never do that.
* An ex-colleague always insisted that her daughter be sitting down if she were to consume any sort of drink or food. They are able to be consistent each and every time. As far as I know, this little girl has never ever ran around or not able to sit still or sulk while eating meals / snacks. Sigh.
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Last night I was reading stories to Fiona and Sebastian (Chinese storybooks, read in Cantonese). As usual, they have a million questions to ask regarding each page, especially Fiona. She has been asking WHY for the last month or so already. I don’t recall Sebastian started with the WHY stage until at least 6 months older than her.
One of the pages showed a pair of tigers. One tiger didn’t have ears, while the other didn’t have his tail — I promise, the story is not violent at all! Being the observant girl, Fiona pointed to the tiger and questioned (in English) “why he has no tail?” in which I answered, (in Cantonese) “maybe he was born without a tail.”
She was deep in thought for a moment. And then asked again. I answered again.
I thought everyone was ready, so I proceeded to turn to the next page. Fiona then turned the page back with a slight force, and said “LET MEEEEEE TALLLLLLLK” and then asked yet another (similar) question.
Monday, August 20th, 2007
We were at the mall this evening, after having sushi dinner at a local restaurant (a late celebration for my birthday). It was not the worst sushi I’ve ever had, but it was far far from the best.
The men (Hubby and father-in-law) took care of the kids while my mother-in-law and I shopped. The men don’t like shopping, plus there are lots of places for the kids to play such as the play area, the train tables at certain stores, some toy stores etc etc.
So off we go. I soon found a pair of Str*de R*te shoes on sale! Size 6! And it was the last pair on the shelf. Fiona’s cheap p*yless shoes are rubbing her feet too much, and I’ve been meaning to buy her a new pair of good shoes. So I paid for the shoes without having her try it on. She was somewhere in the mall and I couldn’t be bothered looking for them and dragging her there to try it. Worst thing that can happen is if it doesn’t fit, I’d have to return it. So naturally, it does not fit her. It’s too small. Grrrrrr. Now I have to hunt for another pair of reasonably priced good shoes. Stop it - don’t laugh.
No matter. I’m not going to return it. It is going to my 5 month old niece as her Christmas present. I know she won’t be able to use it for probably another year or so, but returning it just does not make sense, especially since it was on such discount.
I grabbed the image from eb*y to show you what I’m talking about
Makes me wonder, how much was the actual manufacturing cost price?
When we finally met up with the rest of the group, I wanted Fiona to try the new shoes on. She excitedly kicked her cheap a*s shoes off and sat down on the floor, while Seb was standing on the sideline watching.
He leaned over and said matter-of-fact-ly to me:
“Mama, my feet are growing bigger.”
Oh my sweet darling boy. You and your sister shall get new shoes soon.
Monday, August 6th, 2007
Saturday, June 2nd, 2007
The kids were watching me make watermelon juice with a blender. Why my children will not just eat watermelon like everyone else… I don’t know.
Staring at the blender for a while, Seb pipes up:” Mama, what happened to the watermelon?”
“It’s all crushed into juice (and pulp).”
“Why?”
“Because I put them into the blender so now it’s all crushed.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m making watermelon juice for you (and Fiona).”
“Why?”
“Because I love you.”
He paused, and said:
“I love you, too, Mama.”
* * * * * * * *
Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes for my mom. It is very much appreciated. They said the results will be back on Tuesday..
UPDATE: the lab is very busy and have not examined my mom’s biopsy slides. I will post as soon as I know.
2nd UPDATE: NOT CANCEROUS!!! I’m so relieved. Everyone is so relieved. They will leave it alone but monitor it periodically.
Saturday, May 12th, 2007
Happy Mother’s Day to all the women in this world, whether you’re a biological mom, adoptive mom, birth mom, aunt, cousin, sister, friend, want-to-be-a-mom-someday, celebrate today and everyday.
Women hold up half the sky.
–Mao ZeDong
Lots of love,
J.
* * * * * * * *
Last week there was a thingamajig at Seb’s preschool for moms. They invited all the moms / grandma / aunt / female adult in the child’s life to come to school for Mother’s Tea. The theme was Hawaiian. All the kids presented a lei to the moms and they were all instructed to give mom a kiss on the cheek. It was lovely. We socialized with our child, other moms and their children, and had root beer / strawberry floats. We did hand painting with our children, played and read stories. At the end, we were presented with a poem that our children wrote (filled in the blanks), with a “picture” that the child drew of mom. Here’s what Seb’s poem says:
My Mom
(a green marker drawing of 2 faces. a small one and a bigger one. both with big eyes, short hair, and a big smiley)
She is 6 years old.
She likes to eat vegetables.
Her favorite color is green.
Her job is drop me off & do the dishes.
My favorite thing to do with my mom is go to Costco.
*
*
Although sometimes I do act like a 6 yr old, I do know I’m much more than vegetables and doing dishes and going to Costco and dropping him off at school to him. It is exhausting to be a mom doing all of that, but it is what I chose to do and I love doing it. I am grateful for all the moments that I get to be a part of and see and remember. I love you son. I’m so thankful that I get to be your mom.
Thursday, November 16th, 2006
Thank you so so much for all your love about my last post. I’m sorry to be such a downer sometimes but I can’t help feeling the anxiety getting stronger as next week draws closer. lauranen is right though: it would be a good idea to look at the good and happy things in such light as well. May next week be good and swell with lots of laughters and celebrations, with my brother’s family who is coming here from out of town.
*****
My tongue have healed, thank goodness!!!, but my voice is gone. All this coughing and hacking doesn’t help either. Today I went to send our digital camera in for repair. So I’m at the local UPS store, whispering and mouthing my words through.
Feeling sorry for me, the woman at the counter asked if I have a job that requires a lot of talking. You know, because my voice is completely and utterly gone. To which, I answered with a whisper:
“Yes. I have two small kids.”
Tuesday, November 14th, 2006
What are we going to do today Mama?
We could paint after your nap.
Why do I have to nap?
Because you’ll be tired and cranky if you don’t.
Why will I be tired and cranky?
Well, you won’t be if you take your nap.
Why do I have to nap?
. . . . . . . .
************
Hey look Mama. All the leaves are all gone from that tree.
Yes they are all gone from the tree now.
Why are all the leaves gone Mama?
Because winter is coming and it’s too cold for certain trees.
Why is it too cold for certain trees? Why is winter coming?
Because there’s the four seasons and now it is wintertime.
Why are there four seasons?
. . . . . . . . Uhh, let me get back to you with the accurate answer, OK?. . . . . .
********
These are just a tiny tiny snippet of what comes out of our almost 3.5 year olds’ mouth on a daily basis as of late. Often times it goes in circles for several minutes. And if you dare to answer with a “I don’t know,” he will scream.
It’s driving me crazy!
Saturday, November 11th, 2006
I don’t have formal training as a hair stylist / dresser. However, I’ve been cutting Hubby’s hair for 6 years, and our son’s for 2.5 years now. Most of the time it turns out really well. Our son always gets complimented on his haircuts, and once in a while even Hubby gets complimented. Not too shabby for someone who’s never had any training. Ah, I also cut my own hair. That, though, requires a little bit more practice as I have to hold a mirror in one hand and steadying a pair of scissors on the other.
Today, for the first time ever, my hair clipper saw blood. I nicked our son’s ear. I felt a huge pang in my heart as blood oozed out. Luckily it stopped bleeding after a short while. It’s a very small cut, although it might leave a tiny tiny scar, it’s in a place where it’ll only be noticeable if his future girlfriend / wife nibbles on his ear with open eyes. I hope I’m not practicing my optimism here. Seriously. I don’t think I could live with myself if the damage is any greater.
Friday, November 10th, 2006
Here’s a picture that I’d like to share with you. I saw it long ago on some breastfeeding forum.
It’s not me or my baby, but I can absolutely see Miss Fiona do something like that if given the circumstance.
