"We all know that patience is a virtue; we also know that it's a virtue young children don't always have in large amounts. Or at all. Especially when there's candy involved. So when these kids are left alone in a room with a gigantic marshmallow and a promise that if they do not eat it, they can have another, what happens? Watch the video and see."
I am totally behind on keeping up the journal!! We have been so busy since August enjoying the August/September weather, trying to get our house ready, and shopping/bidding for a new home.
Definitely need to give more update later, but I want to post this video before I forget again!
I caught DD "reading" his new Thomas book when I was preparing his bottle. Ok, I admit that I am biased, but DD is simply too cute!!
DD has been talking in short sentences for a few months now and we have often been surprised by what he says. Sometimes S and I have to try very hard not to burst into laughter by what comes out of DD's mouth...
This evening, DD walked into the door and announced "Mommy, DD is HAPPY!" He said it with such a big smile and conviction. S and I were both surprised, not sure if he really understood what "happy" is, but I replied gently "Mommy is so happy that DD is happy." He then went on to say that "DD is happy!" a couple of more times.
This simple declaration by DD almost brought tears to my eyes, because DD told me in his own words what I will always want the most for him! It sounds like music to Mommy's ears.
I didn't blog much about DD, but July was huge month for his developments:
1. He is starting to "talk" as in having conversations with mommy and daddy. I used to wonder if he needed speech therapy, but now I can see the progress.
2. Sometimes when I talk to DD in Chinese, he would answer back or respond in the Chinese words that he knows! I hope that I am not just imaging things and hope that he is learning Chinese.
3. DD is potty trained (with occasional accidents). During June/early July, I was convinced that he could not be trained.:) He would have 4 or 5 accidents every day. He knew where to pee-pee and pooh-pooh and he would show me the toilets, but he just would NOT use the toilets when he needed to go. I think the turning point came after daddy came home. It was like the light bulb went off overnight. He started telling us when he needed to go and would actually hold his BM until he got to the toilet. I would rate potty training and washing soiled underwear for 40 days as the most difficult parenting task so far. It really tested my patience and tolerance for bad smell day in and day out....(yike.:) However, it was so rewarding to see DD finally potty trained! I am so proud of my baby, because I know it must have been so confusing and hard for him as well.
4. DD's last day at his old daycare was filled with sadness (for mommy.) We love his nannies and teachers there. They took such good care of him for the past two years and we really thank them from the bottom of my heart.
5. DD started attending a new preschool, M*er*ry*hi*ll, on August 3. He likes the teachers and new classmates so far and has been enjoying the new environment and great facilities. He is so great at adapting to new environment. The only thing is that he has a few "accidents" again since started at new school. However, his teacher said that it's totally normal. I had originally enrolled DD in another school, with Chinese/English bilingual program. Was all ready to start him there on August 3. However, S pulled a plug on that school after visiting in July. S was not impressed with the Chinese program.... mmmm very strange, because for someone who doesn't speak any Chinese, S sure has pretty high standard! :) Anyway it is all fine, because I like M*er*ry*hi*ll a lot too and DD is in a Spanish/English program.
Mommy has decided to sign DD up for swimming lessons after his screaming session with auntie. My former manager had recommend classes offered by Debbie Meyer who won 3 Gold Medals in the 1968 Summer Olympics. It was quite a sticker shock ($265 for 12 15-minute sessions), but I have to say it's well worth it. I saw improvement right after the first session and even more dramatic progress after the fourth session! Daddy has been leveraging the tips that he picked up from DD's coach, so hopefully we will see DD swim like a fish soon!!
Perhaps you can also learn a trick or two on how to teach kids swimming from some of DD's lessons:
DD was invited to a second birthday party in the last weekend of May. The host put in a lot of thoughts and work to make sure that everyone, especially the kids, had a great time! He was a little scared of the water slide and only climbed up twice and was too afraid to slide down. After some 20 minutes of just sitting on top, I had to climb up there to help him slide down! I was soaking wet (thanks God that I had lost 15 pounds, so I didn't break the slide....:)~ I can really see DD's cautious personality now. However, he had so much fun that he has been asking to go to Eli's house every morning! Every night he had been saying "DD like Eli house." One night, I asked him (jokingly) " does DD want to move to Eli house?" He replies with loud "YES!" hahahaha... who would have known that my baby is ready to move out to have more fun at three years old!! I now dread the day when he becomes a teenager!
Not much. DD and I have been enjoying our routine and life in general. We attended his classmate's birthday party last weekend in 100+ degree heat. Never mind the heat, DD had so much fun playing in the jumping house, eating cake and candy. Mommy forgot to bring the camera, so hopefully, DD will remember all that fun without any picture. :) That same day, Auntie M came over to swim with DD. DD was so scared of the water that he kept screaming for mommy, not realizing that mommy can't swim! It was so much worse than two summers ago when Daddy first showed him how to swim. It's time to sign him up for a swim lesson this summer, or he might never like water.
Of course we parents live for the milestones and celebrate them no matter how big or small. 1. DD started dressing himself three weeks ago and seemed to enjoy this new found independence.
2. We are making some progress in the potty training arena. I know I am dragging this on for way too long, but I don't want to traumatize him either. It's very hard to strike a balance, but I think he is starting to like his big-boy pants and is at least not afraid of using the potty.
To avoid traffic, we celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday. Auntie M, DD and I drove to Napa to meet Grandma and Grandpa for lunch at the Pacific Blues Cafe in Yountville. The menu selection was great for lunch. We ordered a burger, Mahi Mahi, chicken linguine and ribs. After lunch we went on one of our favorite pastime activities: looking at model homes for the decorations and design. These homes have a nice view overlooking the hills and valleys and the interior designs were tasteful (never mind the price tag.:) You can check out the pictures of the model homes here. After a quick stop at the Napa outlet, we drove back to Sac and have a nice short nap.
DD and I then met up with baby H and his parents for dinner at Taro's at 6:30. DD had fun playing with baby H and watching the fish in the fish tank next to our table. We ordered our usual favorite dishes. Uncle D and Auntie A just returned from a two-week visit to Hong Kong. They really missed the many helps from family (& their maids:) while in HK and of course the food!
DD loved seeing Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie M. So much so that after dinner when we drove next to an SUV, DD kept pointing at the driver and called "GRANDMA! GRANDMA". I took a quick look and it was really a guy wearing glasses who looked like grandpa (for some reason DD kept calling grandpa as grandma!) DD started throwing a tantrum when I drove pass the SUV instead of following it into Bel Air's parking lot! DD would not stop screaming Grandma until we pulled into out garage. Thank goodness, we were not that far from home!
We had a great early Mother's Day celebration! BTW, daddy is all lonely and "sad" in Paris this weekend while we are having fun...(hahahaha...NOT!) Daddy is lucky that mommy had been to Paris twice before, or he will never hear the end of mommy's complaint until the end of the day!
Today is also a special anniversary for me. May 09, 2006 was the day when I first read a Taiwanese news article about DD and decided to try to adopt him. Looking back, that was the best decision I had made, on par with the decision to marry daddy, in my life!
Oh my gosh... where did time go! DD turned three years old today! Since daddy is away, it's up to mommy to celebrate his birthday. I am not big into celebrations and parties, so we celebrated by singing happy birthday FIVE times today. (I know...it's pretty lame, but hey thank GOD he doesn't know any better yet. :)
Some of his progress update:
1. He is officially in pre-K. He is learning so much more in pre-K and is always eager to "tell" me what he did during the day. Although it's still hard for me to understand every word that he is saying, I am pleased that he is talking so much more. 2. His height is between 38 inches (54th percentile) and 39 inches (77th percentile). Well..it is huge range, but it was pretty difficult to get a good measure of my wiggly baby. 3. He is about 33 lbs with his diaper on. It baffles me that he hasn't gained much weight since his last birthday. The rate of weight increase slowed down dramatically after her turned two. 4. He is still NOT potty trained yet. His teacher told me not to worry, because three other boys older than DD are also in diapers. :) 5. DD loves going to the park. The first word out of his mouth is mommy and always followed immediately by "park" when he wakes up in the morning and from his naps. How do you tell a three year-old boy that our lives don't revolve around "park"! 6. DD is very ticklish and he loves laughing and giggling. Sometimes all it takes is just a little touch of his tummy and he would laugh like crazy~~ Very cute to watch!
I am very happy that I have started this blog for him. Even though I don't update the blog as much I would like, I can still go back and revisit a lot of the great times that we have had.
Mommy played dumb when DD asked for "cake" after we finished singing happy B-day song. He will get to have some cake when I take him to his classmate's B-day party next week. I am not a believer of throwing annual B-day parties for a child, but I don't mind taking him to other kids' B-day parties now and then! :)
(Note to self- I should call his pediatrician to set up his 3-year check up. )
We went back to get another check up at the dentist. The prognosis of his bumped tooth is still good as of today.. Yeepee. DD also got his first teeth cleaning experience. Due to a ceiling TV, DD was extremely relaxed and cooperative during the exam and teeth cleaning.
DD got to sit in this kiddo dental chair and watch a video on the ceiling. He even got to wear this pair of cool sun glasses.
DD and I attended my coworker J's wedding reception on Saturday afternoon. We drove way out there into the country side of Lincoln where we saw acres upon acres of green grass with horses and cows. DD was already having so much from just pointing to all of the animals. By the time we arrived at the reception, DD was in heaven, running around with the other kids into the RV, reception area , not to mention eating all that amazing BBQ food, cheese AND CAKE!
The weather was beautiful and the wedding was simply awesome! It brought back so many fond memories of my own wedding from almost 7 years ago! The bride and groom are off to Ireland for their honeymoon.
(The Beautiful bride and the loving groom) (My coworkers and their families)
(Highlight of every wedding- The Wedding Cake!) (Mommy was really going to give DD a piece of the wedding cake, without icing...cruel mommy:) (FINE-My coworkers just had to feed DD the icing on the cake which is forbidden in my house! DD loved it, of course.. I think there is no turning back from icing from this point on:)
DD had two major meltdowns on Monday when daddy left. It was like he sensed that something was going on. However he rebounded fast this time and was ok by Tuesday! He loves the new Lego table and has been totally focused on playing the Lego blocks.
(DD loves his Lego table and Lego blocks.) (Daddy put together the Lego truck and bulldozer for DD)
We have finally recovered from a cold that lasted almost one month!! To make matter worse, DD had a freak accident in his crib and (sort of) lost his first tooth. I would have never thought that the safest place, his crib, could be the most dangerous place! He bump his upper front tooth against the railing and the tooth is now stuck in the gum. Now that the swelling in gone, the dentist should be able to better diagnose the damage and decide if DD needs a surgery to extract the tooth.
Other than the sickness and accident, life goes on pretty much as usual. Recently, I had been pleasantly surprised by DD's progress. He has come a long way from the early onset of the terrible-two stage (starting at 18 months:) to this mature-thoughtful-little-boy stage. The other day while I was video taping him doing this 46-piece puzzles and was just amazed by his patience, independence and problem solving skills. Of course, he still has his moments of thrwoing temper tantrums and being hyper active, but those moments are just as precious to me.
A big shock came the other day when the day care director told me that she will start moving DD to the preschool class from the two's room. :( I told her I was NOT ready for him to go to the preschool class yet, but she just laughed and said that HE is ready regardless!! He is getting bored in the two's room and I finally noticed that he is now the biggest kid in the two's room... :(
This is part I of a loooong video of DD working patiently on his puzzles.
Part II of a loooong video of DD finishing up his puzzles
On Sunday (Dec 21) we met up with the Lee Family. It was fun for S to catch up with more friends. When I first met the Lee brothers, all of us were still DINKS (double income no kids) couples, but now all three couples are parents! Our dear neighbors, N&I are also becoming parents, so it really feel like a mini baby boom in my circle of friends. :)
Di-di looked much "older" compared to the other two babies! Baby S just turned 3 months old. She has huge eyes and is absolutely beautiful. Baby H is 9 months old and almost standing, but he doesn't crawl yet. Goes to show why I no longer read those parenting books, because every baby is so different with their development!
I stopped worrying or counting how many words Di-di can say. Di-di is still mostly babbling, but he is copying more and more words that we say to him. He can say both English and Chinese. As a matter of fact, daddy is starting to learn more Chinese himself after listening to Di-di! :)
(Beautiful Christmas tree in the House of Lee. Now you should know why I don't need a Christmas tree in my house!)
We are so happy that S will be home for three weeks during his Winter break. Di-di's eyes just lit up when he saw his daddy and he has been calling "Ba-ba" every 5 minutes!!
Oh..my gosh... I have been so lazy!!! Halloween, Thanksgiving came and went... No, we didn't do anything special for Halloween or Thanksgiving this year. I have to confess that I didn't even get a Halloween costume for Di-di this year. I try to feel guilty, but I just don't have any feeling of "guilt". I am going to milk this "single working mother" benefit for as long as I can, so that I don't feel guilty for not fulfilling extracurricular mommy duties!! :)~
I did get off my lazy butt and take Di-di to a Holiday party on Saturday evening! His KinderMusik class teacher threw a Holiday Party every year and this was our first time. I was surprised to see how dressed up everyone was... My family were all in jeans and I didn't even bother putting on lipsticks.. However, our lack of formal attire didn't prevent Di-di from having a blast. He was eating all the food that he could reach, laughing, dancing, running around all evening. I can't believe my brand new camera is broken.:( Didn't capture any of Di-di's crazy dance on a camera or video. Thank God that there was an event photographer who at least captured these pictures...phew...
(Six more days until daddy comes home!!)
(We miss you, daddy..) (Isn't she adorable! Di-di and J attend the same class on Sat.)
I have mentioned that baby girl Ra is already bilingual at 18 months young while Di-di is still babbling at 2 1/2. Here's another girl that kicks Di-di's butt. Di-di is so SCARED of hair wash that my cousin had to FedEx shower hats from Taiwan for him. Now look at my cousin's Mei-mei (19 months young)... she is getting her hair washed in style with a big smile on her face! :)
Ok.. I am really behind on my blog duty!! On Oct 23, we took a day trip to San Francisco to meet Ri, H and their baby girl Ra. Ra was also referred to Ri and H by the same hospital who delivered Di-di, so both Ra and Di-di were born in Tainan County. The family flew out here to visit us from Boston.
We had lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe, the food was great and the kids loved the fish tanks, the waterfall and animal-themed decoration. After lunch, we walked around Fisherman's Wharf, and Pier 39. Di-di and Ra were mesmerized by the sea lions at Pier 39 and spent a lot time just staring at them. At 18 months old, Ra is very smart and bilingual already!! We were sad to say good bye to Ri, H and Ra by 3:30PM to beat the traffic out of SF. However, we were so happy to see them in SF and hope to visit them in Boston soon!!
(Ra teaching Di-di how to read..:)
H is the most patient mother I have EVER met. I picked up some good parenting tips from her. I noticed that she always talked Ra about what she was doing and Ra seemed to understand her. I don't remember the exact words that H said to Ra, but it seemed that Ra didn't throw any temper tantrums and was always calm. I have been practicing this on Di-di and was amazed by the results. For example, a couple of times when Di-di was very upset over not getting his way, I just took extra time to whisper into his ear and kept talking to him calmly and "explaining" things. I am sure Di-di probably didn't understand a word I said, but it worked to calm him down!! Thank you H!!!
I have bought many baby "gears" from Taiwan. Some I never got to use at all (but I did give to my friends.:)
I love the following items:
1. This Nasal Aspirator was the best buy and got plenty of use with Di-di's multiple colds and flues! 2. This ice pack stays as soft as a pillow, even though it's frozen in the freezer for months. It's great when Di-di has a fever, because he would sleep on it just like a regular pillow. 3. This special shaped pillow helped keeping the back of Di-di's head from becoming flat. 4. Special-made pillows and mattress with breathing "holes" so that Di-di wouldn't suffocate by accident if his nose is pressed against the pillow or mattress by accident.
Now, my newest purchase- baby shower hats!! Thanks to cousin T for FedEx these hats to the U.S. Di-di hates getting his hair washed!! It's been getting harder to keep him steady so that the water and shampoo doesn't get into his eyes and ears. It's still not easy to wash his hair with this hat, but at least I am not worried about water getting into his ears!
After I started posting on this blog, I realized that it's not only a great place for us to share updates on Di-di, but it can also be a great online diary. I have added pictures and comments to what happened in 2006 when we embarked on our adoption journey.
