Wow, it's been over a year since the last post??? Clearly we've been a bit busy. Here's a recap of some events that stick out in my mind from the last year.
July 2012
Jeremy turns 2. Lots of Disneyland this year. Finally weans off the bottle.
I go to Miami for a much needed girls only trip. Chris survived with the kids at Grandma's house.
August 2012
Cathleya starts Kindergarten at a new school, room 7 with Mrs. Shah. So excited. She's shy at first but opens up and makes new friends. Luckily a few girls from her preschool join her in room 7.
The kids get a new bunk bed to share. No more crib.
September 2012
Cathleya starts her after school gymnastics class. She loves it. Jeremy eventually tries to copy her as she learns more things.
Firefly 5k run at night in our neighborhood. We all participate. Cathleya walks with Daddy as I push Jeremy in the stroller full of glow bracelets on the wheels.
October 2012
Breaking ground on our house expansion. Pushing out the back to add a bedroom, bathroom, and basement stairs inside the house, and pushing out the front room and adding a new porch. New garage and no more cottage.
Cathleya turns 5. She gets student of the month.
November 2012
Jeremy starts talking more. Still baby talk but definitely more engaging.
Last Disneyland trip for a while. No more annual pass.
December 2012
Jeremy gets a growth spurt and talks and acts like a toddler now. Forming more structured thoughts and sentences. Not full complete ones, but getting there.
January 2013
The new roof gets put up. New porch put in. Our house looks like a house again.
February 2013
The new garage gets built.
Cathleya's Ninang passes away. Cathleya takes it well. Don't think she completely understands death, but she knows she won't see her again and that she's in heaven. I didn't think I'd have to have that conversation with her so young.
March 2013
Jeremy starts preschool. Daycare couldn't handle his terrible 2's with the other girl going through it at the same time. So they both move to the preschool at Cathleya's elementary school. One drop off and pick up is great. Now to get that boy out of diapers so I can pay less for tuition. Cathleya checks on him at recess across the fence. He doesn't take long to get acquainted with the place and the teachers. He still has his occasional melt down mornings, but we take it in stride.
April 2013
The house is nearly done. We do the bathrooms finishing work ourselves. It takes longer than we planned but we get through it. Waiting on the floor guy. Dragging his feet.
May 2013
Since Cathleya is in gymnastics, she'll be in the school wide end of the year show, Mary Poppins, at the Center for Performing Arts in San Jose. Costumes come in, pictures are taken, rehearsals on the weekends. I didn't know she'd be in it or have to commit to so much but Cathleya loves every minute of it.
Final inspection on the house just in time for Cinco de Mayo. Party time!! There will always be flaws that we discover as time goes on, but the new space is amazing. Cathleya loves having the room to do cartwheels all over the new family room. Jeremy loves running his cars back and forth. Cathleya still to this day doesn't want to sleep in her own new room, but I guess we'll live with it for a while. She doesn't want to be far from everyone. But her clothes and toys are more than happy to get its own room. She even starts taking big girl showers now that she has her own bathroom. Such an accomplishment.
June 2013
Cathleya's debut in Mary Poppins. She has to sit through the whole show until nearly the last act where her gymnastics group is on stage maybe a whopping 3 minutes, of which Cathleya only gets like 20 seconds of stage time. The grandmas are peeved but Cathleya had a blast. She got to wear makeup and everything. She definitely wants to do it again next year.
July 2013
Jeremy turns 3 years old. Potty training in full force at school. The teachers realized changing him on a changing table was counter productive. Doing it next to the toilet helps him get used to the toilet and what it's used for. Such a difference. Still has accidents but isn't wearing pull ups at night either. What a trooper. We do a whole lot more laundry now but that will pass. He's so much more social now and learning the songs from school. He still gets in some scraps and arguments with other kids which result in biting and scratching (both given and received), and phone calls from the teacher.
Cathleya's 2 week swimming camp goes great. Getting used to the water but must wear goggles to be comfortable. Eh, its a start.
August 2013
Annual family Yosemite trip. Cathleya is willing to take showers there now that she's gotten used to the idea at home. Makes life so much easier. Although she does make us wait for the handicap stall which has a seat and is bigger. But I won't complain about having more room. Jeremy is big enough to enjoy himself more too. Runs around chasing squirrels with a water gun, getting super dirty. The both have a blast with their cousins, playing in the river on the boat, camp fires and s'mores.
We go to SLO to take family pictures by my friend Mike. They turn out great. So hard to keep those two kids sitting still and smiling nice. Mike does amazing things with a camera and we get a bunch of good shots. Thanks Mike!
School starts again. Jeremy is in the same preschool class, until he can go a week without an accident. Cathleya moves to first grade with Mr. Martin in room 1. More homework but now there's study hall after school. She's there for extended day anyway, so she might as well do her homework there too. No more homework tantrums at home... hopefully.
September 2013
Gymnastics starts again. Same teacher as last year. There's some back and forth if she'll be in the intermediate class or the beginners which she's technically listed in. We'll see what happens. She's good enough to be in the big kid class, but, well, she is the smallest one there. But she's skilled enough for it. That means, she wants to wear the same things the big girls wear... sports bras and biker shorts. Uhh... not for this 6 year old. Tank tops will do fine.
Jeremy's been doing so good with potty training this month. Very few accidents overnight. He might come in and say he needs to go, but it's good he's waking up and telling us. I mean me. Daddy sleeps like a rock. Jeremy did have some night terrors early on the potty training, but we haven't had any lately. Keep our fingers crossed. If he gets through a month without accidents at school, he'll move to the next class. He even knows the difference when he needs to stand or sit on the toilet.
Kids' 2nd drive in movie experience. Planes and Despicable Me 2. Long night, but a great time with Haylee and Kayla.
So we've inherited a refrigerator. We finally bring it in this past weekend. Cathleya sees it and it hits her that the old one is going away. The next morning she nearly has a breakdown because she's going to miss the old fridge. She even hugs it. So confused. She's lethargic, doesn't want to get dressed for school, nearly cries over it. She says she wants us to give it to someone we see often so she can "visit it". Visit the refrigerator??? Daddy picks her up from school that day. She says, "I'm still sad about the refrigerator." I wonder how long this will last.
October 2013
Cathleya's picture day. She picks out her fancy dress the night before and what she's going to wear. She gets up this morning, "Do I change now or after I eat and brush my teeth so I don't get it dirty?" Who is this girl? So she eats, brushes, I fix her hair, help her change. In a rush to find a necklace, she asks if she can wear her lip gloss. She's got a small collection so I say yeah, fine, whatever. We get to school and I look her once over. The lip gloss is purple. "Uh, no, take that off. You look like a clown." She almost had a tantrum but I think she didn't want to have a tantrum in front of her class and I let her wear my color lip gloss. It's light but still a little pink so she was ok with it. What a girly girl. Things to look forward to.
Up next, Cathleya's costume birthday party. Not sure where yet. Still have planning to do.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Freedom
July 4th week Trimble is
shut down for the week so we decide to go on vacation to Southern
California. We'd go to Disneyland for two days, then I'd leave the kids
with Daddy at Grandma's house and I'd go to Miami with some girlfriends
until Sunday.
Day 2 at Disneyland our last stop is the ice cream shop. Jeremy has been using his baby bottle as a pacifier for longer than he should be. It was always understood that after his 2nd birthday, no more baby bottle... just like Cathleya. So somewhere between the ice cream shop and the tram back to the car, Jeremy lost his bottle. I ask him, "Jeremy, where's your bottle?" He shrugs, "Lost it?!?" He's not worried. His reply is more mater of fact than of concern.
I take the opportunity to try to wean him off the baby bottle. I told him that's the only one we have and he'll have to use the Buzz or Lightning McQueen sippy cup from now on. That day was the day before my flight to Miami. On the way home from Disneyland Chris says, "Do we have to do this while you're gone???" But we have to seize the moment.
That night before bed, he asks for his baby bottle of milk. I tell him he lost it and we only have the Buzz cup. Of course the screaming and crying begin. It goes on for a good 30 minutes or more. Then out of desperation, he takes the Buzz cup.
The morning is met with brief confrontation, but he gives in and takes the Buzz cup. FREE AT LAST!!!
I think the rest of the week wasn't as hard, but now 3 weeks later, he is at peace with the Buzz cup and loss of his baby bottle. At most we're left with debates over Buzz cup vs. Lighting cup. But he drinks way less milk now that his pacifier is gone. I'm sure he's healthier because of it too.
Day 2 at Disneyland our last stop is the ice cream shop. Jeremy has been using his baby bottle as a pacifier for longer than he should be. It was always understood that after his 2nd birthday, no more baby bottle... just like Cathleya. So somewhere between the ice cream shop and the tram back to the car, Jeremy lost his bottle. I ask him, "Jeremy, where's your bottle?" He shrugs, "Lost it?!?" He's not worried. His reply is more mater of fact than of concern.
I take the opportunity to try to wean him off the baby bottle. I told him that's the only one we have and he'll have to use the Buzz or Lightning McQueen sippy cup from now on. That day was the day before my flight to Miami. On the way home from Disneyland Chris says, "Do we have to do this while you're gone???" But we have to seize the moment.
That night before bed, he asks for his baby bottle of milk. I tell him he lost it and we only have the Buzz cup. Of course the screaming and crying begin. It goes on for a good 30 minutes or more. Then out of desperation, he takes the Buzz cup.
The morning is met with brief confrontation, but he gives in and takes the Buzz cup. FREE AT LAST!!!
I think the rest of the week wasn't as hard, but now 3 weeks later, he is at peace with the Buzz cup and loss of his baby bottle. At most we're left with debates over Buzz cup vs. Lighting cup. But he drinks way less milk now that his pacifier is gone. I'm sure he's healthier because of it too.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Not the Mama
Jeremy is so clingy these days. Such the Mama's boy. If I get him distracted doing something else and try to do a load of laundry or brush my teeth or whatever, he comes looking for me, whimpering "Mommy! Mommy!" I think as soon as he figured out my name wasn't Daddy, he only wanted me after that. Its endearing and yet tiring. I don't get to eat hot food when we go out to a restaurant. He doesn't like sitting still. And since he doesn't want to go to Daddy, I get to walk him around or try to make him sit on my lap. High chairs seem to be so beneath him, no pun intended. He'd rather sit on his knees in a chair, playing drums with his chopsticks or forks. Of course that's after watching his sister do the exact same thing.
He's such a sponge and talks more too. He'll take his cars and say 'Set, go!', as if you were the one to say "Ready" for him. He'll do that on the slides at the playground too. This morning he said, "Out pease" and pointed to the end of the bed. Then he lifted his hand up toward the ceiling and said, "Mommy, Up." He's also mastering "NO!" with the head shaking.
Cathleya will say, "aaahhhhh" as we go down a hill in the car. Jeremy will join in midway. Wherever she's sitting, he wants to sit. Whatever she's playing with, he wants to play with the same exact thing. Cathleya will sometimes give up her toy right away but usually just tries to "No, not for you" him. Or just scream. There's a lot more screaming going on in our house. So much love.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Enero, Febrero, Marzo
Yep, Cathleya's learning spanish. Jr. K has a spanish teacher come in every Friday and music teacher every Tuesday. That's more than I ever had pre jr high. She took about a month to get used to no naps at school. The afternoon teachers said she'd get droopy eyed around 4pm. They started calling her Sleeping Beauty. But she's better now. She does occasionally pass out after getting home from school while waiting for dinner. She's even slept through til morning a few times. Lucky. But she's learning so much and she's not even in kindergarten yet. She's doing addition and subtraction, site reading, not to mention spanish and music.
Jeremy is starting to communicate so much more than before. He'll bump his toe or something, lift up his foot and say "Hurt. Owee. Kiss. Kiss." Waiting for you to kiss his owee. Such a cutie. Dangerous!! He's also learning site words at daycare. She only has 3 kids right now but she'll play a site words dvd and they all watch. He recognizes little words like on, it, are, and bigger words like play & look. He can recite his numbers up to the teens, although he always skips 6. And he can recognize all of the letters. He still pronounces the words with baby talk, but the concepts are there. Jeremy is always amazing me. I'm lucky to have such smart kids. Although he still calls Mushu, Elmo now and then.
Being the youngest, Jeremy always wants to play with his older cousins. And being the youngest, he's always shunned and they don't want to play with him. But I think once he starts talking more they'll include him more often. They do let him join in once and a while. But once he starts grabbing their crayons or throwing them around, drawing on their paper instead of his, they decide to play something else and leave him where he is. Oh, to be young.
We drove down to LA in the new (used) Odyssey to meet the new cousin, Malia, and for Grandma’s belated birthday. The kids loved the dvd player. We were holding out as long as we could for a portable dvd player for the car. But now that Cathleya’s older, it helped a lot. But then she starts complaining that he neck hurts or she leans over sideways funny in her seat (just like on the couch). We used the booster seat function rather than the 5 point harness so she’s more comfy. But that means more freedom to not sit properly in her chair. That’s probably not the best thing to do in the car. But I remember the station wagon days growing up where you lay across the whole bench seat to take a nap with the center lap belt loosely fitted around your waist to claim that you’re still in your seat belt. How times have changed.
We are anxiously waiting for the city to approve our last iteration of our expansion plans for the house. Hopefully we'll get to break ground in April or May. We're so jaded now that its never going to happen that we haven't started packing things up and preparing for strangers to trample all over our house tearing down walls and putting them back up again. But we're a lot closer than we were before so we better get off our posterior and get packing. We'll be able to live in the house while the construction is going on so that helps. It will just be dusty for a while. But it will be worth it.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
End of another year
The last few months have flown by. For Jeremy, October and November were teething months. Mid October he was working on his top two molars. Then his bottom K9s. After that was his bottom molars and top K9s. That brought him to December which was a sickly month. Fever, stuffy nose, & whiny yuckiness. He seems healthier once the new year came. December was also the month of advancement for Jeremy. He's attempting to say a lot more words and understand their meaning. He won't hesitate to stab you in they eye and say "eye" a few hundred times. He's identifying ears, nose, mouth and teeth too. He tries to put on his own socks and "shoos". And if you count with him, he tries to follow along.
Cathleya has been memorizing songs for her holiday show for school. The Chipmunk's Christmas song and a banana song. I'm not sure why a banana song is Christmasy. It makes no reference to anything associated with the holidays. But she loves to sing them and practice the hand and body motions. I'm trying to get a video of it to share. Before the show she would be very shy when I asked her to sing it for Grandma or her Aunties and Uncles. But now that the show is over, she is more than willing to belt out her rendition of the Chipmunk Christmas song.
The kids had a great time in Disneyland over Thanksgiving week. Cathleya got to go to the aquarium outside of Legoland one of the days too. Traffic and other delays prevented us from getting to Legoland in time to make paying for it worth it. So we spent the 3 hours we had before closing to see the fish instead.
Christmas was full of Daddy's very first fried turkey at Uncle Corey's house. It turned out great. He has now been volunteered to fry the turkey every year. Cathleya and Jeremy got some great clothes and toys from all of their friends and relatives. Mommy got a new camera and Daddy got a new wallet and some nice collared shirts for work. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for part of the week and Cathleya watched most of the new Muppet movie on New Years Eve with us and her cousin. She got restless during the last half hour so Daddy had to take her out. Someday he'll get to see the end.
Cathleya's news for 2012 is betting moved up to Junior Kindergarten. No more nap time. But she gets to go to class with her favorite friend, Ellie again. They will be taking the school van to the off-site Jr. K class and back in the afternoon for extended care at preschool. Today is her first day. I hope it went well.
2012 should be a lot of fun with our Disneyland annual passes, location weddings to attend in Hawaii and Tahoe, and a new cousin on the way next month. Hopefully we'll get a change to relax and do nothing in between all the trips, weddings, birthdays, house remodel (if it ever starts), and whatever else seems to keep us constantly busy all the time. It will definitely be a busy year.
Cathleya has been memorizing songs for her holiday show for school. The Chipmunk's Christmas song and a banana song. I'm not sure why a banana song is Christmasy. It makes no reference to anything associated with the holidays. But she loves to sing them and practice the hand and body motions. I'm trying to get a video of it to share. Before the show she would be very shy when I asked her to sing it for Grandma or her Aunties and Uncles. But now that the show is over, she is more than willing to belt out her rendition of the Chipmunk Christmas song.
The kids had a great time in Disneyland over Thanksgiving week. Cathleya got to go to the aquarium outside of Legoland one of the days too. Traffic and other delays prevented us from getting to Legoland in time to make paying for it worth it. So we spent the 3 hours we had before closing to see the fish instead.
Christmas was full of Daddy's very first fried turkey at Uncle Corey's house. It turned out great. He has now been volunteered to fry the turkey every year. Cathleya and Jeremy got some great clothes and toys from all of their friends and relatives. Mommy got a new camera and Daddy got a new wallet and some nice collared shirts for work. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for part of the week and Cathleya watched most of the new Muppet movie on New Years Eve with us and her cousin. She got restless during the last half hour so Daddy had to take her out. Someday he'll get to see the end.
Cathleya's news for 2012 is betting moved up to Junior Kindergarten. No more nap time. But she gets to go to class with her favorite friend, Ellie again. They will be taking the school van to the off-site Jr. K class and back in the afternoon for extended care at preschool. Today is her first day. I hope it went well.
2012 should be a lot of fun with our Disneyland annual passes, location weddings to attend in Hawaii and Tahoe, and a new cousin on the way next month. Hopefully we'll get a change to relax and do nothing in between all the trips, weddings, birthdays, house remodel (if it ever starts), and whatever else seems to keep us constantly busy all the time. It will definitely be a busy year.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Cold Turkey
About 2-3 weeks ago, somewhere between the kitchen and the bathroom, Jeremy lost his pacifier. He's got 4 and there's 1 backup pacifier safely stored away. The other three are probably where the mismatched socks end up. But he goes all day at daycare without one and the day he lost this one he didn't even notice it was gone. Bed time went well. He didn't scream for it like he so often does. We thought maybe he doesn't need it any more.
In all honesty, we haven't tried hard to find the other three but Jeremy's managing without it. Nap time during that first weekend was very hard. Car or stroller rides after extreme exhaustion was the only thing that would work without his beloved pacifier.
During the last 2-3 weeks Jeremy has been quite the jabber mouth. He's been babbling, singing (sorta), and saying a lot more words. Maybe without the plug in his mouth he's free to truly express himself. Although that may mean more screaming and whining. But he's been doing very well. And he gives the best hugs. Although sometimes those big two armed, nose smashing hugs are followed by hair pulling or two handed head slapping. Or if you're Daddy, bites on the cheek that leave teeth marks, ear pulling, nose scratching, or other signs of endearment.
Jeremy's had many growth spurts in the past few weeks. He's walking much better. Climbing up and down the stool to couch and back down again. He's pronouncing "Please" much clearer sometimes. He's expanding his vocabulary. He can say, or attempt to say, up please, diaper, cah (car), bah (ball), puple (purple), mommy, mo' (more), ni-ni (milk), wa-wa (water), and probably a few more that I don't realize he's saying. He's also trying to feed himself. That works fine for scrambled eggs or other things that stay on the fork. But when there's rice on the spoon and he turns it over to eat, apparently it works better with the rounded side up, it can be a bit of a mess.
Cathleya is doing very well herself. Every day she comes home singing the newest song that she learned at school. Her writing is getting better but the way she forms her letters are a little backwards. She'll start the s from the bottom or the g is a glorified s but starting from the bottom. She often mirror's her y's. Luckily she's often interested and eager to do her "homework". She'll make her own 'dot to dots' or 'draw a line to the pictures that are the same.' She loves doing her art projects at school and giving all the teachers flowers from my hibiscus bushes. She is still easily frustrated when things don't go her way or alludes to what she means instead of asks me straight out. Like "I want a girl to help me brush my teeth." So why don't you just say you want Mommy to do it?
Cathleya loves her brother. She'll shoosh us in the car if he's napping and we're talking too loud. She's quick to tattle on him when he's trying to take her toys. She often tries to kiss his head despite all of Jeremy's refusals. He'd stop fussing for a bit to listen to her sing Twinkle Twinkle to him. That's her go-to song for him. They keep growing so fast. Sometimes it's hard to just savor the moment.
In all honesty, we haven't tried hard to find the other three but Jeremy's managing without it. Nap time during that first weekend was very hard. Car or stroller rides after extreme exhaustion was the only thing that would work without his beloved pacifier.
During the last 2-3 weeks Jeremy has been quite the jabber mouth. He's been babbling, singing (sorta), and saying a lot more words. Maybe without the plug in his mouth he's free to truly express himself. Although that may mean more screaming and whining. But he's been doing very well. And he gives the best hugs. Although sometimes those big two armed, nose smashing hugs are followed by hair pulling or two handed head slapping. Or if you're Daddy, bites on the cheek that leave teeth marks, ear pulling, nose scratching, or other signs of endearment.
Jeremy's had many growth spurts in the past few weeks. He's walking much better. Climbing up and down the stool to couch and back down again. He's pronouncing "Please" much clearer sometimes. He's expanding his vocabulary. He can say, or attempt to say, up please, diaper, cah (car), bah (ball), puple (purple), mommy, mo' (more), ni-ni (milk), wa-wa (water), and probably a few more that I don't realize he's saying. He's also trying to feed himself. That works fine for scrambled eggs or other things that stay on the fork. But when there's rice on the spoon and he turns it over to eat, apparently it works better with the rounded side up, it can be a bit of a mess.
Cathleya is doing very well herself. Every day she comes home singing the newest song that she learned at school. Her writing is getting better but the way she forms her letters are a little backwards. She'll start the s from the bottom or the g is a glorified s but starting from the bottom. She often mirror's her y's. Luckily she's often interested and eager to do her "homework". She'll make her own 'dot to dots' or 'draw a line to the pictures that are the same.' She loves doing her art projects at school and giving all the teachers flowers from my hibiscus bushes. She is still easily frustrated when things don't go her way or alludes to what she means instead of asks me straight out. Like "I want a girl to help me brush my teeth." So why don't you just say you want Mommy to do it?
Cathleya loves her brother. She'll shoosh us in the car if he's napping and we're talking too loud. She's quick to tattle on him when he's trying to take her toys. She often tries to kiss his head despite all of Jeremy's refusals. He'd stop fussing for a bit to listen to her sing Twinkle Twinkle to him. That's her go-to song for him. They keep growing so fast. Sometimes it's hard to just savor the moment.
Monday, October 17, 2011
He's Walking!!!
Jeremy can walk!! He took his first few steps at about 14 months old. Chris saw it first but I was in denial. It wasn't until he walked for me a few days later that it became real. It took him a few weeks but now he's a pro. During the transition between steps and walking he decided climbing would be fun to learn too. On the chair, off the chair, on the chair, off the chair. No, he can't sit still.
Cathleya needs to watch out now because she and her toys are now fair game. He likes to crawl or walk over to her to see what she's doing, grabs whatever she's playing with, or pulls her hair. He doesn't mean anything by it but it drive Cathleya nuts. Sometimes it is because he wants her toy. Sometimes he's just curious.
He's been saying thank you or 'tank cue', 'tang coo', or something sounding like that. But its always when he's giving you something. He's mastering car, ball, shoe. Sometimes you say a word and he actually tries to say it, like yellow & purple. Mama is too close to mum mum which some how is too close to na na like banana, but more of a universal 'give me food' meaning. So I'm trying for Mommy instead. He can sorta say Dad but its hard to say if its intentional. He recognizes his name and sometimes can point to people if you ask who that is. But most of the time he's too busy playing. He's identified his favorite blanket, a light green Pooh Bear blanket that is way too warm for summer. But, that's his blankie, or pae-pae in Chinese.
Now at 15 months old he's starting to push out two more teeth on the bottom and a molar on the top. It's been interesting. On and off runny noses, a bout of a cough, Cathleya getting over a cough... It's a good thing the rest of us haven't gotten sick. (Knock on wood)
Cathleya has been pushing her boundaries with not listening and repeatedly doing what we tell her not to. I've resorted to taking away her coveted Leapster game for one day for every act she continues to do by the 3rd warning to stop. I think it's working. By warning #2 and the reminder that the game is at stake, she gets up and does what I ask. I hope it sticks.
She's also doing a lot better at writing and trying to sound out letters and words. She still gets frustrated when you try to make her read Dr. Seuss books. Sometimes she's willing because she memorized them all, but if you point out words out of order, she's not willing anymore.
I'm trying to work on her anger management. She'll get upset and frustrated when, say her sleeve is stuck and her arm won't go through. She'll stomp her foot, scream, cry, anything but ask for help. And her "asking" is more like, 'I need blank'. I keep reminding her that's not asking. Or she'll beat around the bush to ask for things, "I want the toy with the buttons." So I hand her a button. She gets mad at me. I say, "It's a button." She says, "No something with buttons to push." So I push on the button. It just angers her more. Aren't plays on words wonderful? Just say what you want. I know she knows exactly what it is that she wants, but she doesn't out right say it. Not sure where she learned that one.
Jeremy, on the other hand, knows exactly what he wants. He just can't verbalize it yet. That causes its own heaps of frustration. Hopefully he'll start communicating better soon. And then on the next adventure.
Cathleya needs to watch out now because she and her toys are now fair game. He likes to crawl or walk over to her to see what she's doing, grabs whatever she's playing with, or pulls her hair. He doesn't mean anything by it but it drive Cathleya nuts. Sometimes it is because he wants her toy. Sometimes he's just curious.
He's been saying thank you or 'tank cue', 'tang coo', or something sounding like that. But its always when he's giving you something. He's mastering car, ball, shoe. Sometimes you say a word and he actually tries to say it, like yellow & purple. Mama is too close to mum mum which some how is too close to na na like banana, but more of a universal 'give me food' meaning. So I'm trying for Mommy instead. He can sorta say Dad but its hard to say if its intentional. He recognizes his name and sometimes can point to people if you ask who that is. But most of the time he's too busy playing. He's identified his favorite blanket, a light green Pooh Bear blanket that is way too warm for summer. But, that's his blankie, or pae-pae in Chinese.
Now at 15 months old he's starting to push out two more teeth on the bottom and a molar on the top. It's been interesting. On and off runny noses, a bout of a cough, Cathleya getting over a cough... It's a good thing the rest of us haven't gotten sick. (Knock on wood)
Cathleya has been pushing her boundaries with not listening and repeatedly doing what we tell her not to. I've resorted to taking away her coveted Leapster game for one day for every act she continues to do by the 3rd warning to stop. I think it's working. By warning #2 and the reminder that the game is at stake, she gets up and does what I ask. I hope it sticks.
She's also doing a lot better at writing and trying to sound out letters and words. She still gets frustrated when you try to make her read Dr. Seuss books. Sometimes she's willing because she memorized them all, but if you point out words out of order, she's not willing anymore.
I'm trying to work on her anger management. She'll get upset and frustrated when, say her sleeve is stuck and her arm won't go through. She'll stomp her foot, scream, cry, anything but ask for help. And her "asking" is more like, 'I need blank'. I keep reminding her that's not asking. Or she'll beat around the bush to ask for things, "I want the toy with the buttons." So I hand her a button. She gets mad at me. I say, "It's a button." She says, "No something with buttons to push." So I push on the button. It just angers her more. Aren't plays on words wonderful? Just say what you want. I know she knows exactly what it is that she wants, but she doesn't out right say it. Not sure where she learned that one.
Jeremy, on the other hand, knows exactly what he wants. He just can't verbalize it yet. That causes its own heaps of frustration. Hopefully he'll start communicating better soon. And then on the next adventure.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Birthday Celebrations
We thought we'd go economical this year and have a shared birthday party for Jeremy and Cathleya. We had everything planned out, Evite sent, food bought, etc. Chris' parents drove up from Southern California just to celebrate with us.
We were going to have it at the same park next to my brother's house that we've had parties in the past. No reservations since it's a neighborhood park. So Chris was going to camp out at 4am to claim our tables. He gets up at 4am and goes to the park. Apparently the high school football team plastered the whole place with signs claiming the park for their football team and parent something or other. Chris calls me at some time before 6am (he didn't leave until closer to 5am) asking what to do. Does he wait until someone shows up to beg for a table? Go find another park?
Luckily we had looked at another no reservations park in Santa Clara so he went there to stake his claim. Even at 5 something in the morning, someone else was in a tent and sleeping bag guarding a site at this other park. But there were two more vacant spots so Chris took one. The last spot got snatched up within 5 minutes of Chris arriving and more people came looking around not long after that.
So I was in a rush to email everyone to tell them of the venue change. I emailed everyone from Evite, Facebook, text messaged phones... I don't think I got to everyone at least once. =)
It was sunny that day but a bit breezy where the tables were. The kids had a great time on the vintage playground. Lots of friends and family came out to celebrate with us. In spite the morning complications, it turned out to be a great day. Thanks everyone who joined us in the fun.
We were going to have it at the same park next to my brother's house that we've had parties in the past. No reservations since it's a neighborhood park. So Chris was going to camp out at 4am to claim our tables. He gets up at 4am and goes to the park. Apparently the high school football team plastered the whole place with signs claiming the park for their football team and parent something or other. Chris calls me at some time before 6am (he didn't leave until closer to 5am) asking what to do. Does he wait until someone shows up to beg for a table? Go find another park?
Luckily we had looked at another no reservations park in Santa Clara so he went there to stake his claim. Even at 5 something in the morning, someone else was in a tent and sleeping bag guarding a site at this other park. But there were two more vacant spots so Chris took one. The last spot got snatched up within 5 minutes of Chris arriving and more people came looking around not long after that.
So I was in a rush to email everyone to tell them of the venue change. I emailed everyone from Evite, Facebook, text messaged phones... I don't think I got to everyone at least once. =)
It was sunny that day but a bit breezy where the tables were. The kids had a great time on the vintage playground. Lots of friends and family came out to celebrate with us. In spite the morning complications, it turned out to be a great day. Thanks everyone who joined us in the fun.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
1 Already?
Jeremy is 1 year old already. Where did the time go? He's finally figured out how to crawl, although it is sometimes a little lopsided with one foot and one knee. He'll stand up if he's holding on to something. Still only 4 teeth up top and 2 on the bottom. His favorite and most accurate word is 'uh oh' when something falls. Its usually spoken as a question.
Cathleya learned how to spell her name and write it too. She's getting much better at it. She's moved to the next class, room 4 with Ms. Lilia. It was a hard week and a day of transition but she's gotten over it and has embraced her new classroom. She still misses Ms. Rosanna in room 1, but she ends up there at the end of the day while kids trickle out as their parents pick them up throughout the afternoon.
Cathleya learned how to spell her name and write it too. She's getting much better at it. She's moved to the next class, room 4 with Ms. Lilia. It was a hard week and a day of transition but she's gotten over it and has embraced her new classroom. She still misses Ms. Rosanna in room 1, but she ends up there at the end of the day while kids trickle out as their parents pick them up throughout the afternoon.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Disney World & Universal Studios Orlando
We had a fantastic time in Orlando Florida the first week of May. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa we got to spend a week in sunny Florida with Mickey and the gang. Jeremy was 9 months old and popped out his first two bottom teeth that week but he did such a great job. This was both Cathleya and Jeremy's first airplane rides and they did pretty good. Jeremy would play for a while and fall asleep. Cathleya would talk and talk and talk and then pass out about 30 minutes before we landed. It was tough having to wake her up to get her off the plane, but she did well until the flight home. Screaming, yelling, crying after we woke her up. Glad she saved it for the last flight instead of the first.
The kids dealt with the heat ok and the rest of us tried not to melt. Sunday we played by the pool and Cathleya got a nice, instant tan. She didn't want to leave the pool.
Monday we went to the Magic Kingdom and took pictures with Mickey and the gang. Cathleya would get awe struck and give a blank smile in most of the pictures. She met Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Daisy, and Minnie. We saw the princesses perform in front of Cinderella's castle. We started the day on the Jungle Cruise ride and Cathleya got scared of the skulls and was hiding under my arm for the rest of the ride.
Tuesday was Epcot. Epcot started with getting stuck on the Spaceship Earth ride. Its a good thing the AC was still working. We went Under the Sea with Nemo and talked to Crush and walked through Pixie Hallow and the butterfly exhibit as part of the International Flower and Garden Festival was going on at Epcot.
Wednesday we switched gears and went to Universal Islands of Adventure. Cathleya rode her first roller coaster, Flight of the Hippogriff. When she got off she said, "Can we ride it again?" Daddy sat the next one out and it was just the two of us. Daddy and I did wait in line for the new Harry Potter ride. The line weaves through the Hogwarts castle and the green houses before getting on the half simulator, half roller coaster ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It was like Indiana Jones meets Star Tours. Chris got a little motion sick. Then off to the Three Broomsticks for butter beer and lunch. Cathleya had fun in Dr. Seuss land. We rode the One Fish Two Fish ride, Cat in the Hat ride, Caro-Seuss-El. We even got to see the X-Men mount their vehicles and ride off to some adventure. Maybe when the kids are older we'll go back and actually ride the cool big kid rides. Moving on.
Thursday we went to Disney's Animal Kingdom and then Epcot. We went on the safari ride, saw some cool animals. I think Cathleya's favorite was the flamingos. Jeremy rocked out to the Lion King show. She met Flick and slept through meeting Pocahontas and Camp Mickey and Minnie. Then we went back to Epcot to take pictures with all of the princesses that we missed on our first day at Epcot. Cathleya has pictures with Aurora, Belle, Jasmine and Aladdin,and Jeremy joined in with Mulan.
Epcot started with getting stuck on the Spaceship Earth ride. Its a good thing the AC was still working. We went Under the Sea with Nemo and talked to Crush and walked through Pixie Hallow and the butterfly exhibit as part of the International Flower and Garden Festival was going on at Epcot.
Friday we battled a bout of rain in the morning and explored Disney's Hollywood Studios and watched the Disney Junior Live on Stage with Mickey and the gang, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Handy Manny, and Little Einsteins. After the sun came out we met Woody and Buzz.
Saturday was airport day. We were glad to be home. And just in time for Mother's Day.
The kids dealt with the heat ok and the rest of us tried not to melt. Sunday we played by the pool and Cathleya got a nice, instant tan. She didn't want to leave the pool.
Monday we went to the Magic Kingdom and took pictures with Mickey and the gang. Cathleya would get awe struck and give a blank smile in most of the pictures. She met Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Daisy, and Minnie. We saw the princesses perform in front of Cinderella's castle. We started the day on the Jungle Cruise ride and Cathleya got scared of the skulls and was hiding under my arm for the rest of the ride.
Tuesday was Epcot. Epcot started with getting stuck on the Spaceship Earth ride. Its a good thing the AC was still working. We went Under the Sea with Nemo and talked to Crush and walked through Pixie Hallow and the butterfly exhibit as part of the International Flower and Garden Festival was going on at Epcot.
Wednesday we switched gears and went to Universal Islands of Adventure. Cathleya rode her first roller coaster, Flight of the Hippogriff. When she got off she said, "Can we ride it again?" Daddy sat the next one out and it was just the two of us. Daddy and I did wait in line for the new Harry Potter ride. The line weaves through the Hogwarts castle and the green houses before getting on the half simulator, half roller coaster ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It was like Indiana Jones meets Star Tours. Chris got a little motion sick. Then off to the Three Broomsticks for butter beer and lunch. Cathleya had fun in Dr. Seuss land. We rode the One Fish Two Fish ride, Cat in the Hat ride, Caro-Seuss-El. We even got to see the X-Men mount their vehicles and ride off to some adventure. Maybe when the kids are older we'll go back and actually ride the cool big kid rides. Moving on.
Thursday we went to Disney's Animal Kingdom and then Epcot. We went on the safari ride, saw some cool animals. I think Cathleya's favorite was the flamingos. Jeremy rocked out to the Lion King show. She met Flick and slept through meeting Pocahontas and Camp Mickey and Minnie. Then we went back to Epcot to take pictures with all of the princesses that we missed on our first day at Epcot. Cathleya has pictures with Aurora, Belle, Jasmine and Aladdin,and Jeremy joined in with Mulan.Epcot started with getting stuck on the Spaceship Earth ride. Its a good thing the AC was still working. We went Under the Sea with Nemo and talked to Crush and walked through Pixie Hallow and the butterfly exhibit as part of the International Flower and Garden Festival was going on at Epcot.
Friday we battled a bout of rain in the morning and explored Disney's Hollywood Studios and watched the Disney Junior Live on Stage with Mickey and the gang, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Handy Manny, and Little Einsteins. After the sun came out we met Woody and Buzz.
Saturday was airport day. We were glad to be home. And just in time for Mother's Day.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
3.5 & 9
Isn't she a beauty? The pictures came in from picture day at school. I said to the photographer, "She never smiles that nice for me." He said, "Did you have a monkey on your head?" Alas. My response could only be 'no'.
Her favorite things to do is to decapitate any flower that she sees. Maybe not every flower, but I've developed quite a collection of dried up, smashed flowers scattered all over my car, random flowers shoved in a vase in the kitchen, and she's even give her teachers flowers too. She is a sweetheart but I have to limit her flower picking to one a day. maybe two if there's a lot. And to tell her that those aren't ours or this isn't our yard or our flowers so we shouldn't be picking them without asking.
At 9 months old my baby is starting to pop out his first teeth. The front bottom two look like they'll erupt while we're in Disney World...great. That's next week. He's drooling all over the place, like normal. He's been doing that since birth, it seems. Jeremy is also getting better at the Mama and Dadas but I'm not sure he knows what he's saying yet. He's sitting up very well now and can reach over to his pacifier and put it back in his mouth. He also enjoys eating solids. He'll tell you if he's still hungry and you better get him something else in his mouth or he'll keep screaming and whining at you.
Jeremy is still very clingy to Mom and Cathleya always seems to chime in with her "I want Mommy" routine whenever Jeremy cries for me. I think they're both learning about jealousy. But Cathleya still likes kissing Jeremy.
So our first airplane ride for both kids starts on Saturday. I'll be in denial until we land. Then I'll be excited to go to Disney World. But until then, it's all logistics and planning at this point. What to pack, what the airline requirements are, what security will let us bring, do we need a car seat, do we check it in, what about the strollers, what 'must haves' do we need out of the nursery, how much baby food can we bring on the plane, should we buy the rest when we get there, same with diapers, where on a plane do you change an infant, etc. Not to mention packing for Cathleya our ourselves. But every morning Cathleya asks if we're going to Disney World today. She'll have a blast. I just hope she's not moody when we have to get her out of the house by 4am.
Things Cathleya says:
- I don't want to wear that jacket. It makes me crazy. *starts to wiggle around*
- I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING!! I'M STILL SLEEPING!!
- G'pa: See you later, alligator. Cathleya: I'm not an alligator.
- *She farts* Was that a mouse???
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
It's Cold Season
Jeremy's got an ear infection. He's on his second week now. The first week he was on antibiotics that didn't take. So he had to get a shot yesterday. Poor kid. But today the doctor said he's made improvements so she didn't need to give him the second shot. She tried to stick something in his ear attached to a machine to measure the fluids inside. He needed to stay still for like 30 seconds. She tried at least 6 or 7 times with no luck. He kept moving. So she had to rely on her own observations rather than some machine. Hopefully he won't relapse.
At 7 & 8 months Jeremy's been sitting up more and started solids. He's been eating well. He's quickly outgrowing his clothes. He's in 9 month's clothes for a while now. He coos and loves playing with his feet. He's a kicker. But he hasn't rolled over much yet or started crawling. He's very much a Mama's boy. Separation anxiety is his middle name. Its okay if I'm not in the room but if he sees me walk by, almost guaranteed he'll cry for me in the next minute or two. And of course Cathleya chimes in with the "I want Mommy" act too. Everybody loves Mommy.
Cathleya had picture day today. Yep, she started preschool after President's Day. She's going to Action Day Nursery preschool. She liked it the first week then cried when I left her for the following week. Although her grandparents were visiting at the time and she wanted to stay home with them. But the daily morning "I don't want to do ANYTHING!" is common nowadays. But her teacher says she's attentive and interacts well with the other kids. She comes home singing new songs and shows me her art projects. And she unloads half of the sandbox out of her shoes and socks. I really need to clean my car.
At 7 & 8 months Jeremy's been sitting up more and started solids. He's been eating well. He's quickly outgrowing his clothes. He's in 9 month's clothes for a while now. He coos and loves playing with his feet. He's a kicker. But he hasn't rolled over much yet or started crawling. He's very much a Mama's boy. Separation anxiety is his middle name. Its okay if I'm not in the room but if he sees me walk by, almost guaranteed he'll cry for me in the next minute or two. And of course Cathleya chimes in with the "I want Mommy" act too. Everybody loves Mommy.
Cathleya had picture day today. Yep, she started preschool after President's Day. She's going to Action Day Nursery preschool. She liked it the first week then cried when I left her for the following week. Although her grandparents were visiting at the time and she wanted to stay home with them. But the daily morning "I don't want to do ANYTHING!" is common nowadays. But her teacher says she's attentive and interacts well with the other kids. She comes home singing new songs and shows me her art projects. And she unloads half of the sandbox out of her shoes and socks. I really need to clean my car.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Four, Five, Six
The little guy is 6 months old today. Where does the time go? Obviously not toward this blog. Sorry.
Jeremy has gotten a lot more interesting in the last 3 months. At 4 months he started greeting Mommy & Daddy with a great big smile. At 5 months he started babbling. At 6 months he's saying what sounds like "I wah Mama", flirting with big grins and giggles, blowing raspberries, and stares at his hands from time to time. He hasn't mastered rolling over or sitting up yet, but he's getting there.
Jeremy loves to watch his sister. And Cathleya, in turn, loves playing with Jeremy's toys. I suppose its a type of regression. But Jeremy doesn't seem to mind yet. He'll just pull her hair if she gets too close. She loves kissing him and askes to hold him once in a while. If he's napping she'll tell you, "Shhh, baby's sleeping" as she proceeds to scream at the top of her lungs for no good reason.
Jeremy's growing like a weed. Well, maybe not quite that fast. Clothes seem to always need washing, even after we've spent the weekend washing everything... it all comes back the next day. He 's outgrowing his 6 month clothes already and we're dipping into the 9 month already.
Cathleya has been growing too. But she's more in line with the standard sizing. Still fits 3T clothes. Although her brain is a different story. She's always been advanced for her age. She's got the mind of a 5 year old. We try hard not to compare her with other kids, but she is coloring in the lines, successful with dot to dots, she can count past 50 and loves her tracing letters game and her Leapster 2. She knows her first and last name, can name all of the Beatles, and loves to invent new dances and sing made up songs consisting of blending together lyrics from other songs. She's expressed disintrest in daycare and wants to go to school. She doesn't really know what school is, but her daycare alumni has been in and out of daycare to drop off her little brother and talks about going to school. So we took her cues and have been touring preschools. Daycare isn't a challenge for Cathleya anymore. We'll hoping to find an affordable preschool that will test her brain.
Jeremy has started going to Cathleya's daycare since the new year. He's fairly easy to read so Auntie Et enjoys the predictability with Jeremy. He's made daycare a bit crowded making him kid number 6 so we really need to get Cathleya into a new school or montesorri.
Cathleya and Jeremy spent the holidays in Murrieta. That was Jeremy's first road trip. He handled it well and slept most of the way. I had to remind him that back home, winter is never over 70 degrees like it is at Lolo & Lola's house. It was also Jeremy's first time in a motel. We decided to extend our stay in LA and stay in SLO overnight so spend time with our college friends that still live there. They both got a great haul this year. And as I mentioned already, Cathleya has lots of fun playing with Jeremy's toys.
This year we're hoping to finally break ground in our house expansion which is 2 years in the making already. Why its taking so long, sometimes I don't even know. We're hoping for a snow trip in the next few weeks. At least to build a snow man and go home. Cathleya has never been and Daddy doesn't want to break his promise again to take her to see snow. We're also going to attempt Yosemite over Labor Day. Not sure what else is in store for us this year. A marathon, some halfs, and a relay or two for Chris. He's hoping for Comic-Con as well. Mom and the kids can visit Auntie Janice and Uncle Zach in San Diego with Auntie Lisa. Maybe we'll hit up Disneyland sometime in between.
Jeremy has gotten a lot more interesting in the last 3 months. At 4 months he started greeting Mommy & Daddy with a great big smile. At 5 months he started babbling. At 6 months he's saying what sounds like "I wah Mama", flirting with big grins and giggles, blowing raspberries, and stares at his hands from time to time. He hasn't mastered rolling over or sitting up yet, but he's getting there.
Jeremy loves to watch his sister. And Cathleya, in turn, loves playing with Jeremy's toys. I suppose its a type of regression. But Jeremy doesn't seem to mind yet. He'll just pull her hair if she gets too close. She loves kissing him and askes to hold him once in a while. If he's napping she'll tell you, "Shhh, baby's sleeping" as she proceeds to scream at the top of her lungs for no good reason.
Jeremy's growing like a weed. Well, maybe not quite that fast. Clothes seem to always need washing, even after we've spent the weekend washing everything... it all comes back the next day. He 's outgrowing his 6 month clothes already and we're dipping into the 9 month already.
Cathleya has been growing too. But she's more in line with the standard sizing. Still fits 3T clothes. Although her brain is a different story. She's always been advanced for her age. She's got the mind of a 5 year old. We try hard not to compare her with other kids, but she is coloring in the lines, successful with dot to dots, she can count past 50 and loves her tracing letters game and her Leapster 2. She knows her first and last name, can name all of the Beatles, and loves to invent new dances and sing made up songs consisting of blending together lyrics from other songs. She's expressed disintrest in daycare and wants to go to school. She doesn't really know what school is, but her daycare alumni has been in and out of daycare to drop off her little brother and talks about going to school. So we took her cues and have been touring preschools. Daycare isn't a challenge for Cathleya anymore. We'll hoping to find an affordable preschool that will test her brain.
Jeremy has started going to Cathleya's daycare since the new year. He's fairly easy to read so Auntie Et enjoys the predictability with Jeremy. He's made daycare a bit crowded making him kid number 6 so we really need to get Cathleya into a new school or montesorri.
Cathleya and Jeremy spent the holidays in Murrieta. That was Jeremy's first road trip. He handled it well and slept most of the way. I had to remind him that back home, winter is never over 70 degrees like it is at Lolo & Lola's house. It was also Jeremy's first time in a motel. We decided to extend our stay in LA and stay in SLO overnight so spend time with our college friends that still live there. They both got a great haul this year. And as I mentioned already, Cathleya has lots of fun playing with Jeremy's toys.
This year we're hoping to finally break ground in our house expansion which is 2 years in the making already. Why its taking so long, sometimes I don't even know. We're hoping for a snow trip in the next few weeks. At least to build a snow man and go home. Cathleya has never been and Daddy doesn't want to break his promise again to take her to see snow. We're also going to attempt Yosemite over Labor Day. Not sure what else is in store for us this year. A marathon, some halfs, and a relay or two for Chris. He's hoping for Comic-Con as well. Mom and the kids can visit Auntie Janice and Uncle Zach in San Diego with Auntie Lisa. Maybe we'll hit up Disneyland sometime in between.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
3 Years and 3 Months
Cathleya is now 3 years old and Jeremy has 3 months under his belt.
In month 2 Jeremy started smiling. Now in month 3 he's cooing back at me, smiling, kinda laughing. We swear we can hear him cry "Mama" sometimes when he's whining. He's found his hands and tries to shove the whole fist in his mouth. It does occupy him for a little while if his binky falls out. Speaking of which, we were hesitant to give in to the pacifier but with Pah-Pah watching him now that I'm back to work (booo!!!) it was easier to stick the pacifier in his mouth than let him suck on her newly manicured fingers. Nail polish can't taste very good.
He's starting to grab for things that dangle in front of him while he's strapped in his car seat or swing, which is good for us to keep him occupied. But we are still his favorite form of entertainment. We will catch him staring at Cathleya's latest show or movie on the TV. He was rooting for the Giants too. His happy place seems to be the changing table. Unless he's hungry, he's usually all smiles on the changing table. Tummy time can be a challenge but it calms him sometimes. He loves singing along with "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes" while sitting in Mommy's lap.
Cathleya loves her little brother, unless he's impeding on her alone time with Mommy or Daddy. But for the most part she's constantly trying to give Jeremy kisses, offers a diaper when we're changing him, independently offers him his pacifier when it falls out of his mouth and tells him 'Don't cry, Baby. It's ok. Mommy's coming', when he's fussing in his bouncy chair. We'll occasionally get a request, "Mommy, give Baby to Daddy so you can play with me." She tries.
Cathleya has discovered the Beatles. Her favorite song is Yellow submarine. It always amazes me when she starts singing full lyrics to songs like 'It's a Wonderful World', 'Yellow Submarine', or 'Lollipop Tree'. She's been learning to write her letters and sounding out words. She' not too good at the second part yet, but you have to catch her when she wants to try. She's drawing shapes like triangles and actually coloring in the lines. She likes connect the dots and attempts the other games in those activity books.
She speaks very clearly and matter of factly and cream or a band-aid will fix any owwie. She has gotten very good at working her Leapster 2 and "computer" with the drawing games, matching, memory, biggest to smallest type of activities using a stylus. I have to remind myself sometimes that she's only 3 years old.
We had a party for the kids celebrating Cathleya's 3rd birthday and Jeremy's Red Egg and Ginger party. The Red Egg party is historically to celebrate the life of the newborn (since the infant mortality rates where high in China way back when), introduce him to the family & friends, and symbolize happiness and renewal of life. Of course, Cathleya had too much fun playing and spent less time eating at the Todai-esk asian buffett. She ended the day with an extreme tantrum while trying to get in the car due to the lack of a nap. All in all it was a good day spent with generous friends and family.
In month 2 Jeremy started smiling. Now in month 3 he's cooing back at me, smiling, kinda laughing. We swear we can hear him cry "Mama" sometimes when he's whining. He's found his hands and tries to shove the whole fist in his mouth. It does occupy him for a little while if his binky falls out. Speaking of which, we were hesitant to give in to the pacifier but with Pah-Pah watching him now that I'm back to work (booo!!!) it was easier to stick the pacifier in his mouth than let him suck on her newly manicured fingers. Nail polish can't taste very good.
He's starting to grab for things that dangle in front of him while he's strapped in his car seat or swing, which is good for us to keep him occupied. But we are still his favorite form of entertainment. We will catch him staring at Cathleya's latest show or movie on the TV. He was rooting for the Giants too. His happy place seems to be the changing table. Unless he's hungry, he's usually all smiles on the changing table. Tummy time can be a challenge but it calms him sometimes. He loves singing along with "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes" while sitting in Mommy's lap.
Cathleya loves her little brother, unless he's impeding on her alone time with Mommy or Daddy. But for the most part she's constantly trying to give Jeremy kisses, offers a diaper when we're changing him, independently offers him his pacifier when it falls out of his mouth and tells him 'Don't cry, Baby. It's ok. Mommy's coming', when he's fussing in his bouncy chair. We'll occasionally get a request, "Mommy, give Baby to Daddy so you can play with me." She tries.
Cathleya has discovered the Beatles. Her favorite song is Yellow submarine. It always amazes me when she starts singing full lyrics to songs like 'It's a Wonderful World', 'Yellow Submarine', or 'Lollipop Tree'. She's been learning to write her letters and sounding out words. She' not too good at the second part yet, but you have to catch her when she wants to try. She's drawing shapes like triangles and actually coloring in the lines. She likes connect the dots and attempts the other games in those activity books.
She speaks very clearly and matter of factly and cream or a band-aid will fix any owwie. She has gotten very good at working her Leapster 2 and "computer" with the drawing games, matching, memory, biggest to smallest type of activities using a stylus. I have to remind myself sometimes that she's only 3 years old.
We had a party for the kids celebrating Cathleya's 3rd birthday and Jeremy's Red Egg and Ginger party. The Red Egg party is historically to celebrate the life of the newborn (since the infant mortality rates where high in China way back when), introduce him to the family & friends, and symbolize happiness and renewal of life. Of course, Cathleya had too much fun playing and spent less time eating at the Todai-esk asian buffett. She ended the day with an extreme tantrum while trying to get in the car due to the lack of a nap. All in all it was a good day spent with generous friends and family.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Let The Bottle... Begin
Jeremy got his first bottle tonight. He and Daddy did very well. No complaints from either party. I guess that means I have to start pumping... blah.
And it was bath day yesterday. We had fun.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Just Let It Go...
Typically an umbilical cord stump will dry up and fall off a baby's belly button after 10 days from birth. Jeremy was very attached to his. It took just over 7 weeks for his to come off. After 4 weeks the doctors get scared that there is still some attempted communication through the remainder of the cord. They checked to make sure his kidneys were there. The doctor said if it didn't fall off in a certain amount of time then Jeremy would need surgery and they'd need to analyze everything to make sure there was no immune system or other problems.
After about 3 visits of silver nitrate to cauterize the area, the cord finally decided to fall off on its own. No surgery required. The nice doctor didn't even bill us for these 2 second treatments. She didn't want to bother with the insurance for something so minor. We like her. =)
Now Jeremy can get real baths instead of sponge baths. I'm sure he'll enjoy them much better.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Mommy, I want you...
Munchkin really wants to be a good big sister. That being said, like any other kid in her situation, she prefers the comfort and security that only her mommy can provide. Couple that with the fact that her little brother requires a meal (also something only mommy can provide) every 2-3 hours, and you've got the makings of a genuine turf war. Last night was the first official bout.
*DING!*DING!*
In this corner, wearing the lavender tank, and pink skort, weighing in at somewhere under 30 pounds, the girl WITH THE BANSHEE SCREAM!!!11!11ONEONEONE111... Cathleya! *crowd roars*
In this corner, wearing the blue onesie spotted in spit up, weighing in at a whopping 7 pounds (growing) ounces, the SQUEAK but NOT MEEK!!11!1111ONE!EXCLAMATION!POINT!!.... Jeremy!! *crowd roars*
-okay kids, we want a clean screaming match... absolutely no physical contact of any kind, just polyphonic, loud, unrestrained, chaotic noise. LOTS AND LOTS OF NOISE.
J=Jeremy C=Cathleya M=Mommy D=Daddy
*DING!*DING!*
I forget the actual order of events because munchkin has at least 2-3 notable tantrums a day as of late. But this is the first time she voiced her disapproval of mommy paying attention to the baby rather than her... since I wasn't really involved, this will be off a little bit, but I'll do my best.
*ahem* round 1. FIGHT!
J-waaaaaaaa! *babycry*don'twantdaddy'sfingeranymore!* waaaaaa!
M-wanna trade?
D-sure.
C-AAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! NO!!!! MOMMY I WANT YOU! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
D-uh. i think he's hungry.
C-aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAAAAA I WANT YOU MOMMY!!!1!111!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! NO!!!!!! MOMMY!! NOT DADDY! DON'T PICK HIM UP!!! I WANT YOU!!!
J-waaaaaaaaa! *hungryquiveringlip*
M-*picksupbabyandstartsnursing*
winner round 1, Jeremy.
*DING!*DING!*
In this corner, wearing the lavender tank, and pink skort, weighing in at somewhere under 30 pounds, the girl WITH THE BANSHEE SCREAM!!!11!11ONEONEONE111... Cathleya! *crowd roars*
In this corner, wearing the blue onesie spotted in spit up, weighing in at a whopping 7 pounds (growing) ounces, the SQUEAK but NOT MEEK!!11!1111ONE!EXCLAMATION!POINT!!.... Jeremy!! *crowd roars*
-okay kids, we want a clean screaming match... absolutely no physical contact of any kind, just polyphonic, loud, unrestrained, chaotic noise. LOTS AND LOTS OF NOISE.
J=Jeremy C=Cathleya M=Mommy D=Daddy
*DING!*DING!*
I forget the actual order of events because munchkin has at least 2-3 notable tantrums a day as of late. But this is the first time she voiced her disapproval of mommy paying attention to the baby rather than her... since I wasn't really involved, this will be off a little bit, but I'll do my best.
*ahem* round 1. FIGHT!
J-waaaaaaaa! *babycry*don'twantdaddy'sfingeranymore!* waaaaaa!
M-wanna trade?
D-sure.
C-AAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! NO!!!! MOMMY I WANT YOU! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
D-uh. i think he's hungry.
C-aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAAAAA I WANT YOU MOMMY!!!1!111!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! NO!!!!!! MOMMY!! NOT DADDY! DON'T PICK HIM UP!!! I WANT YOU!!!
J-waaaaaaaaa! *hungryquiveringlip*
M-*picksupbabyandstartsnursing*
winner round 1, Jeremy.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Jeremy
He's a month old now and It's hard to believe we've gone this long without making a post. I don't even know where to start, it's gone by so quickly. Alas, I know I shouldn't ramble off about an entire month in just ONE blog post so I'll go from the beginning and try to retro-write (is that even a word?) in chunks.
It was Saturday morning on the 17th of July and I was ready to go for my morning run with Drew... Normally he sleeps in a little but he actually sounded like he woke up (more or less) on time that morning. Literally minutes before I was ready to walk out the door, Melissa says, "Can you not go running today?" And that's when it started. No run that morning :)
Contractions all morning, yadda, yadda, yadda... When they got roughly five minutes apart, we left for Good Sam, our hospital. Wouldn't you know... TRAFFIC. For reals?! On a Saturday afternoon? Of course we got there fine. Good thing we knew the area (sorta) better than the folks trying to get to Santa Cruz. Overall, it happened much more quickly than with Cathleya. When we got there, I believe the statement used was, "done before dinner." And we were!
In summary...
Arrival 1:30pm
Broke her water around 4? It didn't break on its own with Cathleya either.
Pushing lasted maybe 30-45 minutes.
And he was out by dinner time.
Jeremy Aurelio Francisco
7/17/10
5:15 pm
6 lb 8 oz
19 inches
To be continued...
It was Saturday morning on the 17th of July and I was ready to go for my morning run with Drew... Normally he sleeps in a little but he actually sounded like he woke up (more or less) on time that morning. Literally minutes before I was ready to walk out the door, Melissa says, "Can you not go running today?" And that's when it started. No run that morning :)
Contractions all morning, yadda, yadda, yadda... When they got roughly five minutes apart, we left for Good Sam, our hospital. Wouldn't you know... TRAFFIC. For reals?! On a Saturday afternoon? Of course we got there fine. Good thing we knew the area (sorta) better than the folks trying to get to Santa Cruz. Overall, it happened much more quickly than with Cathleya. When we got there, I believe the statement used was, "done before dinner." And we were!
In summary...
Arrival 1:30pm
Broke her water around 4? It didn't break on its own with Cathleya either.
Pushing lasted maybe 30-45 minutes.
And he was out by dinner time.
Jeremy Aurelio Francisco
7/17/10
5:15 pm
6 lb 8 oz
19 inches
To be continued...
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Motivational Stickers
Have you ever been stuck at a red light and start reading the motivational stickers on people's bumpers? Well, Cathleya's motivational stickers are a little different.
She's been waking up at either midnight and 5am or 2am nearly every night for the better part of a month. Sometimes its the nightmares, or night scares that cause her to scream bloody murder for no good reason with her eyes shut tight. In those cases it takes about 10-15 minutes to calm her down to a point where I can have a conversation with her, her still being asleep, to find out what's freaking her out. Maybe freaking her out is not the right term. I've learned that when she's doing that, if I can get her to talk, she usually wants something. So I'll ask, do you want this one, that one, what color is it, do you want the other one... Something to trigger her to answer me. One time she wanted a tissue. I said "this one?". She said, "no, the other one." There's no way I was going to pull out every tissue from the box. Sometimes it is something that she had a tantrum about earlier in the day. But after I figure it out she falls right back to sleep and doesn't remember it in the morning. Apparently she gets those from Daddy.
She hasn't had those episodes lately. Recently she'll wake up asking for me. If I don't respond, she'll get out of bed and walk to my bedside to wake me up. "I want you, Mommy." A pregnant mom can only get up so many times. Chris tries to console her but all he gets is a forceful, "I DON'T WANT YOU, DADDY! I WANT MOMMY! GO AWAY DADDY! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!!!!" Chris has learned to say, "okay, I'll stay here with you and wait for Mommy." Sometimes that works and she goes back to sleep. But usually I have to get up and tuck her back in and she tries to keep me in her bed with her all night. Using the excuse "but Mommy needs to use the bathroom, I don't want to have an accident" only works a few times. I would ask her about it in the morning and she'll say something like "Daddy tried to brush my teeth." Or bring up something from the previous day that scared her or got stuck in her memory. I thought it was anxiety about the new baby brother. So I tried easing her mind and saying how its her baby too. She's going to be his only big sister and how special she was going to be for him, she gets to teach baby brother his ABC's and stuff like that. A few days of that and little brother didn't seem to be the issue anymore, but she was still waking up.
Next idea was maybe she needs to pee and when she does it in her pullup that it wakes her up. Okay, no beverages after a certain time. That didn't work either. Maybe sleeping earlier. Might've helped a little but its hard to maintain with our busy schedule.
Last resort. Our friend said her 3-4 year old was having her daddy sleep in the bed with her and the way they broker her of that was giving a sticker every morning that she can sleep on her own. Heck, its worth a try. I horded some Mickey stickers from the dollar bin last year so I still have a few hundred of these smaller than dime sized Mickey stickers on hand. I gave it a try. After the first night, she mostly slept through the night and by herself. First the she tells me in the morning, after climbing out of bed at like 6am to walk to my bedside was "Mommy, I slept through the night by myself, can I have my sticker now?"
Talk about motivation. Its been about a week now and she's around 80% independently sleeping now. Okay, getting her to fall asleep requires me to stay in her bed til she falls asleep, but that's not bad compared to having to do that twice a night. Mommy and baby need their sleep too. I have been trying to tell her that once baby comes, Mommy can't stay in the bed with her all the time, cuz baby will need me too. She needs to share Mommy with baby. But perhaps that's what started this whole sleeping adventure in the first place.
Bribery with stickers. I hope I can find more stickers before I run out.
As for the little dude incubating. He's doing well. He moves a lot. I think more than Cathleya did. Pregnancy has been mellow like the first, but it seems like gravity works harder on me than everything else. I'm gaining about the same as the first time, but it I notice I hold up the belly more often sometimes. Occupational hazard, I suppose. My back is holding up well, so that's good. 6 more weeks til D day.
Any suggestions for a boy's name? We've got one or two in mind, but nothing that screams out "this is the one.'
She's been waking up at either midnight and 5am or 2am nearly every night for the better part of a month. Sometimes its the nightmares, or night scares that cause her to scream bloody murder for no good reason with her eyes shut tight. In those cases it takes about 10-15 minutes to calm her down to a point where I can have a conversation with her, her still being asleep, to find out what's freaking her out. Maybe freaking her out is not the right term. I've learned that when she's doing that, if I can get her to talk, she usually wants something. So I'll ask, do you want this one, that one, what color is it, do you want the other one... Something to trigger her to answer me. One time she wanted a tissue. I said "this one?". She said, "no, the other one." There's no way I was going to pull out every tissue from the box. Sometimes it is something that she had a tantrum about earlier in the day. But after I figure it out she falls right back to sleep and doesn't remember it in the morning. Apparently she gets those from Daddy.
She hasn't had those episodes lately. Recently she'll wake up asking for me. If I don't respond, she'll get out of bed and walk to my bedside to wake me up. "I want you, Mommy." A pregnant mom can only get up so many times. Chris tries to console her but all he gets is a forceful, "I DON'T WANT YOU, DADDY! I WANT MOMMY! GO AWAY DADDY! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!!!!" Chris has learned to say, "okay, I'll stay here with you and wait for Mommy." Sometimes that works and she goes back to sleep. But usually I have to get up and tuck her back in and she tries to keep me in her bed with her all night. Using the excuse "but Mommy needs to use the bathroom, I don't want to have an accident" only works a few times. I would ask her about it in the morning and she'll say something like "Daddy tried to brush my teeth." Or bring up something from the previous day that scared her or got stuck in her memory. I thought it was anxiety about the new baby brother. So I tried easing her mind and saying how its her baby too. She's going to be his only big sister and how special she was going to be for him, she gets to teach baby brother his ABC's and stuff like that. A few days of that and little brother didn't seem to be the issue anymore, but she was still waking up.
Next idea was maybe she needs to pee and when she does it in her pullup that it wakes her up. Okay, no beverages after a certain time. That didn't work either. Maybe sleeping earlier. Might've helped a little but its hard to maintain with our busy schedule.
Last resort. Our friend said her 3-4 year old was having her daddy sleep in the bed with her and the way they broker her of that was giving a sticker every morning that she can sleep on her own. Heck, its worth a try. I horded some Mickey stickers from the dollar bin last year so I still have a few hundred of these smaller than dime sized Mickey stickers on hand. I gave it a try. After the first night, she mostly slept through the night and by herself. First the she tells me in the morning, after climbing out of bed at like 6am to walk to my bedside was "Mommy, I slept through the night by myself, can I have my sticker now?"
Talk about motivation. Its been about a week now and she's around 80% independently sleeping now. Okay, getting her to fall asleep requires me to stay in her bed til she falls asleep, but that's not bad compared to having to do that twice a night. Mommy and baby need their sleep too. I have been trying to tell her that once baby comes, Mommy can't stay in the bed with her all the time, cuz baby will need me too. She needs to share Mommy with baby. But perhaps that's what started this whole sleeping adventure in the first place.
Bribery with stickers. I hope I can find more stickers before I run out.
As for the little dude incubating. He's doing well. He moves a lot. I think more than Cathleya did. Pregnancy has been mellow like the first, but it seems like gravity works harder on me than everything else. I'm gaining about the same as the first time, but it I notice I hold up the belly more often sometimes. Occupational hazard, I suppose. My back is holding up well, so that's good. 6 more weeks til D day.
Any suggestions for a boy's name? We've got one or two in mind, but nothing that screams out "this is the one.'
Thursday, May 6, 2010
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