Summer fun in Chicago
2007-07-26 10:10:00
How come I never knew there is soooo much going on in the city in the summer? Free, good programs everywhere (parks, museums, libraries), competing for my time and schedule. I was nuts jailing myself at home for years and years, bored and half-dead. I still would be the same if it were not for Emma. Now little kids brought out my energy and actions seeking fun. Like Mary Beth said, because of
Read more: Summer
, Chicago
Turtles, allegator and a rattle snake
2007-07-18 16:18:00
It used to be that morning time was up, up time for Emma, fresh and happy, talking and giggling, now mornng time for her is down, down, down time, crying, whining, stalling, no, no, no ...
However in the afternoon she is happy.
Yesterday afternoon, with my half pulling, she biked home. Then on the way, we saw the "Toddler, tune, turtles" program held at Loyola park. So eagerly and curiously we
Read more: Turtles
Mommy, I miss y ou
2007-07-16 16:07:00
For the past few weeks, it has been a struggle to get Emma to school. She would just follow me everywhere, saying: "Mommy
, I miss you", "Mommy, I do not want to go to school." "Mommy, I want to stay home with you." "Mommy, do not go."
At night, before going into sleep, she'd ask: "Mommy, after nap (sleep), where will I go?" I say, "Emma, you will go to school, and I will go to work". That is a
Emma had a fever
2007-07-16 16:04:00
A busy week, a busy weekend as usual.
Emma was sick for most of week. Barely rid of the "pink eye" (an viral eye infection) she had the week before, she caught cold, then fever. Her fever lasted four days. Her temperature was tamed down a little (or a lot down to normal) in the morning, then jumped up to a scary high at night. But as usual, a visit to a doctor was superfluous. We did any way and
A little "poem" by Emma
2007-07-10 14:54:00
I do not know what poems are, but the other day what Emma said over dinner sounded like a cute, little
poem to me, since I am lazy and busy to blog, I put her little "poem" below:
Growing Up Anytime, Everywhere
I grow up in the morning,
I grow up in the afternoon,
I grow up in the evening,
I grow up at night.
I grow up at my house
I grow up at Mary Beth's house
I grow up at school
I grow up
Busy July 4th and Adora Svitak
2007-07-06 12:02:00
We had a busy July 4th. We went to the millennium park, made worms using colorful beads, glued eyes on the worms' head. Emma and I got "totally, completely wet" (her words) splashing water at the crown fountain. Then we had all sorts of foods at the Taste of Chicago. At night, we watched the fireworks. When the first set of fireworks shoot up in the sky, Emma said "it was like colorful
A diastrous piano lesson
2007-07-04 13:10:00
Emma is probably not built for piano
s, not from her first disastrous piano lesson
s any way. Last week, MB signed up for a private piano lesson in a little musical instrument store (not terribly expensive). So yesterday Emma took her first piano lesson. She simply could not get IT. She could not even simply sit at the piano as she was told. She got off the bench every 10 seconds then talked
A week in a second
2007-07-03 12:55:00
The second week since I was back to week passed fast, so fast I could hardly rememeber anything has ever happened. Yes, there was Leo's mom hepatitis B scare (still need to deal with all the possibilities, and the anger, and the mixed feelings, confusion as to what to do. But like everything else, I am resigned. What can I do? ...)
Annya slept through most of the week, she always does. The
Back to work - new updates
2007-06-21 14:30:00
The first week has proven to be easy to me at work. No heavy loads. But it is a hell of week for Annya, I imagine. She refuses the bottle, she fights, only drinks milk when she reaches the point of starvation and desperation. Yesterday, she took only about 6 oz., too little. MB said often she frantically twisted her neck from side and side, flexing her arms, kicking, mouthing for milk, sucking,
Read more: updates
Drawing a picture
2007-06-20 10:19:00
One thing I very much enjoy is to sit down with Emma and watch her write or draw pictures. It used to be one of our evening routines. Now with Annya coming to town, and with me going back to work, I do not get much time and chance to do that at all. We only managed to keep the nighttime reading routine, however, very often, it is interrupted or cut short because of Annya's cries. Emma never
Back to work
2007-06-18 13:36:00
Uh-oh, have not blogged for at least two weeks. But for once I could not be blamed for laziness. Simply the baby dictated my schedule. Now she is a little grown, she started demanding my time. Still MS. sleepy head, she demanded even while she was sleeping. Hold me, rock me, walk me, go out, out, out. In her cries, she seemed to demand. So I hold her, rock her, and take her out when she cries her
What else? More pictures
2007-06-05 15:46:00
These pictures are taken in a birthday party of a little girl Sonia. Sure enough, Annya slept through most of the party. It was boring anyway. Emma hovered around Annya all the time too, was only away for her share of cake, ice cream, a little kitty portion of food and a worthless junky sort of "Goodie bag". One thing I love the most is that she is so loving towards her little sister. And she is
Annya - one month old
2007-06-03 15:23:00
By Chinese tradition, the first-month-birthday is a milestone. There is a special term for it and a slew of rituals to follow. Fortunately I am only vaguely aware of these and totally unbothered by them. But my mother-in-law is here, so we ate red eggs. Why? Not sure. But I am not object to hard-boiled eggs.
The really significant and happy news for the day is brought from the doctor's visit.
Emma Reads a book
2007-05-31 10:41:00
I have a friend whose son is quite gifted (at least by his mother's account). He can read sentences and he can easily count up to 20 when he is three. And he is not at all the nerdy-little-kid type. He runs, climbs and jumps very well, though he does not talk much.
Emma does not seem to belong to his league. Her development, as commented by her teacher, is right where it should be. That is,
Playing with Annya
2007-05-31 10:27:00
Read somewhere that today's educated people believe that they are more likely (than their uneducated parents) to have a gifted child. Not really me. However, occasionally, secretly, I do daydream of a prodigy. Or at least my children be high achievers. Or successful professionals. (Be very honest though, I never wish them to be movie stars, models, or something along the line)
I also believe in
Push, baby
2007-05-23 15:24:00
The few wakeful moments of Annya cannot be wasted. So I had her lay on her tommy and do some pushes.
Some evidence in pictures and video of what a tough mommy I am.
Annya asleep
2007-05-23 14:44:00
In an effort to catch the sweet smile at the corner of her lips, I took a row of pictures. Too many. Shown here are only a fraction of those. But she is lovely.
Read more: asleep
Things to do
2007-05-23 08:49:00
With my planned 8-week-maternity leave, I thought I would have a long never-ending stretch of time to kill, to get bored to tears, to be fussy and irritated (I tend to have this kind of problem). After all, my mother-in-law has picked up most of chores and Annya is still in her very infant stage of doing nothing but eating and sleeping.
But no, not nearly so.
My time so far somehow are sliced
A green eyed-monster and flowers (Emma's art)
2007-05-22 09:55:00
Complaining about breastfeeding
2007-05-17 15:41:00
Breastfeeding is superior to bottle-feeding in many ways, both for mom and baby. I know. Still, I have some complaints.
First of all, it hurts, especially the first week, especially when the little baby seems desperate, flailing, kicking, grasping (?), every single touch hurts.
Second, now the task of feeding rests solely on the mom. Day and night, you are the sole feeder. Whenever the
Read more: breastfeeding
A shining star
2007-05-16 12:22:00
It is still Emma's showtime, even though Annya has come to the world. People still gushes about Emma, how social, how charming, how funny, how articulate, how smart ... (I do not even need to play the adoring mom, feeling already uneasy about the unbridled praises) If Emma were a little older, she herself probably would feel quite embarrassed and uneasy.
Anyway, yesterday it rained. While Annya
Mumbo Jumbo
2007-05-15 10:46:00
Once read in The New Yorker an article called "What is Normal" (about children affected with bipolar disorders), a woman was convinced that her son has bipolar disorder even before he is born. The reason? He was so restless even in her womb.
So if behaviors inside mom's womb is any indicator, Annya should be sweet yet competent. She never seemed restless in my womb, yet she was always a strong
Read more: Jumbo
Emma's baby pictures
2007-05-11 12:28:00
Babys have been the recurring theme in Emma's "art", one especially cute thing she draws baby in mommy's tommy. The first picture below she said is for Annya.
How are we doing?
2007-05-11 11:07:00
Gradually have sent out emails or called to tell my families, my friends, my colleagues about the new baby. Every time, inevitably, I was asked how we were doing
, or I volunteer to report that we are all doing fine. Everyone, Annya, Emma, Leo and I are doing great.
That is true. But how exactly are we doing?
Annya
The very moment of coming out to the world must be one of the most painful
Some bizarre (amusing) Chinese rules regarding postpartum care
2007-05-09 10:50:00
In China, postpartum care is a very serious business, and the rules as to how to take care of a new mom are numerous. Some of them are:
1. No going out, especially do not expose yourself or the baby to wind, especially cold wind. Put on your hat when you definitely have to go out.
2. No touching anything cold. Do not drink anything cold. Ice water as they provided in hospital registers as a big
Read more: amusing
, Chinese
Beautiful.
2007-07-27 16:14:00
Read more: Beautiful
Beautiful. A walk an the Millennium Park
2007-07-27 15:54:00
Read more: Beautiful
, Millennium
Annya walks the walks, talks the talks
2007-07-31 11:32:00
Finally I shot some videos of Annya (having been feeling guilty that everything still seems to be orbiting around Emma). Anyway, here they are:
This one has one precious segment where Emma is singing to Annya.
Read more: walks
Niki in the Garden
2007-08-06 12:12:00
This woman, Niki de Saint-Phalle, is fun. "I often have the irresistible urge ... to make crazy fun things". And the exhibit Niki in the Garden
at Garfield park is crazy, fun, spectacular, totally unconventional, (not those arts in the museum, on the wall, somber, serious, you are supposed to worship, yet you just feel bored and like an idiot).
Her nana/woman figures are voluptuous,
An investigator is she
2007-08-06 10:59:00
In Emma's school, kids in the 2-3-year-old-class are called adventurers, 3-4-year-old are investigators, then 4-5-year-olds are explorers. (Grand names, big terms. So such impossibly sophisticated words are among the first English words Emma learned.) Anyway, in July, Emma was promoted from an adventerer to an invistigator.
Activities for an invistigator are abundant, more varied, mature and
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