Monday, July 14, 2008
Wahs in the AM
For the past week, S has been a bit weepy in the mornings after dropping her off at school. She claims that she
misses her sister (beating her up? stealing her toys?), but somehow I think that's only the small picture. Her
summer school program runs until 5:45p, but I generally dash out of work to get her by 5p. I think she just misses playing
at the park with her sister. Or she could be super cranky and tired after missing her afternoon nap (yes, she still
needs at least a half hour of princess naptime).
One day, I got to the school ten minutes late which prompted her to freak out and cry. Could be because they moved
the class to the cafeteria and she was probably worried I wouldn't find her.
Phil leaves work early last Friday just to pick her up. He gets to the school and notices that she's
having a grand ol' time in gym (the teacher told me she often gets frustrated when they practice their dance skit).
Somehow, I think it's just a little game she's playing.
Also in this crying mix, O has been very upset watching us leave for work/school. She's been very latchy with Phil
in the mornings, so I had to make him leave home early so she doesn't see him.
My only real hunch is that we've gotten them to sleep together and that seems to be their sisterly bonding time (I've
also gotten them to BE QUIET at 7:15a and to let me lie in bed for another 45 minutes). Or, maybe they're just at that
level where they're speaking to each other in another language called WE ARE SISTERS AND WE WILL MAKE ALL ADULTS, INCLUDING
OUR PARENTS, MISERABLE.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Hello, McFly!!! Anybody Home?!?!
My patience with my year old nanny is waning. Lately she has been getting on my nerves. We inherited a mouse
(due to construction next door) and the maintenance guys were to come over and stuff our pipe holes with a brillo pad.
I had to run to work, but I called Phil to tell the nanny that she should be expecting them. I came home around 4:30p
only to find out they hadn't stop by because they went to the wrong apartment. If she had any common sense, she
should have called either Phil or myself to let us know they didn't show up. What a dummy!
I took Sophia to her first Yankee/Met game (Yanks lost the 1st game and won the 2nd rubber) in a two part double header
series in two different ballparks). We got home pooped out but had to head back out for Phil's mother's birthday dinner.
Got home and guess what, THERE'S NO MORE MILK. I would like to think our nanny would have the common decency to
call us and to let us know we are running out of milk!!! I guess it's just way too difficult for her to think.
There are other little things that annoy the fuck outta me- she gives into Olivia's demand for cookies in the morning
for breakfast (uh, in my house, that is a huge no no). The toys are not where they should belong (maybe I'm anal, but
it's a huge stickler for me). When she does their laundry, she often mixes up the girls clothes when putting them back
in the dressers (like, duh?!). Worst part of it all- I've heard her yelling at the girls, not just once or twice.
Many times! (only I should be the one to yell, not her!) Lately I noticed she hasn't been making O any lunch.
Is she dependent on what Phil's mom brings over (macaroni and pork- so weird)? I'm like, where's the healthy food like
veggies! Fish! Sometimes I think she takes better care of my plants than my girls!!!
We are in the midst of contemplating whether or not we should send O to daycare since Sophia will be in kindergarten
and at an after-school program. If the price comes out cheaper than what we are paying the nanny, we just might have
to make the move. But for now, Phil is going to change his work schedule a bit and stay with O for a few hours and work
out the kinks with the nanny. I am so frustrated by her plain ol' stupidity and lack of common sense. I really
don't know what to do with her!
Or maybe we were just too spoiled by our previous nanny????
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
S+O Update
I know I owe you a post on Disney and I promise you that one will come. It's taking me some time to get in the
mood to write about my horror, I mean, family bonding trip, but for now, just a quick update on S+O, only because I will forget
what I wanted to post about on them. They are growing so fast (but oh-so-not fast enough for them to be self-reliant
on everything)!
Let's start off with O. She is one smart cookie. She pretty much knows most of her alphabet and numbers.
Infact, everytime we are at a grocery store, she points out what aisle number we are in. My favorite quote from her
is, "Me hold tight?" It reminds me of David Sedaris' book title, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" (if you haven't read any of Sedaris'
books, YOU MUST NOW. He is one funny guy!). She loves to play with wooden puzzles.
She has a funny way of calling me, "Mommy-ah" and Phil, "Daddy-ah." I have no idea who taught her that or if she
picked that up somewhere. But it often cracks me up.
She's progressing really well on the toilet training. A few accidents here and there, but that's expected.
A few days ago, she had me in a really bad mood when she shouted for me at 6a because she had to poo (and she really did)...TWICE,
in a fifteen minute interval. I was not happy, but, at least it wasn't in her diaper which would have made it disgustingly
messy. Oh, and she knows how to brush her teeth and spit and rinse. Awesome!
She still refuses to wear pants if the nanny tells her to wear it. If it was the weekend and I told her , she knows
she can't argue with me. Thank goodness I have lots of dresses for her this summer.
I have to admit, she's learning at a quicker pace than what Sophia was learning at her age. But I'm sure it's only
because she learns from Sophia and having to fight for her say and wants. You don't want to trifle with her. She's
tough, stubborn and knows what she wants and goes after it. But she's quite friendly, charming and charasmatic at the
same time. And can be very funny (ask her where do you think and she'll point to her head and says, "think think think"
from Pooh and friends. She'll be one of the cool kids to hang out with.
In addition to O's addiction with dresses, she loves watching, Barbie's "12 Dancing Princesses" (I would never buy such
trash...it was her father!), she loves to dance ballet (her hands up in the air and tippy-toe) and sing ABC non-stop.
Sophia, Sophia, Sophia. Where to begin. I seriously don't think she learned much from her pre-k class with
the exception of being a little more extrovert. I suppose that's a start. According to her teacher, she
had a tough time in the beginning of the school year by not participating in class and it seems like she's embracing the notion
of hanging out with her "friends" in school.
The school year is almost over and in some ways I am happy the gazillion class trips are over with. That is my
one complaint- too many out of class trips. I don't know if the teachers understand that many parents are working parents
who can't afford to take off to attend out of school functions. I send Phil to go since he has more of a flexible schedule
than I do.
She can be really naughty- I've heard so many complaints from my grandfather that she doesn't listen to him when he picks
her up from school. And I think I know why- she knows that my grandfather (her great-grandpa) loves playing with
O more than he does with S, and it bothers her. And I know my grandfather, when he focuses on someone he really loves,
he really shows it. And it looks like she wants to be loved by him and the only way to get his attention is to get a
good scolding by him.
Her drawings are quite pretty. She draws mostly about trees, snails, butterflies, rainbows and of course, princesses
(thanks to Disney's brainwashing). She also loves to assemble a mini "Sophia's book." Kinda cute.
She's slowly learning how to read. Not the most proficient, but slowly getting there. A bit lazy at times
about not sounding out the words and depending mostly for us to give her the words (which makes me lose patience with her
very, very fast and get really annoyed). Naturally her favorite books these days are Cinderella and Snow White.
She is really good about helping me set the table, bringing food onto the table, helping O put her shoes on and taking her
clothes off, etc. But when it comes to sharing toys with O, FORGET IT. When WWF ensues, I have to step in and
remove the toy so no one can claim it, no matter who it belongs to. Drives me up the wall when S can't let O play with
it for a few minutes!!!
Finally, an up-to-date on the two twerps!
Friday, May 30, 2008
I Can't Believe It...
My boss decided to mention me in his blog...errm, so embarrassing.
We are off to Micky, Minnie and their cohorts who steal money from everyone in the world and cultivate our children that
they will grow up to be pirates and princesses. Such silly lies. Sadly, I must put a happy face for the girls.
I am excited though, to fly on JetBlue!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Undies vs. Diapers
O already knows how to poo on the toilet (well, most of the time), so teaching her to tinkle should be a cinch, right? Not
so. We chucked out the porto-potty months ago, mainly because it was hogging up closet space. I've asked her numerous of
times if she knows where she's supposed to go "shee shee" and she points to the toilet and says in her littlest
voice, "over there." So last night for three hours, I tested the panties wearing and no accidents. I just might
have to bring some panties with us on vacation to test it out some more.
Sounds promising...
10:21 am
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
News/Updates
Had a wonderful Memorial weekend. Could have had a better one if my boss hadn't dumped all this work on me Thursday
night. So instead, like a diligent, stereotypical Asian employee, I went to work (when I really didn't have to) to get
some things done. If I had waited until Tuesday, it would have been a very, very hectic day. So technically I
did myself a favor. But damn, it would have been nice to get a facial. Such as life.
Saturday we took S to our local park- apparently the Parks Department teaches kids to learn how ride without their training
wheels on their bicycle. It's such a great program! But alas, S gave up before I can sing "Supercalifradgilisticexpialidocious."
Sadly I think this is how she will get by in life, by giving up and having her father baby her until she's 35. Someone
needs to step up and get her to lose those "training wheels" so to speak.
After that debacle, we took a nap and schlepped over to our friend's house, Linda and Curt and their two boys, Justin
and Drew. Boys being boys, they were digging up worms and lovely bugs in their backyard garden. Infact, they froze
that sucker with ice! (Linda called me earlier to tell me Drew woke her up in the middle of the night to tell her he had
a dream about S+O- how cute but oh so wrong for the wake up call). It was also her cousin's birthday, Winnie and Vicky,
so we were there to help them celebrate it. Happy belated ladies!
Because O had some kind of sneezing attack and dribbly, runny nose, she stayed back with Phil. Sophia and I waited
for my sister Judy, Rolly and lil' Mason to pick us up in their big ass van (bumpy, nonetheless!) along with Kim. It
wasn't a bad drive to Westchester to visit my cousin Sandy and her family. Sandy invited two other families over and
S played mostly with Christina since they were the only two girls (later on, Rolly caught my cousin's younger son, Cody, giving
S a quick kiss on the cheek- I think it caught S off guard!). We ate well, sirlion steak, baked potatoes, corn on the
cob, burgers and hot dogs. We had lots of desserts too- ice cream, brownies, cookies...lord. I think I gained
ten pounds just these two days.
Thank goodness on Monday we weren't in a rush to go anyway or do anything, so I did the laundry. We had dinner
with my entire family for my sister Kim's and my mom's belated birthdays. I had to drink soju along with my mother just
so she didn't get drunk (maybe that's why I ended up with a nightmare that night- more on this later). All I can say
is, I prefer NOT to have dinner with my psycho family again. I couldn't even enjoy my meal without attitudes and angry
mutterings. It literally left me all tense and exhausted (oh, and smelling like bulgogi...ugh!).
After putting the girls down for bed, I showered, but didn't wash my hair. Bad mistake. So when I went
to bed, it interrupted my sleep throughout the night. My nightmare was about O and being abducted. Maybe I'm worried
that she will run off while we're in Disney. I even considered buying a harness for her, but I truly think those things
are so effin' retarded...like, hullo, your child is not a dog on a leash! So I have to be extra diligent not to be swallowed
up in this Disney money sucking trip, I mean, happy smiley go lucky it's a small world afterall love-fest. I need to
keep my eyes on her at all times. Anyhows, that nightmare left me pretty shaken up. I wasn't able to fall back
asleep for another half hour or so (or it could have been my stinkin' hair).
Anyhows, that's pretty much it for now...hope to write before we jet off.
Friday, May 16, 2008
M-I-C-K-E-Y
Why? Because we love you...uh, not.
We're going to Disneyland (insert O's piercing shrieks which are quite deafening)!!!
Not
sure if I am really excited to see American propaganda, but for the sake of the girls, I'll just put on a fake smile and go
along with the sillyness.
More to write later. Just promising Norm to update on the blog...
2:25 pm
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Weekend Updates
I took a much needed day off and what a perfect day to do so! It was sunny, warm and gorgeous on Friday.
We contemplated on going away either to Philly, DC or to visit Phil's sister in MD. Until I looked at the weather, it
said rain, so I balked and suggested we do something local.
I thought about visiting the good ol' standby Crayola Factory, but didn't feel like it would be fun enough for the girls.
I thought about going to Dutch Wonderland- darn, it wasn't opening until first week of May! Phil suggested visiting
Storybook Land- it was open, but I didn't feel like schlepping two hours to Atlantic City. Then Phil thought about
Great Adventure- excellent idea since I hadn't been there in over 10 years.
What great fun we had! Obviously we didn't do any adult rides because there wouldn't be any fun going solo.
Great part was, there a lot of teenagers/adults at the park and not so many little kids there, so there was hardly any wait
in line for them. Phil and I realized that we CANNOT ride on any spinning kind of rides. I really wanted to vomit.
Some thoughts:
- We watched the dolphin/sea lion show. O kept calling the dolphins "whales."
- I cannot ride on ferris wheels- my knees started to buckle and my stomach kept dropping down to my toes. I used
to never be afraid of heights. But ever since I had children, I value my life much more. Go figure- I even went
skydiving once (never again, but at least I can brag about it- nah hah!)
- Ice cream was ridiculously expensive. Arm robbery!
- Eat your lunch before you go through the gates to avoid paying high prices. And bring snacks/drinks too!
- Best highlight- Phil paid $2 on the basketball hoop game and won an Elmo doll- bigger than O!
- Best game to play- Everyone WINS at the horse racing game. The coolest prize is the cape- Wonder woman, Batman,
Superman, Tweety Bird, etc. The girls wanted Supergirl (grossly pink).
- O didn't want to leave the park. She kept yelling, "RIDES! RIDES!"
- We all had gotten sunburnt. Ugh.
Afterwards, we drove to Mitsuwa and had dinner there (mmm, YUM). And picked up a bag of inflation ridden rice ($14.99
for a 15lb bag).
Next day, we did absolutely nothing. Definitely needed to recoup (meaning, when they go down for a nap, WE all go
down for a nap together!).
***
In other kiddie news, I've been reading a lot of news on baby bottles made with BPA. In other words, long term use of bottles (and other baby items- pacifiers, canned food, pre-made baby formula,
etc.) that have BPA might cause long term health problems. So I made the conscientous change and purchased Born
Free and I Play milk bottles.
O refuses to give up on her Dr. Brown bottles, but I am trying! I also bought O a Born Free sippy cup. My mother bought S the Sigg Swiss bottle as her water bottle. S was using Playtex straw bottles for her milk but is now using the I Play bottle.
One word on the I Play bottle- S was drinking her milk and she dropped it on the kitchen floor and the bottle CRACKED on her
first sip! I wrote to the company about the fragility of the bottle and I'm awaiting their response. Also,
these suckers ARE NOT CHEAP, but for the girls' future, I guess everything at this point is priceless (except college- they
are getting student loans, goddammit!).
Saturday, April 19, 2008
I miss you
A couple of days ago, my grandfather wasn't feeling well, so in turn, my father had gone to pick Sophia up from school.
Instead of dropping her off to my babysitter, he brought her over to his place (the babysitter can't pick S up because
Olivia is napping at that time). Sophia spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening with my parents.
I had gone to get a pedicure after work when I learnt S was still there. I also found out Mason was over, so I
hurriedly ate my dinner and dashed out to see my nephew. Olivia wasn't feeling well, so she and Phil stayed back.
He was sleeping when I got there (I made sure I hugged S and said hi to her first!). He still has grey/dark
blue eyes! And such long fingers and toes. From what my sister said, he has been keeping them up at nights, waking
up almost every hour with sudden outbursts of crying only to fall back asleep (ho boy, I remember those days and NEVER want
to go back to that routine!). I felt sorry for them only for a fleeting minute. I don't ever recall her offering
to help me when I had the girls! Haha. I told her if she ever wants to go run out for a mani/pedi or even a lunch
with friends, I'd offer to watch the rugrat for a few hours.
He finally woke up and I got my chance to hold him, change his diaper (whoa Nelly, watch that squirter!) and feed him.
My sister even had the nerve to tell me to lift his head higher (EXCUSE ME! I recently had two kids of my own, so don't
you think I know???!!!). I told her she needed to chill the eff out! haha
S was getting tired, so we headed back home for a bath and bed. Upon our arrival, O hadn't seen S all afternoon
and evening, was sooo excited to see her jei jei, screamed aloud, "JEI JEI!", ran over to her and gave her a big hug.
It was cutest sisterly bond but of course, that lasted only a few seconds, but enough for me to blog this sweet moment.
The next day, the nanny told me O kept asking for her jei jei. Nanny told her that she was at her goong goong's
(grandpa) house. O kept saying, "Why?" (her favorite line these days).
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Price to Pay
I am so effin' exhausted. This weekend, I decided to test out the girls sharing a room. NIGHTMARE I tell
ya! Sleeping wasn't the issue. It was the waking up that killed me. Yesterday wasn't so bad, they woke me
up around 7:30a (walls are thin here and their little bodies produce loud voices, unreal). Today though, I was awoken at
6:45a. Worse part is, we have a kiddie birthday party to attend therefore they get to nap in the car and I don't.
WAH! I really wish we had a three bedroom. UGH UGH UGH.
Not sure if I plan to put them together again for the week. I need my sleep! Maybe just for the weekend?
We'll see...
