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Monday, May 30, 2005
Weekend
We left the city Saturday morning to drive to our friend's, Jeff and Tracey's house in Rhode Island. Unbelievably,
Sophia slept a good portion of the car ride and was well-behaved (I brought toys and fed her crackers to keep her occupied).
Nor did we encounter any heavy traffic (phew). Still, it took us about three hours, something I'm not used
to doing since Sophia has been born (back in our newlywed days, Phil and I used to take roadtrips everywhere. We
once ended up in Cooperstown- best trip ever).
Got to RI and was awed by their house, more like mansion. It is huge! They have an inground pool, ping-pong
table, pool table, four bedrooms, master bedroom has a jacuzzi with walk-in closet. All the houses in their community
are just as big, if not bigger. Nearby is a beach, a soccer field, baseball field, basketball, tennis and a swing/slide
park for the kids.
There were two little girls there- 10.5 month old Dylan (yes, a boy's name) and 3 year old Caylee. Sophia was smack
right in the middle as the 2 year old. It was interesting to see the two extremes from the two children- how Sophia
was last year and what I will look forward to next year.
In the beginning, it looked like the two older children was going to get along. They were running around the house,
playing jump rope (jumping across the rope) and tossing the ball to each other. Several times Sophia would
make an attempt to play with Dylan by sharing a toy with her but out of nowhere, Caylee would jump in and protect
Dylan (Caylee is Tracey's niece and Dylan is Jeff's niece). Sophia wasn't happy about that. Sophia didn't
even want to play at the park with her. Normally, Sophia is flirty and charming with the boys, but maybe because
there were so many people there, she shied away. Infact, she was extremely clingy to me and Phil. She totally
drained me all weekend.
Some Sophia favs:
- Loves eating blueberries. She knows how to say blue, but when she says "blueberries" they come out sounding like
"gooberries."
- Holds my cheeks and says, "Mommy! Oval!" I'm almost convinced she is saying my head is oval-shaped.
- Loves anything that is a yellow happy face- balloon, ball, stickers.
- Prefers to drink from the water bottle like us.
- Kinda knows how to count in Chinese up to 10. In English, she knows her numbers up to 12. Anything with a
-teen suffix, she'll just say, "-teen."
- Often sings the A, B, C's. When she gets to E, F, G- she sings it as E, E, E.
- Often sings, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."
- Ask her in Korean how old she is, she'll exclaim back in Korean, "2 years old!"
- If you ask what her name is in English, she'll say, "Phia!"
Friday, May 27, 2005
A Quick Note to Phil
Just to say how proud I am of your accomplishments. I know if Ping and Daisy was still here, they would
be too.
143
Love,
Me
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Sophia, the flirt, is not alone
This
is what my cousin Sandy wrote to me about little girls flirting. Christina is her daughter who is 5 years old.
I
think all girls are that way.
Christina
looks at boys all the time too. The first week of school, there is a boy at her bus stop, who she took a fancy to
and said she was going to marry him and tried to kiss him. He is a first grader.
They
are on our block – across the street and a few house over, now that the kids have gotten to know each other, when Justin and
his older sister were over the house two weeks ago, and playing with the water guns, he said he would let her kiss him if
she let him use her water gun.
Is
that funny or what.
Promotion
Phil's getting promoted! Shots on the house!
(Note: The vague sentence is intentional to prevent divulging Phil's occupation. In other words, if you don't
know us and you're some weird fucker who lurks on my site, don't bother asking me what he does for a living.)
PS- My sisters and I are teaching Sophia how to say, "Fo'shizzle my nizzle.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Back
Had a great time in Fort Myers. Here are some highlights from our trip:
- Shells, shells, shells. So many to pick and so many different kinds. Was hoping to find a sand dollar or a
starfish, but no luck.
- The Gulf of Mexico water was so warm, I was tempted to bring a bar of soap and bathe in there. There was no undertow
at the beach, which is great for little kids. Sophia had ZERO fear of the water and waves. She's not too fond
of sand- she won't sit on it nor did she tolerate sand on her hands and feet (a reason for her to go to the water and rinse
the sand off).
- My sister Judy and my bro in law Rolly, drove from Miami (a three hour drive!) just to hang with us. They stayed
overnight and went jet skiing with Phil (I'm not a big fan of speed). We tried to convince them to stay for the weekend,
but the cost of changing their flights was not worth it.
- Sophia slept with me on the big bed while Phil slept on the couch or in the second bedroom (had twin beds). Normally
I would have had Sophia sleep on the twin beds with Phil, but Judy and Rolly said the beds were too soft (not good for the
back). I've never shared a bed with Sophia. Now I know why. Every toss and turn would startle me from
my sleep. She kicked me in the chest several times (she'll end up perpendicular from me) and twice she accidently
slammed her head on the headboard without crying (this girl can take pain). Now that we're back, I've never been so
glad to NOT SHARE MY BED WITH HER.
- I had the runs for a day. Not sure what I ate, but luckily it only affected me and not Sophia nor Phil. Phil
schlepped to 7-11 to buy me Pedialyte, Gatorade and crackers. After my diarrhea bout, I was constipated for 3 days. Constipation
has happened to me before when I go on vacation (does this happen to anyone else?). There is no place like your
own toilet bowl to sit on and do your own thing.
- All the restaurants in Fort Myers/Sanibel is kid-friendly and always offered crayons and paper. You definitely
don't see that in NYC. Best place to eat at was Perkins restaurant (a huge restaurant chain) which has a great kid's
menu. A small sundae that came with chocolate chips, fudge and sprinkles for the kids was only $1.29 (okay, I ate
most of it since Sophia isn't much of an ice cream eater).
- I know I've said this before, but Sophia is an extremely picker eater (PastryDiva might need to give Sophia some eating
lessons). Maybe she was teething and wasn't in the mood to eat, but man, forcing food and threatening her to put her
in the corner at restaurants can spoil one's appetite.
- If you have a chance, fly Song airlines. Check-in was so smooth, I've never experienced such great efficiency.
Instead of dealing with moody agents, you check-in by using a touch screen computer. They even give free headphones
(unlike American Airlines)! The trivia game was great (I was number one twice!). Great music selections too.
Food was yummy. Bad thing was, no kiddie shows for toddlers. They did have cartoons, but she's not into that.
I'll have to go to their site to suggest better toddler friendly shows.
- If Sophia hears music blaring at a restaurant, she would demand to be let down on the floor so she could dance.
She even had the balls to ask the waitress at a Mexican restaurant to dance with her! I hope this is not a prelude to
her future occupation.
- Next door to the condo where we stayed, was a RV campground. Some RV's are very small and simple and some are huge
and elaborate. That got Phil and I talking about renting a RV after Phil retires and travelling around the states.
We'll have to recruit my parents, Judy, Rolly and Kim to come and do the driving and babysitting. HAHAHA!
- Prior to leaving for our trip, Phil kept saying he was going to buy Sophia an umbrella stroller (a lighter stroller)
but last minute he changed his mind. We bring our 30lb Maclaren stroller and the minute we wait for our car rental van
to come and pick us up, the front wheel breaks. Bad karma!
- I missed watching our own local news. We did have access to reading the Post and Daily News though.
Alrighty, gotta head over to my parent's house to shower. Our building decided to clean the roof's water tank today
(versus cleaning it while we were on vacation) so we have no water until 3p. Plus today is my mother's birthday, so
I have to think of a place to do take out (she hates eating out).
Oh yeah, my sister Kim taught Sophia how to say, "peace out homey" with the finger sign. Miss Ghetto-ness.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Jobs, jobs, jobs
Job interviews seem to be landing on my lap. First, my temp agency called me yesterday about a temp to perm exec
admin job for a CEO (bad hours, I said no) and an exec admin job at an advertising company who handles Estee Lauder (not really
interested, but I'll go in and hone on my interviewing skills). Then today, my friend who works at ESPN mag called
to tell me a couple of editors needs my organizational skills, so he wants me to come in for an interview in June. Also,
an ex-colleague/friend who works at HBO has sent over my resume to HR which I'm sure will lead to some interviews (she
said they're looking for admins). I'm pretty excited for all. I just want to get back in the game.
Then again, I think I'll miss kissing Sophia every five minutes.
So we're leaving for holiday tomorrow. My father is driving us to the airport at an godly time, 6:15a (this man
does NOT roll out of bed until 11a, noon because he gets home late from the bar and lately he has trouble falling sleep).
Poor grandpappy. All Sophia talks about is plane, beach, sand, bucket and shovel. And all I talk about is the
trivia game on Song and no more Chinese food for a week (unless I have MSG withdrawal). Just the little things in life
can make a person thrillingly happy.
Have a great week, everybunny!
xo
Monday, May 16, 2005
Exhausted
Had a long, exhausting, frickin' day at the Mrs. old apartment. Started the day at the old apartment at 8a (bagel
was good, thanks Jonathan, bafangu!) and ended the day at 4p. I had to deal with some furniture items that needed
to be donated (Housing Works is one helluva great service, they take almost everything), items that needed to be dropped
off to storage and items that was to be picked up by the Mrs. friend. I dragged my body home, took care of some
paperwork and a half hour later, Sophia and the nanny comes through the door. Sophia was so eager and excited to see
me, I melted instantaneously. There is seriously something sweet and enduring about your child when they start to sing,
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy."
Funny story- this weekend, we've just showered (yes, we shower together when the nanny is off- you must learn to consolidate
tasks when you have a child) and I've lotioned and dressed her. Now it's my turn. She sees my clothes laid out
on the bed (you must learn to prepare in advance) and points at my bra.
Sophia asks: "What's that?"
Mommy answers: "Mommy's bra."
S: She repeats, "Mommy's brrraa."
M: "Yes."
S: So I put my bra on and we go about our day.
The next day, she repeats the question and I answer. She remembers from yesterday where the bra goes on and she
holds it up to her boobies. I keeled over.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Dedication
Happy Birthday to my dear old friend, John. May you live it up now that you have a new and healthy life ahead of
you!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
DONE
Found. A. Place. To. Sleep. For. Six. Days. THANK GOD!
Will work out details with the owner tomorrow morning. Shelling out less than $600. Not a bad deal at
all- it includes cleaning service, tourist tax (9%- hey, NYC charges about 19%!), heated pool, beach access is across
the street (can rent beach umbrellas), beach towels, washer/dryer and most importantly, a DVD player!
Started packing mine and Sophia's clothes tonight because I know I won't have time on Monday (working long hours for
the Mrs.) and will be too exhausted to do anything on Tuesday except to run last minute errands (pedi/mani? wax?).
And what about packing on Sunday? Dunno, just don't think I'll be in the mood to do it then. Okay, truthfully
I was in the mood to start packing so once I'm in that frame of mind, there's no stopping. I think this time we'll be
able to pack all of our clothes in ONE large suitcase. I better bring a duffel bag just incase I buy stuff at the outlet
(there's a Tanger outlet in Fort Myers- wee!).
I'll sleep better tonight knowing there will be shelter over our heads instead of camping on the beach and no mosquitos
will be biting Sophia's ass.
Searching for a Hero
Right, uh, I am still looking for a place to stay in Fort Myers. Looks like we'll be camping on the beach at the
rate I'm going. IT AIN'T MY FAULT THESE STUPID MOFO CONDOS WITH STUPID POLICIES THAT WON'T
RENT IT TO ME FOR A DAY SHORT OF A WEEK! It's just ONE DAY SHORT, RETIREES...ONE DAY. And I'm paying
for the full week, so what is the big deal?
Friday, May 13, 2005
Moved on
So I've tried to book a place on Sanibel Island, but no dice. All these fucking condos has this policy where there
is a 7 day minimum. Well, up yours then.
I've moved onto searching at Fort Myers Beach instead. I'm waiting to hear back from one place, hopefully by tomorrow.
Thank goodness I booked our car rental...like, tonight. Zoikes. And I'm supposedly super organized?
Ha ha ho fucking ha.
And there are lots of mosquitos there at night. OOOOOOoof. Anyone who knows me knows how much I HATE bugs.
Ab-so-fucking-lutely HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE BUGS.
Too many f words today. Sorry. Kinda stressing on the accomodations.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Memories...
If you're in your mid-30s, you'll remember where you were when you saw St. Elmo's Fire. I was at the Kips Bay movie
theater (I think it was in Loews). Phil said we got a lift from father who drove a bunch of us to the theater in his
silver Caddy (had a kick ass moon roof too). Everyone was in love with Rob Lowe, I was in love with Andrew McCarthy. The
"Love Theme" by David Foster, was just sooo beeeyoootiful. Here are some great quotes-
- Kirby: I always thought we'd be friends forever.
Kevin: Yeah, well forever got a lot shorter
all of a sudden.
- Kirby: There are several quintessential moments in a man's life: losing his virginity, getting married,
becoming a father, and having the right girl smile at you.
- Billy: So you lost your job? I've lost twenty of them since graduation. Plus a wife and kid. And, in
a new development this morning, a handful of hair in the shower drain.
- Billy: The wet look is in, asshole.
Alec: That's Mr. Asshole to you.
- Alec: You're being arrested for drunk driving.
Billy: Drunk definitely, I don't know if you
could call it driving.
Go rent it this weekend! You'll fall in love with the Brat Pack once again...
HELP!
I think I've gone cross-eyed at the computer. There seems to be an indentation of my already flat arse on my computer
chair...ouch.
Found a great condo to rent in Sanibel (oops, I didn't mention that we were going to stay at Sanibel, huh?), but now
I'm playing the "waiting game" with all these folks who has yet to respond to me.
Sanibel Island is the capital of shell picking in Florida. Hopefully Sophia will have fun picking them.
I know I will. I know my mom would have loved it, but she has to work (hence why my parents pulled out last minute).
I just can't wait to soak in the sun and be in WARM weather (NYC's weather is just too cool for me). I think I'm more
excited flying on Song than anything. I heard one can participate in a trivia game against fellow passengers.
This is just too cool.
I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait.
Searching for accomodations
Who would have thunk searching for the right rental would consume so much time and energy? For three days straight
now, I've been glued to the computer chair and staring at the screen, reading their amenities, checking out photos.
Pre-Sophia days, it was so much easier looking for accomodations. As long as the joint was clean and affordable,
Phil and I didn't care where we stayed. With a kid, you have to take so many things into consideration (hence why I'm
mainly looking at condos). The place needs to have easy and close access to the beach and pool (I do not want to walk
a mile, dragging an umbrella, chairs, towels, beach accessories, water, food AND a kid to the beach. Capice?).
It needs to have a washer and dryer (most condos have them, you get to pack less). It must have a DVD player (carrying
VHS is too bulky in our luggage). Some rentals don't have beach towels or beach umbrellas- so that is a must too (I
don't want to pack three beach towels and I can't afford to have Sophia burn in the sun). I've e-mailed about a dozen
of them and only a handful has responded. It's getting rather close to the date, so I might have to ring them up.
As for the work front, I'll be working for the Mrs. for another month or so. The next few days will be a bit chaotic
as I'm helping with the Mr. deal with donating furniture and moving furniture to storage on his end. As for
ESPN magazine job, it's on hold until June. An ex-EEG'er mentioned she now works for HBO and gets to carry over her
tenure from EEG. She also mentioned there are a lot of admin jobs available and most people leave at 5p, discounts for
cable, etc. I might take it into consideration. We shall see.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
FooooOOoOoooood
OMG, I just pre-ordered our breakfasts and lunches on Song. This is just too fuckin' cool!
Outta here
Phil, Sophia and I leaving for Fort Myers on Song (WOO HOO!) for next Wednesday. In the process of looking
for a place...
Monday, May 9, 2005
Nevermind
What the fuck? My parents changed their minds. AAAAAAAACKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!
Explanation tomorrow or when I've forgiven them for having me stay up late last night to research...
Change of Plans
So instead of booking our trip to Bahamas, I was told to put the brakes on. Apparently Phil's father was not happy
that we were planning to leave for vacation the week of his birthday. Not only that, a week after his birthday,
Phil is about to get promoted at his job and his father wants to be there. We were planning to come back in time for
the promotion anyway. But he's throwing a huge hissy fit. His father is all about this bullshit "bay-mein" (in
Chinese it means respect), playing the "I'm the big mayor, shake my hand and congratulate ME" and loves to bask
and relish all the attention that his only son is on top of his game. Of course all this makes me roll my eyes up in
the air considering his father has never been much a role model or a father figure.
His father also bitched to my father, which I thought was pretty darn rude. If Phil's father had a problem, he
should just tell Phil and not cry and moan like a fucking baby and give the guilt trip to my father. So last night
my father came up with an idea that we should go to Florida a week earlier than we planned and meet up with my sister
Judy and her hubby Rolly (and crash on their vacation). I looked into the Fort Myers area- they have a shopping outlet
(wee!), Sanibel/Captiva beach is nearby and everyone will be a happy camper (probably with the exception for Phil's father,
but tough shit). I'll have to discuss with my father the dates and plans. I'm more excited about flying on Song
airlines. They have tv's on each seat- I just want to play with the trivia game! And I want to try their healthy
food onboard (I don't mind paying as long as it's good)!
Alrighty, the Mrs. has beckoned for me. I hope this week is the end of my employment with her.
No word on ESPN mag yet.
Sunday, May 8, 2005
I Want Candy
Me: (chewing on "See's Awesome Nut & Chew" bar)
Sophia: Me.
Me: Me what?
Sophia: (pointing at me) Give me.
Me: Give me what?
Sophia: Try.
Me: Try what?
Sophia: Try. Me try candy.
Me: (thinking how did she know I was eating candy) No way. Go eat your apple.
Googled
Uh oh. I can be googled easily- I'm number two on the search. I kinda liked the anonomity, but now, it's
kinda scary. I'm afraid of getting freak e-mails! I don't want people I don't know to know me or know
anything about my life. Scoot! Shoo! Now I'm gonna have to revise my "About Me" link. I guess
one should expect lurkers when you post anything online.
It's turning out to be a beautiful day on Mother's Day except it's farkin' windy. I'm not looking forward
to tonight's dinner with my family (last night was with Phil's family)- I am so sick of eating chink food, it ain't funny
no mo. I've had it with rice. I've had it with MSG. I've had it with soy sauce. I am just soooo chopstick'd
out. I might have to eat American food for the next few days just to get the balance back.
Sophia detests naked people. The other day, Phil was prancing around the house in his knickers and a
t-shirt and Sophia being a priss says to Phil, "Daddy, no-no. Put clothes! Put sahm-sahm (clothes in Chinese)!"
And another time, after we shower, I clean her ear with a Q-Tip. She'll put her head on my leg- as long
as my robe is covering it. If my skin is exposed, she'll immediately grab my robe, yank it and make sure my leg is covered.
I wonder why she doesn't like skin shown. Quirky child.
Oh, happy Mother's Day to all the mummy's out there!
Thursday, May 5, 2005
For Mother's Day
Just to give a head's up to that very special someone in my household on what to do for Mother's Day- NOTHING.
Please take Sophia out to the park or for a walk so I can take a break. If you really feel quite generous or obligated,
spa certificates are ALWAYS appreciated (I like Carapan or Haven).
I don't need $2 Hallmark cards (has anyone noticed how expensive they have gotten?) to tell me what a "Great Mom" I am.
I don't want $10 deli bought flowers- they'll just produce murky water and I'll have to wash the disgusting vase and throw
out the wilted flowers. I know you know better not to buy me chocolates since I don't really care for chocolates.
Don't buy any tchotchkes that serves no purpose except collecting dust on our wall unit. Don't waste your money!
Wow, three posts in one day. I must be feeling quite loquacious today.
Postpartum
Yesterday, I was watching the Oprah show and Brooke Shields was her guest. Shields was promoting her new book called
" Down Came The Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression." Listening to Shields discuss her postpartum depression really struck a major chord with me. I too, went through
a similar situation- I felt like hurting and/or killing myself, the crying, sleeplessness nights, feeling overwhelmed, the
helplessness and worst part, the loneliness of no one understanding how I felt.
Most people assume postpartum depression is something that we'll get over with, like a cold. The truth
is, it's not that simple or easy. I couldn't even remember a time being this depressed prior to being pregnant.
I couldn't understand what was wrong with me. Why I kept feeling so sad. Why I couldn't stop crying. Why
I couldn't sleep. I should have been happy, glowing, excited about this beautiful child I created. Instead,
I couldn't shake off the feeling of wanting to jump off my balcony. Or wanting to swallow a bunch of pills and never
to wake up. I wanted to commit suicide so bad, the thoughts kept spinning in my head. It was as if I kept hitting
a rewind button and picturing myself doing it.
Luckily with the help of Phil, we hired our nanny to help care for Sophia. We thought maybe that would take
the pressure of me cleaning, cooking and caring for Sophia. A month later, I was still weeping and not knowing
how I could get out of this wretched feeling. At this point, I was heading towards a downward spiral- I couldn't eat
or sleep, so I went to my doctor and he prescribed me sleeping pills. The pills weren't helping. I called my ex-boss
and told him my symptoms and we discussed getting therapy. I went to several sessions and somehow I kicked the depression
out. (It also helped I was dealing with gallstones that sent me to the hospital.) I am so glad I spoke up and
sought help. Most women don't. It just sits in their brain and eats them up slowly.
For all those loyal readers who has read my blog for two years, know the kind of battle I went through (I didn't
carry over the archives to this new site). I never make it a secret and I never feel ashamed for letting new mothers
know what I went through. It's important for fathers to know the symptoms and how and where to seek help.
You're not alone!!!
Oh, and 1010wins posted an article about postpartum.
Temp me
Had a call this morning from the temp agency. They had a temp job for me at a hedge fund and they were only paying
me $14 an hour. WHAT? Hedge fund companies can afford to pay me more, cheap bitches. They also said
the temp must be polished. I guess that rules me out. If only they knew the "polished" vocabulary I built working
in the music industry...
I also spoke to a friend (he's famous for being on Page Six!) who works for ESPN magazine. He mentioned some editors
are looking for part-time help and offer flexible hours (cool!) and good pay (even better!). Best part was, there are
tv consoles on the desk- I can watch games if I'm not busy (every guys dream)! Okay, no biggie considering I used to
do that at my old job (I used to watch Yankee day games in my boss' office when he was in meetings). I'm waiting to
hear back when I should pop in for an interview.
In other news, I'm about to book a trip to Bahamas with my parents and my family . I'm really not excited
about this trip considering I've been to Bahamas more than I've been to California (3-0). The only reason why I booked
it there is because my father's been whining about the last trip we went. Turks and Caicos has ZERO nightlife, ZERO
casinos, ZERO anything there. Which is why I call it a VACATION. My father just doesn't get it.
Tuesday, May 3, 2005
Ketchup
Last night, Sophia was watching Teletubbies. In this particular episode, the theme was ducks- mama ducks, baby
ducks, ducks swimming, ducks quacking, etc. Towards the end, the baby duck was settling in to sleep and closed its eyes.
Sophia's lower lip stuck out and started to quiver. I thought Sophia was thinking how cute the ducks were. I didn't
think she was going to cry. But she bursted out in such a howl and cried, I couldn't help but laugh! I gave her
a big hug and reassured her we'll go visit a farm or a zoo soon. Too cuuuuutes.
Sophia didn't go to the wedding with me on Sunday. Instead, my father had to give up his fishing trip (he said
it was a good thing he did because of the weather) to care for her. He and Sophia even drove me to Junko's apartment
(Sophia loves taking short drives). That certainly saved me time from taking the Chinatown van into Queens (a $2
one way trip versus jumping on the train).
Wedding was indeed nice. It was held at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle. The hall is surrounded by water,
which was pretty. Food was alright, no complaints. Service though, could have been better.
Mike, Elizabeth, Junko and I made different bets that Julie wouldn't flub (I had confidence she wouldn't flub).
But she did towards the end! Damn! So I had to do a shot. It was a beautiful reading that was touching.
Aww.
Can you believe the DJ sucked so bad, soooo terrible...I didn't dance once? I know, that is a first for me.
All the ajooma and ajushi (grannies and grandpaps) was singing and dancing in Korean. So I guess you can imagine what
I was doing to keep myself entertained...BOOZING IT UP! Aww yeah.
I waited for a long time for the groom to get married and I'm super duper happy for him. Cheers to the
bride and groom! Now, it's Julie's turn...
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