Ok this is not really a Pig post, but lately I'm obsessed with America's Best Dance Crew. Usually I'm not into these types of shows, never watched a single episode of American Idol. But damn, I even voted for this one...yes actually picked up the phone and furiously dialed the number that appeared on the screen. Seriously people, now why would a 30 year old mom be so into this show? The Jabbawockeez are just amazing to watch, disgustingly talented. You've got to check out their stuff.
And I had to post this video of some young fans, can't get over the cuteness...and they're talented.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Yakkity Yak
Watching your child develop is an undescribeably precious thing...and fun. Even more so because the growth isn't gradual as I had assumed they were, they come suddenly when you least expect it...just wondrous for impatient me.
Pig has been cooing like a morning dove for awhile now and from time to time has made some strange pterodactyl noises. Then boom! Babbling. Usually it's alot of "ack ack ack" with some "goo goo goo" interspersed. But occasionally she'll say something in a very conversational way. For instance today she pulled her binkie out of her mouth then said "eh bah goo" and stuffed the binkie back in. And it was just "eh bah goo" not "eh bah goo?" Yes I know it's gibberish but I'm sure in her mind she felt like she just commented on something. Granted our response was "eh?" but I began marveling at how many hundreds of new things she must be picking up on a daily basis that we aren't even aware of. Every day the vision sharpens, coordination improves, in addition she learns that the orange giraffe toy on her bouncy chair is best yanked off the toy bar by pulling on it with both hands. This knowledge is stored away for the next time.
It's most reassuring. I was starting to wonder if we have enough toys for Pig. See, when it comes to toys, I belong to the less is more school of thought. Emo and I didn't have many toys growing up, a few stuffed animals and two cabbage patch dolls and that was it. But I didn't feel deprived at all. My mother just understood that kids will learn to entertain themselves with whatever's available to them and she wanted us to pick up a book instead of an instant gratification toy. And for that I am grateful. For a kid who grew up in a Korean speaking household, the English I speak today was essentially self taught, reading at home helped me build up the vocabulary I needed to keep up in school. I think it helped foster a feeling of independence and confidence when it came to learning. Other than for math and science, I couldn't ask my parents for help with my homework. Didn't think anything of it at the time. I assumed that all kids had the same experience. It was until recently I started thinking that it'd be odd that there would be no communication gaps with my child.
Actually, I should clarify. My parents never had any difficulty understanding my sister and I. They just seemed to know what we were trying to convey even while we sometimes struggled to translate English into Korean. First of all, their English is alot better than they'll lead you to believe. Second of all, people just adapt wonderfully. Don't know a word? Make one up. We had our own family language. It probably also helps that you're unlikely to have a really original thought. At some point, your parental units prob'ly thought it too.
So back to toys. I've been seeing all these kids with tons and tons of toys...marketed as necessary for early learning and development. So I started wondering if I was depriving Pig. That perhaps this was some form of middle class guilt of mine. But then, "eh bah goo." It was like Pig's way of saying, "yeah don't sweat it. It's all good." Anyway, I think the best toy we can give Pig is a sibling...in the meantime the orange giraffe will have to do.
Pig has been cooing like a morning dove for awhile now and from time to time has made some strange pterodactyl noises. Then boom! Babbling. Usually it's alot of "ack ack ack" with some "goo goo goo" interspersed. But occasionally she'll say something in a very conversational way. For instance today she pulled her binkie out of her mouth then said "eh bah goo" and stuffed the binkie back in. And it was just "eh bah goo" not "eh bah goo?" Yes I know it's gibberish but I'm sure in her mind she felt like she just commented on something. Granted our response was "eh?" but I began marveling at how many hundreds of new things she must be picking up on a daily basis that we aren't even aware of. Every day the vision sharpens, coordination improves, in addition she learns that the orange giraffe toy on her bouncy chair is best yanked off the toy bar by pulling on it with both hands. This knowledge is stored away for the next time.
It's most reassuring. I was starting to wonder if we have enough toys for Pig. See, when it comes to toys, I belong to the less is more school of thought. Emo and I didn't have many toys growing up, a few stuffed animals and two cabbage patch dolls and that was it. But I didn't feel deprived at all. My mother just understood that kids will learn to entertain themselves with whatever's available to them and she wanted us to pick up a book instead of an instant gratification toy. And for that I am grateful. For a kid who grew up in a Korean speaking household, the English I speak today was essentially self taught, reading at home helped me build up the vocabulary I needed to keep up in school. I think it helped foster a feeling of independence and confidence when it came to learning. Other than for math and science, I couldn't ask my parents for help with my homework. Didn't think anything of it at the time. I assumed that all kids had the same experience. It was until recently I started thinking that it'd be odd that there would be no communication gaps with my child.
Actually, I should clarify. My parents never had any difficulty understanding my sister and I. They just seemed to know what we were trying to convey even while we sometimes struggled to translate English into Korean. First of all, their English is alot better than they'll lead you to believe. Second of all, people just adapt wonderfully. Don't know a word? Make one up. We had our own family language. It probably also helps that you're unlikely to have a really original thought. At some point, your parental units prob'ly thought it too.
So back to toys. I've been seeing all these kids with tons and tons of toys...marketed as necessary for early learning and development. So I started wondering if I was depriving Pig. That perhaps this was some form of middle class guilt of mine. But then, "eh bah goo." It was like Pig's way of saying, "yeah don't sweat it. It's all good." Anyway, I think the best toy we can give Pig is a sibling...in the meantime the orange giraffe will have to do.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Milk Blues
Another clog. And possibly another bout of mastitis. My plan was to continue expressing milk until Pig's 6 months old and then turn to my frozen stash. But now I'm thinking, well, the freezer is full, perhaps the time has come to crack open the lansinoh bags. According to our calculations (a chock full 5 ft by 5 ft chest freezer) we have roughly 40 gallons of frozen liquid gold. That should be enough to feed Pig for another 6-7 months assuming that she'll eat 30 ounces a day. Once she starts solids I'm sure that'll drop.
At first I felt badly thinking ugh, I'm about to wean my 4 month old child. The word "wean" just sounds negative. But it's not really weaning if she continues to get breastmilk right? Considering that most of her meals are by bottle at her daycare. And lately Pig's been sleeping through the night so I haven't had to do a 4 am sleepy nursing in a long while. Ideally I would've stayed home with my child for at least 6 months where she would've been nursed 24/7 and then we would've done a gradual wean. Pumping kinda complicates things. As far as my body knows, my baby has some killer milk needs and my girls are rising to the challenge...big time. I produce 40-50 ounces a day and for that I'm grateful. But oversupply also mean recurring clogs which in turn often means mastitis. And that sucks.
So the plan is to start the pump weaning process in April when my dad (harabuhjee) arrives to look after Pig. I've arranged to telework that week so if I end up with some really bad clogs I can take care of it right away. That way I can walk around with cabbage leaves in my bra as well...no way I was going to do that work.
In the meantime, got this clog to deal with. I've had it for 3 days...I really should give it a name...how about Pat? Pat is pissing me off something fierce. I've done everything possible to get rid of her, pumping like crazy, applying heat compresses, resting (well sorta, kinda hard during the work week) and massage. Nada. This broad refuses to budge. Problem is, the only person who can reason with Pat is the Plumber and the Plumber refuses to cooperate.
"The Plumber"
Not sure why, K and I have several theories. 1) When she gets home she's super tired and does not want to work for her food. And the Plumber is smart, she knows that we've got bottles in the fridge so it's only a matter of time before we give up trying to get her to take it straight from the tap and whip out a bottle. 2) Also read that clogs can make the milk salty so maybe she's grossed out by the taste. But I doubt that. Her nickname is Pig after all, I've had clogs before and she drank the expressed milk with nary a complaint. 3) Finally, could just be pure cussedness. She comes from a long line of stubborn folks on both sides so maybe she's just following tradition. Whatever it is, the Plumber and I have a date this weekend. She and I will spend the whole weekend in bed until we whip Pat's ass.
Monday, March 10, 2008
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