The Piglet Papers and Ox Tales

Japan - Our Thoughts Are With You

2011-03-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Just donated to the American Red Cross for their efforts to help victims of the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami. There was one image of a child sitting amongst the rubble of her home that has been burned into my mind. It is painful to even begin to fathom the number of families that have been torn apart as a result of this tragedy. I am praying for them.....

Heart bursting moment...

2011-01-26T12:14:00.001-08:00

...this morning as I was walking the kids into their daycare center. I held Pig's hand with my left hand and Moo's with my right and nearly passed out from the cuteness of the sound of small little feet pitter pattering alongside me. Actually, it was almost a soft clip clopping noise. I just might pass out now just thinking about it.

So...very...cute...*faints*

Pig - Super 3!

2010-11-28T22:37:00.000-08:00

Pink Pig at the LA Natural History Museum

My dearest little Pink Pig,

Just as I was getting used to 2, you turned 3. I looked back at your baby photos and videos and it just blows my mind. My memories of your early days are still so fresh. I marvel that one day I might look at you, perhaps when you're a mother yourself and still see that image of the yelling baby that was lifted up that evening in November. Daddy and I refer to that moment as "the screaming wig" because girl, you had quite the curly tuft of hair on you and it was the first thing we saw, that dark mop of hair and your yelling mouth. You are our firstborn and I'll always remember that anticipation...nothing can prepare you for that moment.

Year 2 in a nutshell:

You mastered the potty! Just as we were thinking it was going to be an uphill battle, you decided one day that you were going to use the toilet damn it. Now Daddy and I are awakened every morning by your little voice - "Daddeeee, I neeed to go peeee-peeee....(repeat)" or these days, "Daddeee, open the [safety] gate for meeeee [because I have to go peeee-peeeee]."

You are on your way to a big girl bed. Daddy removed one side of your crib when you started climbing out of your crib regularly. You gave us a turn when one morning we heard a soft thump followed by the padding of little feet and then our door swung open to reveal your twinkly little face. You rolled off your bed only once and since then have been a happy little sleeper....but.....

You generally get up out of bed twice each night before finally dropping off. And then again we hear, "Daddeeee, I neeeed to go peee-peeee...." and find you standing in front of the baby gate we attached in your doorway every night to avoid your nocturnal perambulation.

You love school and you are a very social little thing. Your teachers say that your the first one to speak up and other parents in the classroom tell us that you like to announce their arrival to pick up your classmates. When I'm having one of my low days, I am always cheered by the little twinkle-eyed expression on your face when you greet me at pick up time.

Every parent secretly thinks their child is brilliant, Daddy and I are no exception. You love working puzzles and you never cease to amaze us with your ability to visualize the completed picture. I am a small detail person myself and I have always envied those who can look beyond the small details to see the overall picture so your propensity delights me to no end.

You are super strong-willed. You're a woman who knows what she wants. You generally prefer to do things on your own and will be quite, ahem, vocal if Daddy and I make the dire mistake of trying to help. While a tad inconvenient in the mornings when we're trying to rush everyone out the door, I do love the spunk.

You have a complicated relationship with your brother these days. You love him, that's clear, you greet him everyone like a long lost friend and you get quite possessive should any other little person try to show him any love.

Your eating habits have become....discerning to say the least. You're still the savory princess, you love yourself pizza (you ate slice after slice of pizza covered in prosciutto), myul-chee (dried anchovies) with rice and ghim (dried seaweed), chicken (really any meat), edamame beans (mommy's best legume friend), yogurt drinks, oh and did I mention you ate chicken feet with your boo-boo at a dimsum restaurant? It was a proud moment for me. You took one look at those feet standing in the dish and said, "chicken" and then proceeded to eat like crazy. It was awesome. BUT....veggies and fruit must be pureed and hidden in a lot of pureed pear.

This has been the year of "DORA THE EXPLOR-A" as you like to refer to her. You and I went to see Dora at the Nickelodeon Storytime Live and you sat there stunned by the sights of a real live Dora and Boots dancing and singing on stage. And I sat there stunned as I watched a bunch of little kids screaming and carrying on like the Beatles had just taken the stage. You like to say that you are Dora and that your brother is Boots and actually the resemblance is quite uncanny.

Happy 3 little thing, our hearts just burst with love for you.

XoXo,

Mommy

Moo - 18 months

2010-10-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

Height - 32 inches, Weight - 24.2 lbs, Head 18.75 inches

And we're back

2010-07-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness it's been ages. And I can't get over the fact that we've been in LA for four months already! The work week just gets crazier and crazier as K and I try to meet deadlines and weekends seem to just zoom by. Saturdays mornings have become my Friday night.

Much has happened, not sure where to begin....

Well, Mr. Moo has had two ear infections. It's lead to numerous doctor's visits, lots of screaming, not much sleep and mad scrambling in the mornings to reschedule work meetings. He's had 3 bad colds and I've had to pick him up from daycare those 3 times when his temperature spiked to 103. I'd walk in and the poor baby would be lying there with one of his teachers, dazed and sleepy. I'd pick him up and take him to see his pediatrician only to be told the that there was nothing wrong. The fever wouldn't subside so we'd be off to see his doctor again and behold, an ear infection. Antibiotics and ear pain drops were administered (hence the screaming), naps were rejected, meals became nightmares as chewing was painful. And then he was fine....

But then he contracted pinkeye, twice. So back to the pediatrician, eye drops were administed (more screaming), more mad scrambling as K and I took turns taking time off. On the days we couldn't, poor Emo received a number of frantic calls in the morning. I thank God and marvel everyday for the fact that K and I have family-friendly jobs.

Moo - Happy Uno!

2010-05-08T22:11:00.000-07:00

Dearest sweet Moo,

I can scarcely believe that our little man is now a whole number. (Daddy and I were giggling as we filled out our census form earlier this year and entered a zero for your age.) I look at your smiling little face and can't help but remember the little fuzzy face that I held 12 months ago. You were covered from head to toe in a soft little down and sported a fierce little expression which prompted Auntie Spivey to call you the CEO.

Daddy and I agree that you are the most lovable little boy. We love your happy little grin when we walk into your room. You get so excited when you see us or your sister and that excitement is absolutely infectious.

You in a nutshell:

1) You love being held. When I come into the room, you'll crawl full speed to me and start pulling on my pants to be picked up. One time you nearly pants-ed me, luckily no one saw (as Mommy likes to convince herself).

2) You love your blanket. In fact, woe to us if we forget to include your favorite muslin wraps in your crib when we put you down to sleep. I love pushing your door open to find you sitting up, blanket wrapped about you, furiously munching a corner, looking as if you were about to deliver a speech to a crowd of Romans.

3) You like things your way. Normally a very agreeable little tike, you can become very ahem, vocal, if we chance to take away something that you fancy (e.g. ointment tubes, remote, paper, phones, laptop computers, watering can)

4) You're chatty. Early on you would babble back to me and like to be involved in conversations. You hate feeling left out and will often chime in with a loud cawing noise.

5) You love music. When we sing in the car, I'll look in the rearview mirror and find you enthralled and at times clapping with excitement. When your sister sings, we'll often find you beaming and gazing upon her like you're her biggest fan.

6) You're a great eater. Getting more discerning but in general will eat about anything we put before you. Though your nemesis remains peas. We can't get you to eat it unless we hide it in some pear or soup.

7) Your little facial expressions just kill us. Whether it be the weirded look when we put you in our Chocolate chip cookie costume Halloween 2009 or the Christmas 2009 card photo shoot, we crack up everytime.

I love putting you down to sleep. I hand you a bottle of milk, your blankie, have the binkie handy, turn off the lights, snap on your little crib noisemaker and rock quietly. Sometimes, your legs and arms will swing about but then you'll settle down and the only sound other than a midi version of Pachelbel's Canon are your contented drinking noises. Sometimes, you'll chuckle a little bit as you drink but then look up at me with your big shiny eyes that I could just fall into and just remind me why I love being a mom.

Your family loves you bunches cutest little Moo. Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mama

Moo - Partay #1

2010-04-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Just a little something 'til I can post something really juicy, here's the little Moo at his first birthday party. He's not really a cake guy as you can see, we handed him his little mound of choco goodness and he went right to work, the one baby pastry demolition team.

Coming Soon!

2010-04-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to update the Papers since we moved to LA. Work is kicking my rear big time these days. Once our report is drafted, I'm hoping to devote some time to recounting our move, Moo's birthday parties and 1 year doctor visit. Please stay tuned!

Moo - 11 months

2010-03-16T20:56:00.001-07:00

I've been remiss about keeping track of Moo's milestones. Stupid of me since I meant for this blog to be a baby book of sorts. So without further ado, Mr. Moo at 11 months:

He has sprouted 6 teeth and one is currently working it's way out. He's having a hard time dealing with the discomfort poor fellow.

He stands up quite sturdily now and is starting to cruise about. I'll find him cruising from one side to another in his crib. It's just so cute to walking into his room in the morning standing up gleefully in his little sleep sack.

He's doing a lot of babbling, like Pig he started off with ba-ba-ba, to a-da, a-da, a-da and then ma-ma-ma. I can tell he's trying to communicate with me. He'll turn to me babble a way and then pause as if giving me a chance to respond. My response is often a quizzical look and a cocked eyebrow.

He's starting to become a discerning (picky? oh horrors!) eater. He rejects certain textures and absolutely refuses to eat plain peas. I have to blend them up with something else.

His sleeping is improving. We're starting to see more full nights of sleep, he's averaging about 5 good nights a week these days. 'Course all this goes out the window when he's sick or teething.

He's getting to be a bit more independent. I was worried about this as he spent several months at Mrs. V's as the solo baby. He does get a bit clingy at times, e.g. when he's teething. But he's comforted by his blanket and his binkie.

Everybody sick

2010-03-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

It is booger city here. Pig was sick last week and now Moo has it. While he's feeling loads better, I decided to stay home with his today so he could get plenty of rest and attention. Meanwhile, I'm his personal nose wiper. Every few seconds I turn around and see that the twin booger faucets have been turned on full blast oozing technicolor goo. His skin is super dry, so I've been rubbing Desitin all over so that he resembles a small grinning bodybuilder. I cannot wait until he learns to blow his nose! All one can do now is use steam and clean off what dribbles out. He loathes the Nosefrida. Though one thing I found to work is to hold a kleenex to his nose and then tickle him with the other hand. As he laughs, he snorts and pay dirt! A nostril full of booger-age.

Moo - It is your Destiny.....

2010-02-22T18:22:00.000-08:00

So awhile back, before Moo was born, I mentioned that since I chose the decor for Pig's room, that K should do the same for Moo. He chose Star Wars... no huge surprise since K, like many a geek, worships at the altar of George Lucas.

So I kept an eye open for interesting Star Wars themed artwork. I wasn't interested in film posters, we already have those downstairs and this is for a baby's room, not a geek command center. Then while puttering about Etsy, I saw it. The coolest pop art rendition of an X-wing Fighter ever. It was simple and the colors weren't garish, it had me at hello. In my mind's eye I pictured that print growing up with Moo, catching his fancy from across his crib, over his bunk bed as a boy, in the moving van with him and his wife as they drive off to start a new life together...*sniff, sniff*

Ok, what was I talking about...oh yeah, artwork. When the X-wing Fighter arrived, K gazed at it reverently. We decided to take advantage of Michael's framing sale and dropped off a number of pieces. Well yesterday we went to pick up the finished product and it's now hanging in Moo's room. He's well on his way to become a Star Wars loving, computer building, Renaissance Faire attending, manga watching, Mountain Dew drinking geek boy.

Happy Valentine / Lunar New Year's Day!

2010-02-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

The doorbell rang and I was greeted with these! They're in front of me as I type and I'm getting giddy from the fragrance. As far as New Years, not much we can do but just call my parents and wish them health and happiness in the year of the tiger.

Cookie Monster

2010-02-14T12:08:00.001-08:00

Pig and I finally made cookies together. I bought this organic gingerbread cookie mix awhile back and kept meaning it for a rainy/snowy day project for Pig. But I noticed too late that the recipe called for a 1/2 cup of molasses. I rummaged and rummaged through my baking stores to no avail. Damn it. C'est la vie.

So once our road was sufficiently plowed, we lit out and got the molasses and today we plugged in the standing mixer. The mix created a wonderful, darkly rich dough. I prefer a clean wine bottle to a regular rolling pin, sticks less, so I got one out. Pig was plopped in a chair, a bib wrapped around her. The first time, I rolled out the dough and then gave Pig the cookie cutter. We had a mini celebration every time a little gingerbread person popped out.

BUT...the Pig is an independent creature, she was getting bored of just being the schmuck pushing down the cutter...that's just stupid. So I handed her our makeshift rolling pin and she rolled away. Unfortunately, she didn't roll for long so we ended up with a few cookies that were, ahem, a wee bit thicker than the suggested 1/8-1/4 inch. No matter, gingerbread muffin people make for good eats as well.

Slowly Losing my Mind

2010-02-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

There's this episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show called "Space Madness" where the pair have been stuck roaming aimlessly through outer space. Ren slowly loses his mind and ultimately finds himself staring at a bar of soap, lovingly calling it his ice cream bar. Wracked by paranoia, he convinces himself that Stimpy is planning to steal said ice cream bar. I thought of this as I was washing my hands with a bar of soap the other day... I really need it to stop snowing.

Snowmageddon came with a vengeance and dumped about 40 inches total. At first, it was fun waking up and looking out the window to see white, white, white as far as the eye could see. But the novelty wore off pretty fast. The roads were in awful condition so the kids' daycares were closed and work was closed for me for 4 days. The kids and I were home alone for the first two days. It started off terribly, I've been experiencing horrid insomnia as of late so mornings have been especially rough for me.

After feeding the kids breakfast and cleaning the kitchen and clearing the floor of the daily detritus, snow that Kirb tracks in and the food that the kids manage to flick off their trays, we head downstairs to play. I plopped Moo onto the foam mats and Pig and I rummage through the toy bin. Pig loves anything Dora and has a Dora doll and a plastic purple Backpack that plays the "Backpack! Backpack!" song from Dora the Explorer. Her Elmo and Cookie Monster dolls are also particularly beloved. These are things she refuses to share with her brother and of course they're also the things that Moo makes a beeline for.

Basically it's meant mornings and afternoons spent keeping the peace in the barnyard. Pig would run up and snatch a toy out of her brother's hands and he would scream in anger. I would ask Pig to share with her brother and she would clutch the toy more firmly to her chest and run off. Problem is, I can understand why Pig is being so possessive. First of all, she's two and she's in her mine, mine, mine stage big time. Second, she fears that her brother is usurping all of the attention that had been solely hers and these fears are further reinforced every time we ask her to share her toys with him. Third, with the language barrier, we can't really explain to her that when she was Moo's age we humored her every whim as well so it's not that we're showing preferential treatment.

Pig has been challenging me nonstop this week. There is a Korean folktale about a little green frog or chung gaegoree. Without fail, the little frog did the exact opposite of what his mother asked him to do. The story ends sadly so I won't go into detail but Pig has been exhibiting little green frog tendencies. I've ended up scolding and meting out time out sessions and while I know that it's all for Pig's own good, it leaves me feeling very low at the end of the day. I've had Pig look at me mournfully, scornfully and it just hits home that my best girl is growing up way too fast. You see, Moo still gazes up at me with a heartbreakingly sweet expression, his grey eyes absolutely limpid and trusting. The contrast of their expressions these days makes me think sadly of how Pig used to look at me...back when her wants and needs were simple and I could fulfill them easily and without reservation.

Snowmageddon 2010 - The View from Our Window

2010-02-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Up to Our Ears

2010-02-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

Been incredibly busy lately. K has had to pick the kids up from daycare, I've been making quick and boring meals. After getting the barnyard to bed, I've been logging back inand putting in a few more hours of work before passing out...only for the boy to wake us up numerous times during the night. Weekends are spent catching up on chores. I'll be happy when this report is finally out.

I promise to post a long and juicy post soon.

Haiti

2010-01-15T19:37:00.000-08:00

The footage from Port au Prince is horrifying. It's hard to fathom...finding yourself in a country's whose critical infrastructure has all but completely collapsed. And the children homeless and hurt in the streets....

We've donated to Doctors without Borders, I was thinking that medical attention is what is most desperately needed right now. Last I heard on NPR, of the 150 physicians employed by the city's general hospital, less than 20 have shown up.

It's just too much....

Slumber Club

2010-01-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

Kids and Fuzzy and Blue

2010-01-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

Just had to record the giggling, it's a cure for what ails ye.

Milk

2009-12-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

I pump 3-4 times a day, about 15 minutes per session, sometimes more if I find that my yield is dropping. Once in the morning when I wake up, once around 2 or 3 pm and then once right before bed. If I end up pumping really early in the morning, I'll pump around noon and then right before I leave work and then before bed. It's nothing compared to the very insane pumping schedule I had with Pig, first 2 months I pumped about 8-10 times a day, 20-30 minutes each time, and then dropped to 6 pumps at 10 weeks and then to 4 as Pig started solids. I was convinced at the time that Pig would go on a crazy week long milk bender and then blow through all of the milk so I pumped like crazy to keep ahead of her.

K thinks that I should hang up the horns, breast pump horns that is, and start transitioning Moo to formula. Moo is 8 months old and has all the immunities I can give him and he's LOVING his solids. Also Moo has developed two little teeth and has starting chomping on everything, including me. Pumping with an open sore...not good. I freaked the other day while pumping at work when I happened to look down and saw blood pooling in the pump horn.

BUT...

I'm going to continue until at least his first birthday. I just see his round little face and pillowy little body looking up at me and just can't stop. It's the best thing for him, keeps his bowels healthy and a-movin'. So I'll just gird up my loins for the next 4 months. 4 months, pah! It'll fly by.

If only I could teach him that it's not nice to bite....

The Sweetest Thing

2009-12-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

My sister took this pic of Moo and I at the park. He has the sweetest smile, so very disarming even in the middle of the night, when I'm grumpy and exhausted. I love entering a room and seeing his little face light up.

That sound you hear? It's of my heart bursting....

Save the Babies!

2009-12-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

K wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday. So I thought about it. I don't need anything, our house is small so knick knacks are verboten. I prefer to buy my own clothes. I needed a new wallet but I found one on sale and got it myself. At first I was thinking, well maybe I'll just ask him to take us out for a nice dinner....good food and a good convo would make me happy.

As I was driving home from work yesterday, teary from an article I had read about a woman's account of how she lost most of her family to starvation including a newborn infant brother, it hit me. What would make me happiest of all is to feed a hungry child.

I delight in the fact that my children are roly poly. In fact, Mr. Moo has thunder thighs. It reassures me that they're getting enough to eat. Food is love. But with a pang I remember all the excess breastmilk I had when I was pumping for Pig. More than she could consume. I could've fed two kids. I never understood the hoopla over Salma Hayek breastfeeding the little baby in Sierra Leone. The child was crying from hunger and she fed him, what's the big deal? I'd do the same if I could.

So for my birthday I've asked K to donate to our local foodbank's backpack program. I'm also going to contact the foodbank about donating baby formula. But wouldn't it be wonderful if I could follow the food to the child. I just want to make sure that it's actually going into a hungry little mouth.

www.feedingamerica.org

Pig - 2 years

2009-11-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

Pig at 2 years, 29 lbs, 36 inches!

Gobblin'

2009-11-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

After some research, I have finally arrived at our Thanksgiving Day menu. We're not big turkey people other than the lean ground turkey we use in place of beef and we don't have the storage space in our fridge. So in lieu of a whole turkey, I've decided on turkey cutlets adapted from this recipe. This is a slow cooker recipe so I can spend more time on the sides. Instead of the store bought stuffing that this recipe calls for, I've decided to make one of my own with oysters adapted from this Gourmet magazine recipe.

The traditional Thanksgiving menu is regarded sacrosanct to many but hey, I grew up having kimchi with my turkey so I'm open to anything. Of course there are limits, K made a face when I suggested fish as our entree. The holidays is about having fun in the kitchen, the opportunity to deviate from the mundane work week (boring) menu.

Here is the menu du jour:

Turkey cutlets with wild mushroom gravy

Herbed oyster dressing

Arugula, watercress and pear salad (with walnuts)

Roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic

Roasted asparagus

Chocolate cream pie (K's Nana usually makes this so I thought I'd give it a try)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Why Life is Never Dull in the Barnyard

2009-11-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Music Makes the People Come Together....

2009-11-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

I love all types of music and fantasize about a household full of music, my children singing or playing or improvising instruments, the whole family spontaneously bursting into song. Pig loves singing, so I like to have a CD playing in the morning to start off the day, usually the Backyardigans soundtrack or the They Might Be Giants ABCs CD.

Pregnant with the kids, I sang to them once their ears popped out and started working. My favorite is Everyday by Buddy Holly. I've always found that song comforting and very childlike in its reassurances. I still sing it to them when they're sick or wake up unhappy.

Everyday by Buddy Holly

Everyday it's a-gettin' closer
Goin' faster than a roller coaster
Love like yours will surely come my way
A-hey, a-hey-hey
Everyday it's a-gettin' faster
Everyone said, go ahead and her
A-hey, a-hey-hey
Everyday seems a little longer
Every way love's a little stronger
Come what may
Do you ever long for, true love from me
Everyday it's a-gettin' closer
Goin' faster than a roller coaster
Love like yours will surely come my way
A-hey, a-hey-hey

Everyday seems a little longer
Every way love's a little stronger
Come what may
Do you ever long for, true love from me
Everyday it's a-gettin' closer
Goin' faster than a roller coaster
Love like yours will surely come my way
A-hey, a-hey-hey
Love like yours will surely come my way

Happy 2!

2009-11-06T05:53:00.001-08:00

Darling darling Pig,

Today you are 2, or "Two, Two, Two!" as you like to chant.

It's been a wild and crazy year for you. You mastered the art of walking upright. You sprouted a a handful more teeth. And of course, you became a big sister.

I'm not really sure where to begin, to try to summarize one year...I could sit for hours describing and analyzing just one day with you so to do so for the year might leave us with more of a multi-volume treatise. So here's what comes to mind now:

You are our champion sleeper, unless you're teething or unhappy about something (e.g. Daddy going on business travel) you go down easily at 8pm and wake up somewhere between 7-8:30 pm.

This year has been the year of Sesame Street characters. Daddy taught you to recognize Cookie Monster, Elmo, Big Bird, Grover, Bert, and Ernie using your Pampers Cruisers as a guide. Since then, you've been crazy about Cookie Monster and Elmo. In fact, at this time, you currently have two Cookie Monsters, from Emo and Nana, an Elmo book, and a small jitter-me Elmo pull cord toy.

You love chanting your ABCs and 123s. The ABC/123 foam mats in your room keep you busy at bedtime. You especially love the They Might be Giants ABCs CD that we play for you in the morning, the song "Q-U" is your favorite and I like to joke that you and Daddy will dance to that at your wedding.

You make me laugh more than any other person in this world. Your antics have Daddy and I and your grandparents and Emo and Emo-boo in stitches. As you'll see in the many videos clips we have of you, you are a comedian.

You like order and organization. When we come into the house and take your shoes and socks off, you run around removing your brother's and Daddy's socks as well. You enjoy being helpful and when we sing the Clean-Up song, you'll put things away and shut all the doors of the house.

You are a morning person. When we come to rescue you from your crib in the morning, you are cheerful, help us fold up your blankets and greet all of us exuberantly...sometimes too exuberantly, Mommy and Daddy aren't morning people unfortunately.

You love singing and dancing. You love hats, especially baseball caps (because Daddy wears them), you love boots.

You have that same twinkly smile you had as an infant and it's just as irresistible now as it was then. I fear that disciplining you may be hard, in the future I may have to just text you when I want to ground you or send you to your room. Daddy and I have a hard time keeping a straight face when we're trying to be stern with you. You look back at us all wide-eyed, cheeks all a -tremble, little rosebud mouth pouting. And lately you've been playing us and fake crying. Worked the first time....nice try, now we know better. Two going on 16 forsooth.

You throw tantrums from time to time, especially when you don't want to get back into your stroller, but thankfully they last only a few seconds. However, you haven't mastered volume control yet so meals are limited to very casual establishments and sometimes Daddy and I curse the great acoustics in the car.

Time stands still for me when I put you down for the night. Usually Daddy does it, but I like to from time to time because we get to remove ourselves from everything else, all worries, distractions, and just focus on the nighttime bottle, the story, and the cuddling. After we finish reading your story (my favorite is Where the Wild Things Are), you pop your binky in your mouth, hand me your bottle. I turn the light off and you turn around, put your squishy little arms around my neck. I pat your little back and rest my cheek on your tousled little head, feel the little belch and we both slowly relax together. It's one of the few times when I really settle into the "now." My pulse slows.

I remember Hal-mee telling Emo and I that being a parent means you love your children no matter what. Nothing could change that, no matter what you did or didn't do. I say the same thing to you...and I'll keep saying it and I hope it brings you comfort when you need it most.

Thank you for brightening our lives little Two, we couldn't do without you.

Sa-rang han da,

Daddy, Mommy, and Moo (and Kirby)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

The official 2009 Halloween Portrait!

Mini-me

2009-10-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post a photo of Pops and Moo...the resemblance is uncanny.

Scary

2009-10-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary

2009-10-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

4 years and 2 kids later...

Happy anniversary babe, me luvs you.

Sleep Bootcamp is a-comin'

2009-10-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

We have succeeded in pushing the bedtime back to 8 pm for the entire Barnyard. Yay! But that means Moo wakes up again at midnight. Boooo. And these days after his midnight awakening, he's been getting up again every few hours sometimes every hour.

Which means, the time has come for Sleep Bootcamp. Basically, we're going to make the guest room his and set up the baby monitor. We'll try to tank him up as much as possible before bedtime. When he wakes up, we'll go into his room, comfort him and then leave after a few minutes. And keep repeating the process until he understands that we're right there for him and that nightime is for sleeping. If we're lucky after a few days, it'll work and a good night's sleep will be had by all. If not, the kid will be sleeping in our bed until he goes to college.

I am dreading it. Moo has a hard time settling back down and then gets very very angry if we fail to help him back to sleep. And because we don't speak the same language yet, we usually fail. Why or why can't there be a baby translator. Then he can tell us, "I AM AWAKE, I AM VERY TIRED BUT MY FOOT ITCHES SO SCRATCH IT QUICK SO I CAN FALL BACK ASLEEP YOU IDIOTS" or "I AM AWAKE, I FEEL LIKE DANCING RIGHT NOW BUT IF YOU PAT MY BELLY ALL NICE RIGHT THIS SECOND YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CHANGE MY MIND." It just kills me that the solution is probably just so simple but we can only make lame attempts to try to figure it out until something works and even then I'm sure we never really get it, the kid likely just decides we're idiots and gives up.

Stay tuned.

Moo - 6 months

2009-10-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Moo, 18 lb, 8 ounces and 27.25 inches, and wearing a form fitting outfit to outline his ample silhouette. *Snap, snap*

Sometimes

2009-10-08T10:11:00.001-07:00

when I'm sad, I'll hunt this commercial up, an oldie but oh such a goodie...

Pig - Nearly 23 months

2009-10-03T19:54:00.001-07:00

Sigh, can't believe my little Pink Pig is nearly 2. I've been planning a birthday party for her in our favorite Baltimore museum. It's a bad time for a lot of people so we might scrap the idea and do something small at home, but we'll see. Happily, Emo (my sister) will be flying out that weekend so we may do a little birthday outing, perhaps a picnic if weather permits....

Moo - Nearly 6 mos

2009-10-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

Moo - The Little Eater

2009-10-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

It's still early to tell but I think my dream has come true....my kids may both be good eaters. I know I shouldn't but I'm already daydreaming about what this might mean. Elaborate dinners, my children content and replete after having consumed large quantities of veg and fish and grains...fighting over the last mussel...happily digging into a bowl of kan-jang gae-jang or crab marinated in soy sauce (the dish I love so much I'd marry it if I could)...standing beside me as my sous chef in the kitchen as we plan dishes and reverently handle a beautiful roast....

Ok, sorry I digress.

Mr. Moo was introduced to the world of solid foods today. Of course it wasn't really solid, it was more like thickened milk but it was fed with a spoon and he took to it like crazy. I had expected that most of it would end up a little brown rice beard on his round little face but he seems to have his extrusion reflex under control. He was like a fat little baby bird, his little mouth wide open and taking in every spoonful I had to offer. We limited his first exposure to half a small bowl full. After a week of brown rice, we'll start pureed pears and then veg, can't wait.

We were thinking about starting the solids at 5 months but the kids caught colds and then both had the flu so I decided to hold off until the mucous slowed to a trickle. But then a few days ago I had Moo on my lap as I was trying to scarf my dinner, pasta tossed in bacon, onions, garlic and oregano. As I was eating I looked down and Moo's mouth was wide open and he reached out with one fat hand and grabbed my plate and started pulling at it. So today when we strapped him into the high chair and put the eating bib around his neck, he gave us a "it's about damned time, I've been ready for months" glare.

A Slew

2009-09-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

of old posts are headed your way dear readers. I know I've been incredibly remiss about my postings as of late. What can I say, life has been cray-jee.

Been awhile

2009-09-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

The barnyard has been a zoo. In my last long post I mentioned Pig's nap/bed-time crying. Well, our theory is that it's the result of separation anxiety coupled with a nasty cold/flu. By the time my parents arrived to help out I was about to cry myself. Pig was sick and spouting mucus profusely, Moo's nose had started running and I was starting to show symptoms. Pig was screaming 30 mins to an hour before finally falling asleep and Moo was taking forever to go down and then waking up twice, sometimes more, during the night to eat. When my parents pulled up to the house, dishes and laundry were piled up, clutter abounded and Moo and I stood in the doorway, wild-eyed and frowzy-haired.

Grazie mille to my parents. Could not have done it without them. It was awesome coming from work to find the house clean, kids fed and smiling, dishes including bottles washed, laundry washed and folded, the dog walked and fed, and praise the Lawd, hot dinner waiting for me on the table. All I had to do was put Pig down for the night.

But we all felt K's absence keenly. My mom called me one day at work worried about Pig. Apparently when she and my dad dropped the kids off at Mrs. V's, Pig stood at the door waving sadly and watching my parents pull out of the driveway. Now, Pig normally considers Mrs. V's house a second home and usually runs in with nary a glance back. So the sight of her sad little face in the doorway had my mom in tears. Luckily, Pig did well during the day, ate and slept normally. It was just that separation in the morning that was tough.

I got home that night and my dad asked if K was available to Skype. We tried to Skype as much as possible but since K was often out in the early evening, it didn't happen as much as we would've liked.

After about a week, things started to improve. Pig stopped screaming when I put her down for the night, she stood in her crib and watched me leave her room and when I closed the door, I could hear her lie down. Just as things started settling down, my mom came down with the flu and few days later my dad started sniffling. I wasn't 100 percent myself and Moo was still waking up during the night so at work I was a walking zombie.

K wasn't sure when he'd come home, he had to wait to get the greenlight from his home office. So my parents prepared to stay another week. Then on Friday, I tried calling K's cell and got his voicemail. Hmm, odd, I guess his phone went dead. I tried it again, still voicemail. I started getting worried and of course, my imagination started running wild. What if something had happened? There was no way for us to know. I checked online and saw that he was online and messaged him, not thinking he'd respond. But lo and behold, he replied, "what?" I asked him why he wasn't picking up his phone. "Because you can't use your cell phone on the plane." !!!!! My parents and I rejoiced.

K was going to surprise us and show up that night. Actually it was a good thing that I had caught him. He didn't land until 11 pm and didn't have a housekey on him and would've freaked out the entire house if he knocked at that hour.

2009-09-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm outnumbered

2009-09-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well after a hectic morning, we got K packed and onto his plane.

A little snippet of that morning:

Me: I've packed your pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt.

K: I don't need them.

Me: You get cold in hotel rooms and you might need to venture out into the hallway.

Later...

Me: I've packed your flip flops.

K: I don't need them.

Me: You might need to venture out of your room and it'll be easier than stuffing your feet into shoes each time.

So on and so forth.

I asked that we leave the house about an 1.5 hour before to have a family lunch before we went to the airport. I hate hasty goodbyes so I thought it would be a good opportunity to just relax, chill and enjoy each other's company. So glad we did, we were able to just have fun over burgers and headed off to the airport in good spirits.

That is, until I dropped K off. Pig was getting cranky and refused to kiss her daddy goodbye. I could tell K was pretty upset about it and I felt badly for him. However, the minute that car door closed Pig saw her dad leave dragging his bag behind him, she burst into tears.

When we got home I fed Moo, changed his diaper and settled him into his bouncy chair. Then I took Pig upstairs and got her hands, face and feet washed, changed into her sleepwear and gave her sleepytime bottle of milk. Moo started crying so I had to rush out and Pig started crying. And that soon became screaming. I put Moo down and then rushed back upstairs. Pulled a hysterical Pig out of her crib and read her a quick story (Moo started crying again), big kiss and hug and put her back in her crib and the minute I turned to leave, she started screaming again.

What could I do. Unfortunately, I had to choose between my kids and I had to take care of the infant over the toddler. I couldn't keep going into Pig's room because that only reset the screaming clock. So I sat downstairs feeding Moo and listening to Pig yell and scream. It went on for 30 minutes before she finally fell asleep. I felt like a total jerk.

Moo thankfully napped for an hour which allowed me to recharge a little. After two hours, Pig was up too which is a short nap for her. Got her diaper changed and brought her down for some juice and a snack. While I cleaned up around the kitchen and got dinner ready, Pig and Moo skyped with my parents who kept them entertained for about a half an hour. Pig was getting cranky so we ended the call and ventured downstairs to the kids playroom. I brought down a whole load of socks. Pig has developed a fascination with socks so I figured we could the time before bath and bedtime matching socks.

Nope she wanted to examine her brother. But her nose had started running earlier that morning so I had to keep her away from him. She watched a little Bedtime Elmo and helped me clean up her toys. Then we trooped upstairs for her bath. Pig loves putting in the bathplug and filling up the tub so I dragged Moo's bouncy chair upstairs so he could watch. Pig splashed and tried to swim in two inches of water and then refused to get out of the tub. So I wrapped her up in a towel and carried her into her room.

I was starting to relax. Pig was in good spirits and we sang while we got her diapered and back into her jammies. I dragged Moo's chair into her room and he watched while I read a bedtime story and Pig finished her milk. Still good. As I put her into her crib, she began whimpering and then I turned she burst into tears. So I turned and gave her another hug and kiss and tried to reassure her. Moo had started crying so we had to leave, the two feed off each other.

So again, Moo and I sat downstairs while Pig screamed. I so wanted to go upstairs but knew the 3 of us would be up forever if I did. So Moo ate and fell asleep and then I sat there holding him and listened to my poor girl cry her eyes out upstairs.

Moo refused to go down until 11 pm and then woke up at 3 am and then 4 and at 6:45 when the alarm went off, I was almost relieved.

Pig woke up crying again, having as K would say, dropped a deuce into her diaper. I brought her down for juice and cereal and her Backyardigans soundtrack. She was in good spirits again, swinging her brown little legs and singing along with the music. Moo coo-ed away in his bassinet. I puttered about getting bottles ready, cleaning up dirty diapers. The kids were headed to Miss D's today as Mrs. V has gone out of town so I put together a package of diapers, wipes, changes of clothing.

And then momnesia set in. I ran back into the house twice, first time to get Pig's binky and then Moo's blanket. Kids loaded in the car, I got to the end of our street when I looked over and realized that Moo's bottle bag was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Argh.

After dropping the kids off, I drove like mad back home and took the dog out and called into my work meeting 20 minutes late. It's been a morning.

The Littlest Samurai

2009-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

Modeling her father's Hogu

A Fax from Mr. Brown

2009-09-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

Kharma's a bitch. My mom likes to tell the story of how as a baby she had left me sitting in the middle of the living room clad only in my diaper. It was a hot sticky Seoul summer and the hardwood-ed living room was the coolest place in the house. She stepped away for a second and came back to find me, sans diaper, covered in the ahem, fruit of my diaper. Lest the absolute disgusting-ness of it all had escaped me, she often goes on to describe how I had it in my hair, all over the floor, on my face, in my mouth, on the ceiling, on the neighbor's cat, etc...

Well because what goes around comes around...
Last weekend, around 8 am I was feeding Moo in bed. K was taking a shower. I heard Pig scuttling about in her crib. Usually, she'll play for about 30 minutes quietly before she starts yelling for us. Suddenly, I heard a large THUMP. I sprang out of bed and ran to her room and threw open the door. My heart pounding I checked for broken bones. Whew, all good. I expected to see Pig crumpled by her crib instead she stood by it pants-less, diaper-less and.... Wait what the hell is that odor? Like I even had to ask myself that question. Like the answer wasn't right there before me all over my crying toddler like a Jackson Pollack painting....straight from my fecophobic nightmares.

I could hear K behind me, the stench having just sucker-punched his olfactory receptors. I grabbed a crying Pig and made haste to the bathroom. While K stripped the bedding from Pig's crib, I scrubbed Pig like mad.

It's all my fault. You see a few weeks prior, we had walked into Pig's room and found her again pants and diaper free. She had thrown her diaper out of her crib and just as K walked in, she was poised over a turd about to heave it over board as well. As I scrubbed Pig and K sanitized her room, I said something very very stupid, "well at least it was a turd and not one of those nasty squishy ones."

I just had to tempt fate.

I just have to ask, what is with us and poo? Followers of this blog may recall the great dog diarrhea extravaganza of 2008. And before that, was the episode K and I like to refer to as "Kirb's left front quarter panel is brown." (Nutshell: Kirb pooped in his dog carrier and then danced in it, we had to clean him in the parking garage with a hose at 2 am) And before that, dog diarrhea extravaganza 2003 (Nutshell: Kirb ate some Christmas cactus and then went #3 in his crate and, you guessed it, danced in it. I was home alone.)

Pig: 22 months

2009-08-26T12:17:00.001-07:00

Pig is a myna bird. She repeats everything we say. The other day we were in the car and I mentioned that the driver in front of me was getting on my last nerve. In fact my last nerve was more like "MY LAST NERVE!" with a fist raised for emphasis. I look in the rear view mirror to see Pig raise her little fist and say "LAST NERVE!" or at least something that sounded a lot like it. She also had me ROFL when she imitated the little Windows melody as my laptop was booting up.

The language explosion is just phenomenal. Her favorite phrase these days is "Say Cheese!" whenever we have our camera out. She gets frustrated often when we have trouble understanding her or when she thinks we're having trouble. Last week around dinner time, K was playing with Moo and I was puttering about the kitchen putting dinner together and Pig started saying "ju', ju'" (translation: juice). I told her ok but that I had to finish cooking the chicken. She asked a few more times and then when I looked over, I found her leaning over a bottle of juice that was on the ground (one of those two-packs from Costco) and she pointed most emphatically at it and shouted "ju'! ju'!" Yep, I got the picture.

Pictured above is one of Pig's creations, Wood Blocks #6.

Moo: 4 months

2009-08-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

We visited the Barnyard's pediatrician. It was Moo's 4 month well baby checkup and we were hoping to get some answers about the mysterious rash on Pig's torso. Poor Moo got 4 shots in his unhappy fat thighs. He's a champ, he turned bright red and yelled his head off during the injections but the crying ceased immediately once the ordeal was over. Whew. Moo like his sister loves people watching and giggles with delight if anyone brings his/her face right up to his. So color him surprised when after flirting heavily with Dr. K, she brings out 4 stinging needles to poke him with. No big surprise, Moo is putting on the poundage nicely, he currently weighs a healthy 16 lbs.

He is trying very hard to roll over these days. I'll find him leaning to one side, one fat arm extended as he tries to flip himself over. He likes what my parents like to call "skinship," basically he's happiest when being held. He'll nap for 2 hours if held, but if we try to be sneaky and put him down in his bassinet or bouncy chair; we're lucky if he's down 30 minutes. I do love cuddling him but it gets challenging when I'm watching the kids solo. Basically, on those nights, Pig ends up getting a really fast shower and no book. I say a hasty good night and then rush down to appease a yelling and grumbling Moo. I feel terrible when I have to do that because Pig usually starts whimpering but Moo's crying very quickly escalates to hysterics and when that happens, not even a feeding will calm him down.

The past few days, Moo has been flopping like a fish in his sleep. 16 lbs of baby bouncing up and down in his co-sleeper is hard to ignore. Not sure what that's all about, gas? An itch? Hydraulics? Who knows, but I swear there were a few times when I could've sworn he went airborne for a few seconds.

Random Thoughts at Midnight

2009-08-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

It's 12:37 am, K was paged around 10 pm to put out a fire at work. Kids are both asleep. I left a pile of dirty dishes in the sink and crashed around 8 pm with a bad tension headache and the beginnings of what can only be a cold, sigh. My nose just started running so it looks like the battle is well underway. I probably could've slept until morning but Moo woke up close to ten, eyes closed shut and mouth mumbling, my cue to start a feed immediately or face the wrath of the CEO (Auntie Spivey's nickname for Moo). This never fails to amuse me. I'm imagining adults doing the same thing. For instance, I would not be as amused if K woke me up from a sound slumber, his hand wrapped around an imaginary cup, and announced, "before I open my eyes, I expect to find a glass of water in my hand...or else." But then these are the years where I live to serve my kids....until they can lift a full garbage bag that is, muahahahahha!

Mad Men, Season 3 starts Sunday....can't wait.

The other day, I was feeding Moo lying on my side and thought this is what it must be like to dance the tango with an overly fresh gnome with two left feet. Gone are the days when he would lie still during his nursings. Now he kicks me in the belly, not so great since his fat toes reach my c-section incision scar.

Kid 'n Play

2009-08-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Ah the cuteness... At this point, I'm pretty sure that Pig views her brother as a very sophisticated stuffed animal, one that laughs, smiles and pees and poops. So after playing with him for awhile, she'll lose interest only to turn around again and see him and go aha, yeah you look like you need some livening up...*spin, spin.*

I just love how Moo smiles at his sister, after she stopped spinning him that is.

2009-07-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

One good thing about my commute is that it gives me alot of time to think about things. Just found out that a mother of a person I know (sorry about being so cryptic, it's just that the family wants to keep it under wraps for now) was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a lumpectomy. I felt terribly for this person, he's got a lot on his plate these days. And then I thought of my own mother and how much I miss being near her. Particularly as I raise my own children and recall the little pearls of wisdom my mom imparted as my sister and I were growing up.

I can't help but be envious of women who have their mothers nearby. Before marriage, being off on my own wasn't difficult; I'd always been a bit of a loner, kept mostly to myself growing up. I had no problem eating, going to the movies or traveling alone. Since marriage; however, I'm realizing more and more the importance of having a female support network and what better support network than your own mother and sister! It'd be wonderful to just call my mom or sister up and ask them to meet me for lunch or have a girls spa day or when things get too crazy to cook, rush over to my mom's to pick up some nice tidbits or damn just the ability to get sick and not worry about crawling out of bed to make meals or clean up the house because mom would rush over and help with those things without being asked. I love hanging out with my girlfriends but let's face it, they have their own busy lives and families, I can't call them to chat whenever or ask for help outside of a real emergency.

I talk to my parents and sister multiple times a day and we try to Skype whenever we can but I feel sad about every birthday of theirs that I had to miss and feel guilty that I couldn't throw a decent bridal shower for my sister and lonesome that they couldn't be with me on my 30th birthday.

Sigh.

Basically, I just miss the people I grew up with.

Bits and Pieces

2009-07-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

We had to adjust our schedule and so far it's working great. Last week when Moo started daycare, we bathed him, rolled him up in his blanket, did one last nursing and he passed out at 8 pm...until 7 am the next morning. !!!! K and I didn't know what to do with the extra free time. Should we run silent but exuberant laps around the house? Make snow-less angels on the living room floor? And even more daring, eat dinner....TOGETHER?! Actually, I think we just sat stunned on the couch...it just happened too suddenly.

Well by Monday Moo realized just how easy things had become for his hapless parents and woke up 2 am demanding food. So after a few days, we decided to push back his bedtime to 9:30, bathe him after his sister, give him a big warm 5 ounce bottle and then roll him up in a nice tight burrito.

It worked! Huzzah!

He'll snooze blissfully until 5-ish, which works out because that's wake-y time for moi. I'll give him a quick feed in bed and then burp him and roll him back in his blanket. Not sure how he does it but he manages to get one arm out so that in the morning he looks like a little bald Mother Theresa, waving one fat, indignant arm. Luckily for K, after a mini feeding, he'll settle back down until K is ready to start his day. We plan on slowly pushing the bedtime so by six months, we're hoping that the entire barnyard will be asleep by 8 pm.

The Daily Grind

2009-07-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

First full work week cometh!

This will likely we our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday routine:

5 am - I wake up and because I'm not a morning person, curse my life. Get dressed, madeup and that other girly stuff. To keep from waking Moo who's still sharing a room with us, I've been putting my things out in the guest room.

5:30 am - Go downstairs and pump. Wash pump parts, pack pump up for work.

6 am - Head out the door and into car. Depending on traffic, listen to talk radio and enjoy drive in or again curse my life as I sit at a standstill on New York Avenue.

7 - 7:30 am - Get to work

8 - 11 am - Work, work, work

11 am - Pump

12 - 1 pm - Lunch

1 -3 pm - Work, work , work

3 pm - Pump

3:30 pm - Quittin' time, drive over to K's kumdo dojang to meet him and kids. Depending on traffic, usually takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to get there.

5 pm - Meet K and kids and take kids home.

5:30 - 6 pm - Strap Pig into her booster chair and feed her dinner. Start on preparing dinner for K and I. Nurse Moo while Pig is eating.

7:30 pm - K gets home, he takes the dog out and then gets Pig upstairs for her bath.

8 pm - Bedtime for the Pig. Nurse Moo one last time, swaddle him up and then nigh' nigh' for him as well. Pick up the house as much as possible.

8:30 pm - Scarf dinner. Wash dishes.

9 pm - Pump, get parts washed for next day, then, shower time for me as well.

10 pm (hopefully!) - Bedtime, goo' nigh'!

Moo - 100 days

2009-07-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Sob Sob Sob

2009-07-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I will be waking up and instead of padding down the stairs in my pajamas, Moo on my shoulder, I will be getting dressed in whatever work clothes I can squeeze into, packing up my pump and parts, clapping on a pair of heels and heading to my car...sans Moo. I could just cry.

I had a lump in my throat when I left Pig for the first time but I knew she would be fine, she has always been an independent little thing. Also, after 4 months at home in the dead of winter I was ready to get out and interact with adults again. This time..while Moo is roughly the same age that Pig was when she first started at Mrs. V's, he's clingier and I'll admit, I'm clingier. The weather is nicer and I'm more relaxed this second time and well, I'm enjoying my time with Moo. He has just started really taking notice of his surroundings, for the past few days he has been playing with the toys on his bouncy chair. He never fails to giggle when I put my face up to his and he loves having his legs jiggled. I really just want to stay home with him for another two months, unfortunately, I blew through my annual and sick leave during the first two trimesters of my pregnancy, so back to work I go.

Sigh, my heart just aches. I suppose that after a few days I'll be okay and in fact it's probably best for all of us. Moo will get more activity and be around other babies and I'll get to concentrate on work. But still...my last baby...won't stay a baby for long and I don't want to miss any of it.

More Favorite Things

2009-07-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

A few more godsend items for your consideration:

Triple Paste Ointment - I tell ya, this is the miracle butt paste. When Pig develops diaper rash, usually right before she sprouts a couple new teeth, we bathe her in cool water and then slather this on thickly in her diaper area and presto the rash is gone the next morning. It's a beautiful thing.

Canus Li'l Goats Milk Tearless Shampoo and Wash - This smells wonderful and is a great milk wash for sensitive skin. We order it in a 3 pack from Amazon and it lasts forever.

First Juice - No sugar added, 100 percent fruit juice and I swear it helps keep Pig regular, incredibly important during the summer as Pig perspires like crazy.

Annie's Homegrown - Has great organic snacks for kids. We love the cheesy crackers, bear cookies, and fruit gummies.

Fruit puree pouches - There are a number of companies that produce these and we love them. Just throw them into the lunch bag on your way out. When your kid is ready to eat, screw the top off and he/she can slurp the fruit out of the pouch. It's fun for the kiddies and leaves parents' hands free to tend to others.

Backyardigans Born to Play soundtrack - Pig absolutely loves this soundtrack. When we turn it out, she turns into a dancing fool. I have to admit the songs are pretty catchy, I found myself humming this tune several times today.

Aden + Anais swaddle wraps - Wish I had found these earlier. The hospital blankets are great while your baby is in newborn sized diapers. But soon, our kids began busting out of even the best wrapped burritos. These wraps are huge, made of breathable muslin thus great for the warmer months, and super cute to boot. I throw one into our diaper bag and it doubles as a great blanket, breast-feeding wrap, or stroller cover.

Neutrogena Baby Pure Sunscreen Stick - I was raised to view the sun as my enemy so I am lovin' this big time. Lotions run into little eyes but this stick is easy to use and applies a nice thick layer of solar protection. After some initial struggling, Pig is great about sitting still while we slather this on her face and ears. We still use lotion on her arms and legs.

Halo Sleep Sack - Pig is a whirling dervish in her crib so this is the only way to keep her covered up at night. We have them in lightweight cotton for the warmer months and fleece for the chillier evenings. They come in three different sizes and different colors and cute designs.

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-07T06:52:00.001-07:00

Pig watching her daddy water skiing on Keuka Lake.

Port Discovery Children's Museum

2009-06-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

This museum rawked...hard. I had seen this place mentioned in a number of Baltimore mommy blogs and put it on my mental list of places to take the kidlets. And boy am I glad we did. It's on the pricier side, $12.95 admission for adults, kids under 2 free and $13 parking but oh-so worth it. In fact, they offer memberships starting at $99 (for family of 4) and we're thinking of getting one.

Why so cool? The exhibits have a learning element to them yet are designed to be lots of fun for the kids. For example, our favorite was the Wonders of Water permanent exhibit. The cuteness was overwhelming. You walk in and there are little raincoats and rubber shoes for kids to put on. We had dressed Pig in a fast-drying thin romper and her yellow crocs so we decided to forego the outerwear, besides, there's also a drying wall (think: whole wall of those bathroom handdryers). Pig went crazy over the plumbing section. There was an elevated area with what looked like small sprinkler heads trickling water embedded in the ground. Pig and K got busy afixing pieces of plastic pipe onto them and creating enough water pressure to move the water about. I was busy trying to keep Pig from using these pipes as her personal drinking fountain.

Carrying Moo and maneuvering the stroller, I had a hard time keeping up with Pig and K who were running from exhibit to exhibit at the frenetic speed that a toddler amazingly is able to achieve. Pig and K floved the huge climbing er, thing in the center of the museum:

Needless to say, I was really nervous about them climbing this contraption. Luckily there weren't many kids at that time so Pig and K were able to take their time going up and down the climbing net tubes.

All in all, this museum gets two hooves up from The Barnyard and we will definitely go back soon.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

I'm kicking myself because I forgot to pack my camera when we out today. We had a wonderful day, after a late breakfast, we packed the kids and the kite we bought last year but never got to play with, into the car, and head to our favorite park and tot lot.

It was a beautiful breezy day, perfect for kite flying and after K assembled our little bi-plane shaped kite, he attempted to get it airborne. He did manage to get it flying a few times but for the most part, the kite preferred to dive nose first into the earth. K tried to involve Pig but as she was only interested in holding the string, ultimately K lost his co-pilot and Pig busied herself climbing it and out of the stroller and eating her bunny-shaped graham crackers.

K gave up after awhile and we headed over to the tot lot where Pig ran herself and her dad ragged. Moo and I did laps around the lot and checked out the park pavilions which incidentally would be an awesome place to celebrate the kids' birthdays.

The kids are asleep and K and I are now watching Real Time with Bill Maher, perfect end to a great day.

Pig - 19 months

2009-06-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

Pig's brain is fairly pulsating with development these days. Every day brings with it a new skill or discovery. Because I intend this blog to be a baby book for my kids, here's a stream of consciousness list of all things Pig:

She is saying please and thank you when we hand her things. Her favorite words these days are juice, mool (Korean for water), ooh-yoo (Korean for milk), shoes, mine, me, no, baby, daddy, mommy, all done, Kirby and COOKIE (as in the Monster). She is stringing words together. Today she grabbed one of my slipper and announced, "No! Me Slipper!" Spoon and spork feeding is pretty much old hat for her...though oatmeal eating does get a little crazy still. She runs around nicely now...granted we're not talking about graceful sprinting, it's more like what Kirb does when he first busts out of his crate...limbs flailing, mouth open in glee, feet pounding.

I could watch her play for hours. It's like getting a glimpse of the world through her eyes. When she's playing with the toy kitchen set, she imitates what she sees us do when we prepare her meals. I saw her pretend to twist a lid off a plastic bottle and then shake the imaginary contents onto a tiny plastic plate. She loves shoes and loves to match the shoe to the owner. She knows that I wear one surgical shoe and one regular shoe so when we head out she makes sure to hand these to me. She wants to help so when Moo cries she rushes to his side and attempts to put the paci back in his mouth or pat his back and loves to hug and kiss him. She loves to sing and dance especially to anything from Barney or the Backyardigans theme song.

She's an excellent sleeper, an absolute champ, we're talking 12 hours at least at night and 2-3 hour nap during the day. She'll fuss and cry if she doesn't get her away but its a short episode and her daddy can always get her to laugh soon afterward. When she plays, she plays hard and gets dirty. She loves headbands and will snatch the one I have off my head if I'm not careful, in fact she has has broken all of mine. Computers fascinate her and she loves nothing more than to bang away at the keyboard like a mini Jerry Lee Lewis. She loves our little dustbuster vacuum cleaner and laughs as she drags it around the floor. Mommy, knowing a good thing when she sees it, follows behind and points her at the wisps of grass and dog fur. Today she cracked me up when she walked straight up to Kirby's water dish and announced "Kuh-bee!"

They say a child's brain triples in size by the time they hit their second birthday. The possibilities fascinate and terrify me. I feel this huge responsibility to ensure that this thirsty sponge of a brain gets enough to keep it pulsing with activity.

Moo - 2 months

2009-06-15T20:30:00.001-07:00

Mr. Moo had his 2 month well baby check up today and holy moley, he's weighing in at 12 lbs, 6 ounces and stretching out at 23 .5 inches long. Yep, filling out nicely. You should see his thighs...folds and folds. And he's got a butt folks! Not quite the ga-thunka-thunk that Pig has but he could probably rock a pair of teeny bicycle shorts. We love 'em chunky in this family. Moo is catching up to his big sister fast. At this point, Pig was a delightful 12 lbs, 10 ounces. Viva la leche de boob!

Poor kid also had 4 big needles stuck into his fat thighs. On the car ride home, with the dulcet sounds of Moo grumbling in the backseat, I started wondering what it's like to be my kids. Do they get frustrated because their bodies won't do as they will? I watched Moo trying to squirm away from the needle and thought sadly that he might be thinking, this sucks, I'm going to get up and leave...but instead could only rock back and forth like a turtle on its back. And Pig, she jabbers on and on everyday and I'm sure she is saying something unbelievably profound and hilarious but her stupid parents just stare back at her in confusion.

Parenthood is a strange thing. You find yourself both wishing time could speed up and slow down at the same time. So many times I've thought won't it be nice when the kids are able to [fill in the blank] e.g. sit up, feed themselves, stand in the tub, speak in a language I can understand, take out the garbage, carry me around in a sedan chair (ha, I kid...sorta). But then these days as I pack away yet another outfit that Moo has outgrown, I wish I had a pause button somewhere. I want to be able to just sit and enjoy the now more, cuddle my kids more when they're not squirming to get away. I see Moo's huge, glossy eyes follow me as I move about the room and think, gawd, I know it won't always be like this, but is there a way to bottle this feeling for later so I won't have to just rely on increasingly fuzzy memories.

My Favs

2009-06-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

While pregnant with Pig, I searched high and low for a list of tried and true baby stuff/gear. I ended up just cobbling a list of my own based on amazon.com wishlists, parenting blogs, and advice from friends.

Here's are a few of my favorite baby things, I'll continue to add to this list:

JJ Cole bibs - These seriously rock. The cloth bibs are great during the early drooling stages but once solids are introduced, these are the bibs you'll need, especially if your kid is like Pig and yanks the bib off first thing. This thing comes with three snaps so that you can adjust the circumference and no matter how hard Pig pulled, she could not pull it off. Muahahahhaha!

Phil and Teds Inline Stroller with doubles kit - We just got this stroller and it's the coolest thing ever. I absolutely love our Bumbleride stroller but if you're planning on having more than one kid and you have little storage space, you can save yourself some moolah by getting this stroller. There are four different models. It's super easy to use and can be configured to accommodate one toddler, a toddler and newborn, one newborn, or two toddlers. The newborn seat, which reclines flat, serves as a makeshift bassinet when you're out. The other day while at the park, I was able to feed Moo and then pop him into his seat for a safe place to snooze. We were lucky to find the Vibe model for a great price at costco.com and snapped it up. It maneuvers wonderfully on rough terrain but still managed to provide a smooth ride. And what makes me happiest is that it folds up and fits nicely in my small trunk.

Go-go Kidz Travelmate - This one drew envious looks from frazzled parents at the airport. Parents definitely get this gizmo. Let's face it, it looks kinda funny, in fact, I heard quite a bit of snickering from people who probably thought I was treating my kid as luggage. If you're going to need a car seat at your destination, you can strap it on this contraption. Basically, it just adds wheels to your car seat so that you can convert it into a stroller of sorts. So simple, but so ingenious. It did attract alot of attention but I felt better when I saw a group of parents lugging huge car seats on their backs.

Nosefrida - Ok, this is another weird one. BUT, you will learn to love it. In fact, there will be a point where you will pray that the Good Lord reap bountiful blessings upon the country of Sweden for producing such a wondrous device. What is it you ask? It's a booger sucker. And when your kid is sick, you will become obsessed with all things booger-y. Those bulb nasal aspirators are crap. We tried them and all we ended up doing was piss Pig off something fierce. The Nosefrida allows you to control the suction with your mouth and you don't have to jam it up an already tender nostril. The thing has a filter so there's no way you'll accidentally end up with boogers down your throat...but hey if it happens it just means a cool blog entry, no?

Kirkland (Costco) Brand Diaper Wipes - These are alcohol free, unscented and soft and gentle on the little hineys.

Diapers.com - We've been ordering our diapers from this online retailer. Since Costco only stocks Huggies and our house is Pampers country, we've found the best deal on this website. They offer free fast shipping for orders of $50 or more.

Earth's Best Infant Formula - when I ran out of frozen expressed breastmilk, we began ordering Earth's Best Cow Milk Formula. It's organic and gentle on the tummy, in fact we had no issues with constipation while Pig was on it.

Wish List:

Phil and Teds Lobster high chair - Parents are digging this so much, it's backordered everywhere. Having a very squirmy toddler, who enjoys standing up in her highchair, I've been looking all over for a good portable chair with an escape proof harness. This looks like it might be the one. Apparently, it'll be be available in July

Chuckling

2009-06-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

A Happy Play Day

2009-06-10T12:47:00.001-07:00

We absolutely love this huge tot lot. It's surrounded by trees, it's well maintained and it's got something for kids of all ages. I like to pack a meal for all of us and spread out a nice picnic for all of us on a big beach towel, under a tree. While Pig and K play on the jungle gym, Moo and I sit on the towel and enjoy the weather.

How Doth the Busy Bee....

2009-06-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

First week back to work...so to speak...I'm teleworking part-time until Emo arrives to help out. I figured this would be a cinch, Moo is easier to manage during the day. It's like the kid knows. He usually takes one nice long nap but today it's just been a series of short cat naps and fussiness. I'm able to work on my computer while nursing thankfully so I have been able to get things done but I'm worried about what I'll do during a teleconference...like the one I have tomorrow...argh. Lord, I'd like to cash in my brownie points now. I am planning on participating in a big meeting and I don't have no mute button on my landline phone.

K is working late this whole week so I've got Pig pick-up duty. Today was...interesting. I wasn't aware that K wanted me to pick her up until 4:15 pm so I was rushing around getting changed, readying Moo for the trip to his consternation and managed to get to Miss D's 5 pm on the dot. The kids had been playing hard outside so Pig was drenched in sweat and looking pretty pleased with herself. She gaily said her goodbyes to Miss D and one of her little friends (Side Note: Seriously, little kids saying hi and goodbye to each other is by far one of the cutest things ever, they sound just like chipmunks.)

So we're in the car and to keep everybody calm, I've got the Master and Commander sountrack playing. We're listening to Bach when Moo breaks out into song. I hunched my shoulders and concentrate on getting everybody safely home. Then, to my surprise, it became a duet. Pig started screaming at the top of her lungs. It was an I'm-in-pain scream and because I was on the highway, I couldn't stop to see what was the matter. So there I was trying in vain to soothe Moo Domingo and Pig Pavarotti...neither could understand what the hell I was saying but I felt like I had to respond in some fashion. At one point, it sounded like they were trying to out yell each other. Pig would scream, which would render Moo speechless for a few seconds and then vice versa.

After what felt like a millenium, I pulled into our driveway and jumped out of the car to see what was ailing Pig. By this time, I was convinced that she had broken an appendage and was picturing a trip to the same Urgent Care I had visited the week before. I saw that her finger was stuck in the hole of seatbelt buckle and grabbed a tube of A&D ointment thinking I could grease her little fat finger out. I inspected the damage. Dude, the finger wasn't even really stuck. She had jammed it in but was trying to pull it out at a weird angle, hence the pain. I pulled the finger out and Pig glared at me like the whole had been my doing. Relieved I stood laughing until Moo's outrage at his own plight brought me back to earth.

You Know You Love Parenthood When...

2009-06-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

...your son projectile poops on you and you kinda like it (ok, not really, but I was quick to see the humor.)

...you wake up and the first thing you see is your daughter one chubby leg high up in the air as she struggles to put on a voluminous white pair of her dad's boxers.

...your child greets you with such exuberance you know what rock stars feel like.

...you eat something that your kid half chewed, perhaps even regurgitated and then open your mouth again when she offers some more.

...you see your daughter try to help soothe her crying brother by patting his back (that sound you hear is my heart blowing up from the cuteness).

...you hear your son chuckle in his sleep.

...you feel the warm soft weight of your child on your shoulder as they cling to you.

...you find yourself thinking damn, that Cookie Monster is pretty funny...and then secretly look up clips of him on youtube.

The Sleep-Deprived Mommy Brain at Work

2009-05-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

....like a stupid idiot, I broke a toe on my right foot, the middle phalange I believe it's called. Getting out of the car, wearing my new Ugg sandals, my left foot stepped into a stinky, muddy hole in the ground and in my shock, my right foot slipped off the curb. In my attempt to right myself, the bone snapped. Didn't feel a thing at the time, I mean it ached but I thought it was just the way my foot twisted. It wasn't until I was in our car nursing Moo that I looked down and saw that my toe was leaning in a weird angle to the left. I stared and tried to convince myself that I'd always had that franken-toe...but I couldn't dismiss the huge swelling lump that was growing. So off K and I went to the local Urgent Care facility where they confirmed the break and my toe was bandaged and fitted in a surgical shoe. SOOOOO annoyed with myself. Only a week left before I'm back to work and I had to go and do this, damn it, I was looking forward to going for long walks with Moo.

.....like a stupid idiot, I had thought Pig's daycare was open yesterday. Her provider had gone on vacay the week before and it seemed logical to me that she would be open on Monday. Well off K and Pig went. I was thoroughly exhausted from a long night of hanging out with Mr. Moo or as he is also known, He-Who-Hates-to-Fart-Alone and was sitting on the couch nursing him when I see K and Pig approaching the front door. Doh. It was a long day. Pig is now a racing pig and I of course with my bum toe, am no match for her. While Moo napped, Pig and I sat and played blocks, barked at Kirby, popped styrofoam toast out of a play toaster, sang, danced (well, Pig danced, I swayed), and assembled a wooden puzzle. Finally, I got both kids down at the same for a nap and as I settling onto the couch for a short snooze as well...the phone rang...Moo woke up and cried out, which in turn roused his sister. Argh.

All By Myself....

2009-05-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

Pig's substitute daycare lady Miss D is on vacation this week so I'm on my own today and half of tomorrow when their Nana arrives to help. I...am...tired. Moo was fussy this morning and after a feed and some struggling, he finally fell back asleep on my chest, I in turn passed out sitting up on our bed. K got Pig dressed and breakfasted by the time I came downstairs with Moo.

Our cleaning lady was scheduled to come in 10 am this morning so I planned to pack both kids into the car and head over to the indoor playroom. I had packed up Pig's lunch the night before so all I had to do was throw in a couple icepacks into the cooler bag. K put Pig in her pack and play while I fed Moo again and after some unhappiness he finally fell back asleep. I ran upstairs to brush my teeth, wash my face, moisturize, get into jeans and a t-shirt and pull my hair into a ponytail.

Then I ran back downstairs to scarf some yogurt and take my vitamins. On went Pig's coat (it's rainy this week), socks and shoes. I loaded her into the car with diaper and lunch bags and Baby Bjorn. Ran back into the house, put a sleeping Moo into his car seat, clipped his pacifier and grabbed an extra blanket and popped him into the car as well.

The playroom wasn't crowded, yay! Just enough kids to keep it interesting. Pig ran around and played with the plastic cars, roamed in the great playhouses and brought all sorts of toys over to me to inspect. I put Moo in his Baby Bjorn so that I could follow Pig around easily. At noon, I put Pig back into her stroller, packed up her stuff and we piled back into the car. I called K and he asked if I could pick up some lunch for him. All was fine until we got to K's office then Moo started yelling at the top of his lungs. I dropped off K's lunch and then hurried home.

It was lunchtime for Pig so after a quick feeding for Moo, I put her into her highchair and handed her a sippy cup of her Peach and Purple Carrot Juice and a bowl of veggies and pasta. While she ate, I sat on the couch and finished feeding Moo who grumbled and slopped milk all over his face. I put Moo into his bouncy chair and cleaned up Pig's face and hands. While Pig ate her applesauce, I warmed up her afternoon milk. After dragging Moo's bouncy chair and Moo upstairs into Pig's room, I changed her diaper, put her into her pjs and popped her into the glider to drink her milk. Moo was screaming by this time and of course Pig decided to mess around instead of finishing her milk. So with Pig on my lap, I rocked Moo's bouncy chair with one foot. After what felt like a century, Pig finally finished her milk and went into her crib with her blankie and bear.

Moo and I went downstairs and did another feeding and he's finally out on my lap and hopefully both kids will nap blissfully for the next 2 hours at least. I have mucho respect for daycare providers and stay at home moms. I have to say at this rate, I should lose the rest of my baby weight soon.

Week's Eats

2009-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to be better about planning the weeks meals. Safeway is offering free delivery so I've been using this service. It's great, I can sit on my laptop, hunt up promising recipes and create my grocery list as I go. Then I wait. The delivery truck came by right on time and all I had to do it lug it the 15 feet or so from the front door to the kitchen.

So here's what I have planned for this week:

Linguine with Smoked Salmon (Peas, smoked salmon, dill, tomatoes, onions)
Portuguese Fish Stew (this was a hit last week and a cinch to prepare, I'm going to add shrimp this time)
Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Mushroom and Chicken Risotto

Pig - Haircut #1

2009-05-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

Pig received her first professional haircut today...it was at Cartoon Cuts in the mall so by professional I mean someone other than myself or her dad. Being Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend, the place was packed and broiling hot so thankfully, we were there just to have her bangs trimmed.

I wasn't sure how Pig would react to the trim as she was pretty tired and hungry (we were just about to sit down to lunch when they called to let us know that we were up). It was just too cute. They sat her up on this big foam block and wrapped her up. She sat there looking at us...completely weirded out.

Stepping Out

2009-05-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

How do people with 3 plus kids leave the house? With our two, a short trip to get groceries necessitates multiple bags and all sorts of gear...climbing Mt. Everest wouldn't require as much sh**.

Just to give you an idea of how we roll these days:

The kids get a preemptive diaper change right before we head out. I pack a cooler bag with a bottle and expressed breastmilk for Moo. For Pig, we bring a sippy cup of water, her snack trap cup filled with crackers or cookies, her plastic utensil case with spoon and spork, a meal just in case, and a bib. K chases Pig around. I go up to her room to get a fresh pair of socks and a jacket or sweater just in case. Pig runs around turning the tv on and off while K tries to get her shoes and hat on her. K puts Moo into his infant car seat. Moo gets pissed, mutters unhappily for awhile and then busts out yelling. I clip a pacifier to his harness, put an extra blanket around him. Pig tries to jam the pacifier into Moo's yelling mouth. We thanks Pig for her efforts but insist that Moo would prefer us to do it. K takes both kids and loads them into the car. Moo is still yelling. I grab the diaper bag, cooler bag, baby bjorn, and highchair cover on my way out. We make sure we have the right travel gear in the trunk, stroller for Pig and snap and go frame for Moo's car seat. We pull out of the driveway...yup, Moo is still pissed.

The other day, we went out to a Japanese place for dinner. We try to do early dinners (5-ish) to avoid a long wait and to get home in time for Pig's "sleepy time." K gave Moo a bottle while I shoveled miso soup, rice and broiled eel (Unaju) into a cranky, hungry Pig. After 1 hour of trying to feed Pig with chopsticks and keep her from throwing her water cup onto the floor, standing in her high chair and grabbing things off the table, we were spent. I had spit up on my shoulder, rice, soup, and water all over my pants. We should've had the theme song from the Benny Hill Show playing. I joked with K that we ought to swaddle Pig with a tablecloth, that's how I keep Moo from getting overly fresh during his feedings. I'm a big proponent of swaddling. I say we swaddle adults as well. I have a patent pending for the Husband Swaddler, the garment that keeps your significant other from kneeing or elbowing you in his sleep and allows you to easily roll him onto his side when the snoring gets too loud.

Moo - Cooing

2009-05-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

Post-bath, Moo had a happy moment (read: 5 minutes) during his tummy time which I had to capture.

Kids - Food

2009-05-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Feeding my kids...I feel like most of my days are spent pondering this subject...lately even more so. On one hand, since I'm nursing Moo, I keep myself hydrated and watch what I eat e.g. avoid caffeine and unnecessary medication. On the other, I watch Pig's intake to ensure that she gets a balanced meal every day.

However, determining what this entails is a major point of contention between K and I these days. Our arguments in a nutshell, K doesn't think there's any harm if Pig has junk food from time to time, (e.g. candy, cake, overly sugary cookies like oreos, french fries and the like). Having seen little children her age with rotting teeth, I have a bit time problem with this. In addition, I believe this point in Pig's life is to introduce her to a variety of good food that will shape her palate in the years to come. Until we make them known to her, Pig has no idea that such things exist and will not ask for them. There are so many other wonderful things for her eat, it irks me when people try to give my kid junk...especially since I've been taking such pains to plan and cook her meals. Even more annoying is when someone waves junk food in front of Pig and asks if she can have some...and wonder why Pig starts crying. Pig is not even 2 years old for pete's sake, since when was it ok to give junk to someone that young?

K thinks that I'm being anal and that I should relax about this. He doesn't understand why I insist on the costlier organic milk for Pig. I am fine with being anal about this, I see this as my job as her mom, it's a labor of love. Sure it would be a helluva lot easier just to give her whatever. There are some times when I'm so exhausted that the last thing I want to do is cook. But...at this point, we have to make these decisions for our children, decide what is best for them...our responsibility as their parents.

Finally, I am a firm believer that you really are what you eat. I love what Jamie Oliver is doing in British schools and I applauded during Supersize Me when Morgan Spurlock makes the connection between junk food and bad behavior in schools.

Sure, as they get older, they'll end up having sweets and junk. But by being careful right now, hopefully, when given a choice between fruit and a candy bar, they'll pick the former.

So no, I won't back down on this.

Having said my piece, I've been working on adding some new meals to our family recipebook:

Hoisin Chicken Lettuce Wraps (inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe, lately I'm all about the quick and easy)

Chicken enchiladas or Mexican Lasagna

Cuban style pulled pork or flank steak (my sister got me into this one)

Chicken Puttanesca

Falafel pitas

Edamame and Corn Salad

Portuguese Fish Stew (going to try this one tomorrow, yum!)

Moo - 1 month

2009-05-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

9 lbs, 8 ozs, 23 inches. Two pounds in two weeks! Even his pediatrician was shocked.

Rollin'

2009-05-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

K put together Pig's new trike and decided to take it out for a spin...

Moo - One Month

2009-05-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

Moo is growing...he's nearly out of his newborn clothes. His face is rounding out and his little rear end is actually a handful, albeit, a small hand. His sock now fit his calves snugly and are so cute a sight that I could spend a whole day slipping socks on and off his little feet...especially the mini crew socks. *Dies from cuteness overload* He nurses just fine so at most I have to pump once a day, usually in the morning if he neglects to drain one side completely during his night feed.

Thankfully, my milk supply has stabilized and I'm producing just enough for his needs. I had some major engorgement issues when my milk first came in and I was blasting the poor kid with a fierce let-down. A foremilk/hindmilk imbalance was the result and poor Moo was producing some gnarly bright green poops, think ectoplasm, instead of the healthy mustard colored seedy concoctions that his sister produced in ample quantities. I started block feeding to ensure that Moo gets the hindmilk, that is, I'd feed him one side for a certain block of time before switching and luckily 90% of the Moo's poopy diapers are a healthy yellowish.

Mr. Moo in a nutshell:

Likes: Eating, sleeping, speed bumps, hanging in his Baby Bjorn, bouncy chair, sleeping on his left side, stretching exercises, foot rubs

Dislikes: Gas, Pooping, Baths, Diaper changes, Clothing changes, Carseats, Tummy Time

Eye Color: Slate-y Blue

Hair Color: Bronze-y brown

Occasionally, after a good feeding, Moo will look up at me with his huge eyes and his mouth will form into a small "o" shape. I love his little baby noises. He chuckles in his sleep. When he gets frustrated he'll yell out "Ay!"

The Kids

2009-05-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

As Mother's Day approaches, it still hasn't quite hit me that I'm a mother of two. Maybe it's because Moo is still at that small glow worm stage, he may be out of the womb but like a marsupial, he's not quite ready yet...being pink, squirmy and expressionless. Actually, I look at Pig and still can't believe that I'm her mom. It's amazing to me that we managed to grow a big toddler. I can't keep a potted plant alive, in college my tamagotchi pet developed into a weird deformed creature, and Kirb...well, 'nuff said.

Moo - 19 days

2009-04-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Weight: 7 lbs, 8 ounces, 21 inches

At his 2 week well baby visit we were pleased to find that Moo has exceeded his birth weight and height. Not too surprising, the dude's an eating fiend. He's exclusively breastfed and he'll eat every few hours, in the late morning, early afternoon he'll clusterfeed so the two of us will camp out on the couch and watch episodes of I Love Lucy together for an hour or two. Moo will start off eating voraciously and then fall asleep. I'll pick him up, clean off his face (he's a messy eater) and then burp him and just as I put him back into his bassinet he's back up wanting to finish his meal.

He's still getting used to the weird sensations in his belly so he fusses when passing gas or trying to poop. We keep him unswaddled for most of the morning so he can swing him arms and legs about and get some exercise and then wrap him into a tight burrito so that he can get his late afternoon snooze. He'll sleep for 2-3 hours at a time and then wake up starving. Then he'll start his cluster feeding until it's bed time. I've been trying to tank him up until 11 pm or so and then change his diaper, put him into his nighttime swaddle wrap (an ingenious garment) and take him upstairs. While K is minding him, I'll get my manual pump parts ready just in case I wake up bursting in the middle of the night. Then, I'll tuck Moo into the corner of his Co-Sleeper (he's happier when he can't thrash about) and jump into bed and snap off the lights before Moo changes his mind and decides to burn the midnight oil after all. He'll wake up anywhere between 2-4 am, I'll try the pacifier a couple times and if that doesn't work, pull him out for a nursing. Then he'll sleep until I bring him downstairs and change his diaper and begin our new day.

Pig - 18 months (almost)

2009-04-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

So Miss Pig is teething....A..LOT. It seemed like overnight she went from having 4 little tic tacs in front to a full chomping rack of pearly whites. Poor thing is probably wondering what she did during her short little existence on this earth to deserve this. For awhile we weren't sure what was up. She would wake up screaming and yelling and work herself into hysterics. It coincided with the birth of Moo so we thought that perhaps she was reacting to the change, in particular her father's attention being diverted to this strange new little bundle. As she loves her daddy more than anyone else in the whole wide world, I suggested that K pay especial attention to her, to assure her that she wasn't being replaced. After that, we had two good nights of sleep so...thought we, issue solved. But of course, it came back.

So then we started thinking it's the molars and incisors. Her mouth is likely just one big open sore. She's been fighting sleep big time. We know she's tired, she'll dose off readily but then wake up screaming her head off. Other symptoms, irritability (usually reasonable, she's been yelling if she doesn't get her way), decreased appetite (our little eater usually has three squares, snacks and 25 ounces of milk, these days we're lucky to get two meals in her and it's gotta to be soft, pureed stuff), and chewing (she's been chewing on everything, her wooden puzzle pieces, her fists, her clothes, us). To help her with the discomfort we've been giving her some baby Motrin on the really bad days. *Deep breath* She's got 12 toofers so far, which leaves us with 8 more to go...let us pray.

It probably doesn't help that in addition to the above, we had to find a substitute daycare provider while Mrs. V. cares for her ailing husband. It started off as a week but now it looks like it'll be a month before Mrs. V. opens her doors again. We were lucky to find D to look after Pig during this time. She feeds the kids breakfast, lunch and snack so that helps in the mornings, does not believe in candy incentives and only allows 1 hour of tv in the morning. I'm starting to think it'd be nice if we could switch from Mrs. V. to D. Unfortunately, D already has 7 kids and we'd need someone who could take Moo as well in July.

While nighttime is rough, Miss Pig by day, continues to delight us with her antics. She imitates everything we do. She has started trying to moisturize her face. This is likely the result of her coming into the bathroom as I was conducting my skincare regimen and stared for awhile, filing the image away in her little rolodex-like brain. Problem is, she's rubbing anything onto her face. The other day, she came down the stairs, her face glistening like she had spent the night dancing at Studio 54. Turns out she managed to get some A&D ointment when her dad was changing her diaper and spread it all over her face.

Miss Pig is an incredibly social little thing. She could be a Walmart greeter really. She says hello to women, men, children, animals..if it's moving about, Miss Pig wants to know it. An introvert myself, I'd prayed for a happy, confident child...damn, were my prayers answered. She loves giving kisses and hugs.

Other developmental milestones: she's running around like crazy, she can put together her farmyard wooden puzzle, she likes to match possessions to owners so for example, she'll grab shoes from the closet and take them to whoever they belong too, she can point to parts on her face (e.g. eyes, nose, mouth), she loves dancing and adjusts her dancing to the tempo of the music, she knows that Moo is the baby and when she hears him cry she'll say "baby!"

New Itty Bitty Defender of the Faith

2009-04-26T13:16:00.001-07:00

So Moo was baptised today, like Pig, slept through most of it. He woke up afterwards to find himself wearing the holy poncho and his hair washed and smelling sweetly of pine-y scented oil. We had a great gathering afterwards with family and friends. Thanks to everyone for coming out to celebrate with us, it was wonderful to see everyone!!

Moo - 12 days

2009-04-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

Yup, those are little blue socks on my son's hands. He's been a pooping and peeing machine since we brought him home so we ran out of outfits with the built-in hands mitts. Lo and behold, his little socks worked a treat, I've found the little hand mitts they sell are pretty crap from keeping Moo from turning into an Edvard Munch painting:

Pig was yelling like a banshee in her high chair and my mom happened to look into Moo's bassinet and saw his little blue hands pressed up against his ears.

Trip to the B'more Zoo

2009-04-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

It was such a nice day yesterday that my parents decided to take Pig to the Baltimore Zoo. My friend E had mentioned that it's a nice kid-friendly zoo so I suggested that they go there instead of the National Zoo in DC. They had a blast. They stayed only a few hours because Pig started getting tired but she had a good time looking at the various ungulates as well as some feathered friends (my parents have taught her to quack like a duck). My mom managed to take some really nice photos, difficult when you're trying to keep up with an active little 18 month old. She loves to run and run and no, she doesn't want to hold your hand, she can do it all herself, thank you very much.

I had fun looking at the photos and had to laugh out loud when I saw this next group of photos of Pig in the goat petting area. After some hesitation, she made a beeline for this guy:

My dad saw that there were some kid-sized curry combs and hastened to grab a little yellow one for Pig. So, she starts brushing.....

and brushing...

as she brushed, she started scanning the pen for additional victims, ahem, clients.....

and she came upon the perfect goat....

This morning she looked at Kirby with a new light in her eyes....wait a minute, this yellow guy has fur too...and fur needs brushing....hmmmm.....

Easter Bunny cometh....

2009-04-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

Finally got this scanned and just had to share....

I could not stop laughing when I saw this printed out. So we dressed Miss Pig up in pastels to have her picture taken with the mall Easter Bunny. So we get there and start to get apprehensive that the Bunny might scare her....he/she was big and fuzzy and had a huge grin...kinda scared me. So K decided to sit in the photo with her. Now...before we left I told him that he might want to put on something nice, at least a nice shirt because he might end up in the photo with Pig. K goes ahead and puts on....a Battlestar Galactica T-shirt and jeans and his baseball cap.

Some folks have perfect photos taken...well, this is how we roll...we like photos that tell a story. This one just happens to look like a random homeless guy horned in on Pig's Easter Bunny photo.

Presenting Mr. Moo...

2009-04-15T06:55:00.001-07:00

Hola everyone, this is Moo. Born April 9, 2009 at 11:52 am, weighing 7lbs, 3.6 ozs and measuring 20 inches in length, here he is dressed to roll with his cow pal.

Je Suis Prest

2009-04-08T02:24:00.000-07:00

I can't sleep. Woke up at 2 am as Pig is teething big time. Two upper molars and and a lower incisor have sprouted in the last few weeks so from time to time she'll wake up yelling for help. So after tossing and turning and then reading a few chapters of Under the Tuscan Sun for the umpteenth time (the food talk is soothing), I've given up and waddled downstairs to the welcoming glow of my laptop.

So one more day to get a little bit readier for Moo. I've given up on being entirely ready, it ain't gonna happen, I'm still working so that takes up my time during the day and also my list seems to get longer everyday. So c'est la vie.

I find that I'm a little afraid. Not the same kind of fear that I experienced before Pig's birth, actually that was more terror when I realized that I knew close to nothing about caring for a baby before we brought her home. (Side note: hospitals really shouldn't force you to watch those cheesy childcare videos before discharging you. First of all, they're outdated. The actors all have those big bushy 80s hairdos and everyone's grinning in a creepy way. Second, there's no way you can cram childcare 101 in the 30-45 minutes or so before you're discharged. I left feeling worse.) I'm not worried about the pain either. After 10 months or so of baby growing, a few days are nothing, it's like having a bandaid ripped off.

No, I think it's the fear of another change. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited. I want to see the face of the little one who has been kicking my ass for close to a year. It's still inconceivable to me that this time next year I'll glance at my rear view mirror and see two little faces peering back at me and that our little family will be complete. But... what will this mean for my relationship with Pig? I keep telling myself that once Moo's born that I'll have the energy to run around with Pig as well as look after Moo. But then I remember the bleary-eyed early days after Pig was born. I have to admit that I'm also worried about some gnarly post-partum kicking in. I had a long bout of it after Pig arrived, found myself sobbing in the shower and then had awful and depressing thoughts throughout the day for months. That's actually a big reason why my parents are here again for a month and will be coming back in June. Having told K about that dark period, he thought it'd be a good idea to have alot of activity in the house to keep things upbeat.

Eh...so there's one insomniac's late night confession. Tomorrow I will give Pig and K a big hug and kiss assured that things are only going to get better. Off to bed again...next entry, the birth story, stay tuned.

Dragging my rear....

2009-03-31T17:05:00.001-07:00

It is a zero energy day today folks. Not my iron pill, nor a hot shower, high protein meals or a nap are working today. At one point, after bringing up a load of laundry, I realized that I was panting like a little lapdog. I wonder if Moo just rounded out a little bit more today...that one last fetal wrinkle has smoothed out so like his sister he'll emerge covered in very little vernix and looking more like a 3 month old than a newborn.

Meanwhile, I have some deadlines that I have to meet for work. So it looks like I'll be doing some work after Pig goes to bed tonight. My hope was to get away with doing wind down work until my due date but we just started a new project so I'm in until the bitter end.

My parents are here! They picked up some takeout for dinner, my mom scrubbed the kitchen, my dad helped K scrub Pig and I'm feeling myself relax for the first time in months, perhaps the to-do list is doable after all. K is busy this week, working on getting a certification for work and taking kumdo lessons so my parents will be taking over daycare drop off and pick up duty. K's cert exam is this Friday so he's hoping that Moo stays put until then, I have strict instructions not to run around too much until then...and here I was planning on doing some rigorous horseback riding followed by some gravity defying gymnastic tumbling, darn.

Our plan was to eventually recarpet the basement and turn it into a playroom for the kidlets. With Kirb foiling all of our plans, I'm starting to think it might be better to put in laminate flooring and roll out an inexpensive rug. Any accidents could be repaired without having to call in our trusty carpet cleaning man, saving us the $80 it costs us each time we do. We could then put up a gate separating K's office and Kirb's crate from the kid play area. My dad has volunteered to help if K's willing...actually, he volunteered to do it all but my mother and I responded with an emphatic "NO." First, he's a major klutz, having him near a mitre saw would be a bad idea. Second, he's more about speed than ensuring quality job done and K is anal about the flooring in our house. K works slowly but does good work so with my dad's help I figure they could get it done this weekend. If K and my dad could get to work this Saturday during Pig's nap ripping the carpet out, they could spend Sunday putting in the flooring. It'll be an organizational challenge, as they'd have to work in quadrants to avoid having to move all of the furniture upstairs, Pig's current domain but I'm keeping my fingers crossed...mama would be super happy to get that done.

Meanwhile, my mother and I have a date with Moo's things. We'll be washing until the cow comes home (sigh, yeah I'm cringing too, that was a bad bad bad pun, but I'm sleep deprived so that's as good as it gets these days).

Let the Rumpus Begin!

2009-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

This absolute delights me...

Of course I loved this book as a kid...and then loved it when we revisited it in my Children's Literature class in college. But it also reminds me of how many wonderful things that my kids have to look forward to as they grow up....and how very lucky I am that I'll be able to see them experience them.

Feeling Discouraged

2009-03-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been...vexing.

K's dirty clothes and papers seem to pile up faster than I can keep up with, as he's allergic to organizing or doing laundry, sigh. And ever since his brother took a turn for the worst, Kirby the lab has been acting up and is making messes all around the basement. My theory is that he thinks with Anoki's demise, there's going to be some huge power vacuum so in all his peabrained wisdom he has decided to step up and start marking his territory now because goodness knows if he doesn't random dogs are going to come over to the house to take over in one bloody coup d'etat after another. Seriously, it's the last freaking thing we need around here.

What I'd like is a robot butler. Nothing too fancy, just another pair of hands to help out around the house. When I can't sleep at night, I like to think about what our little cyborg could do. It wouldn't need sleep so when we're all sleeping, it could putter about the house and do chores, especially laundry. It'd be programmed to know that at night it should only wash and fold and wait to put the clothes away in the morning when everyone's awake. It would be equipped with a silent vacuum cleaner and floor steamer so pretty much it cleans as it rolls around the house, sanitizing wherever it goes. It could brush loose hair off the dogs as they sleep (this'll be challenging) and sanitize paws and freshen their breath with its built in doggy sonicare system. As an added feature, it could cattle prod Kirb if it senses that he's going to try to mark anywhere or menacingly wave a doggy catheter. During the work week, it can pull the covers off of K and point him in the direction of the shower before he can hit the snooze button as well as stand next to him at bed time, remind him of the late hour and lay on a guilt trip him if tries to ignore it.

Problem is, I've seen/read enough sci-fi to worry that the cyborg will eventually develop human emotions and realize what a thankless job it has and then rise up against us. At this point, I grumble, roll over and try to go back to sleep.

Moosic

2009-03-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

K and I started reminiscing about the music we liked growing up and now I find myself looking up old songs I used to love in high school and college on youtube.com. Damn I miss the 90s.

37 Weeks and 5 days

2009-03-26T11:16:00.001-07:00

Full term finally! I had another weekly ob/gyn visit today. Everything is going well. Thank goodness my Group B Strep test came back negative, yay! Moo is still a dancing fool and a determined one at that. The guy is quickly running out of room but he still manages to waltz about, the black and blue marks around my navel can attest to this. Some odd new symptoms: blurred vision. I wake up every morning feeling like there's a weird film over my eyes. Apparently very common...and will stick around for several weeks after the birth.

So much still to do! I am still in nesting mode but without the second trimester energy, blast it! I've got wash Moo's clothes and get them hung up and put away, put up his co-sleeper (courtesy his grandparents, thanks!) and wash the sheets we got for them, clean out the chest freezer in anticipation of mucho breastmilk, sterilize small bottles and nipples, buy new tubing for my pump, start a 529 for Moo....eh, the list continues. I'll be happy when my mom gets here so she can help me get all the little things out of the way.

Non-baby news: our shep/husky mix Anoki is having a really rough time. He's on opiates now to manage the pain but he's so weak that I have to practically push the pills, well coated with peanut butter, down his throat. The lump on his head is impossibly huge and my heart just aches every time I see him. I never thought he'd end up going like this, since I've known him, he's been a healthy dog, a good eater, peed and pooped like a champ. We're not sure what to do. We've decided that when he gets to the point when he can't eat or drink on his own then we should let him go. He's in pain but he can still eat his kibble and drink his water and when someone comes to the door, he manages to come up the stairs and yell at them. It's awful to have to make that decision for him...does he want to stay or go?

The Water Pig!

2009-03-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted any pics in awhile so here's one that I took at Pig's last baby swim class. She loves the water toys and leaping into her dad's arms.

2009-03-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

My body is slowly falling apart. My immune system no longer works for me. It protects Moo and that's about all it can do these days. So anything Pig brings home, I end up catching too. Sooo, Pig had a sneezy, snotty cold and now I have that same cold. I've been waking up with burning sinuses and a raw throat, probably from the snoring that has started up recently. K and I must put on quite a recital every night, must sound like dueling chainsaws in our room. If I could sleep in, I'm sure I'd feel better, but it must be a mom thing because once I hear my child's voice, there's no way I can fall back asleep.

Our weekday morning routine these days:

6:30 am - Alarm goes off, K tried to ignore it but I poke him in the back until he turns it off.

7:30 am - K finally wakes up and staggers off to the bathroom to shower. I roll into the center of the bed and try to sleep a little bit more.

8:00 am - The Queen wakes up and plays in her crib. K out of the shower, toweled and robed goes in to greet her with a "Why Hellooooo!" K changes her diaper. I roll out of bed to help select her outfit for the day. K puts her in her highchair.

8:15 am - I give Pig her milk and start putting together her lunchbag, 3 bottles of milk, entree, side fruit or veggies and snack. K has finally relented to taking packed lunches so I put together his lunchbag as well. Today he got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, baby carrots, cheezits, and 2 Pink Lady apples.

8:30 am - K comes down all dressed, sits down to have his bowl of cereal. He takes the dogs out to pee and poo. I give Anoki his medications with a big dollop of peanut butter. K feeds and waters them. I make Pig's breakfast and K feeds her while I clean up the kitchen.

8:45 am - I put Pig's socks on (it's easier when she's sitting in her highchair, less squirming), she gets her mouth and hands cleaned. She walks over to the coat closet to put her coat, hat and shoes on. K gets his coat and shoes on. Big kiss for K and Pig and I stand at the door and wave bye until they're down the street.

9:00 am - Turn on my computer, put dirty dishes in dishwasher and I sit down to my own breakfast.

37 Weeks and 1 Day

2009-03-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging in the comfort of my bed, listening to the dulcet sounds of the little Pig singing herself to sleep and a husband cooking waffles downstairs...ah...this would be the life if I wasn't feeling strong contractions at the same time.

The contractions are getting stronger and more painful, it's the worst when it happens in the car while I'm driving or in the middle of the night just as I drifting off to sleep. So I've begun packing my hospital stay bag. I laugh to think of the things I packed last time, several nighties, underwear, knitting, thank you cards, playing cards, clothes for K, towel, toiletries, breastfeeding pillow..etc... I ended up staying in the hospital gown that snapped up the front making breastfeeding easier, hospital issue disposable underwear, wasn't allowed to shower until the second to the last day, and slept between contractions and when I wasn't feeding Pig. Though actually come to think of it, I did write up a few thank you cards.

So this time, the bag is pretty empty, I've got my going home clothes, yoga pants, loose wrap top, nursing bra and pads, toiletries, beef jerky for K to snack on, slippers for when I'm able to get out of bed, plenty of hair ties, my pump and accessories, sweatshirt for K (he got cold last time), digital camera, video camera and finally a going home outfit for Moo. I intend to only stay 3 days if I can get away with it. While I'll miss the hospital bed, it's easier to sleep at home and easier on my parents who won't have to drive back and forth delivering meals.

Thank goodness my parents are arriving soon! I'll feel better knowing that someone will be around just in case I go into labor in the middle of the night.

Random Thoughts

2009-03-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

Despite our best efforts, K has come down with the plague as well. He woke up one morning with the telltale goopy eye and had to stay home for two days to avoid spreading it to his coworkers. Now the two of us take turns shaking the bed with our coughs at night. Last night I didn't realize that K was right behind me until he aimed a sharp cough at the back of my head. If was, ahem, a few pounds lighter I might've flown out of bed, instead I unsuccessfully suppressed an expletive from flying out my mouth and rolled about indignantly like a turtle on its back.

I should but I can't stop reading the news. It makes me sick to my stomach, but the incredible gall of some people never ceases to fascinate me, dude, I feel guilty if I don't put the grocery shopping cart back after unloading my purchases. The AIG bonuses, the Madoff ponzi scheme, Cheney's lovely remarks about the state of the economy. But then I get depressed thinking about how I see this on a smaller (yes, much smaller) scale everyday as well. The people in the parking garage at work who never arrive on time to move their car, fully expecting the rest of us to just drive around them, risking damage to our own cars (am I bitter, just a little bit). Also people who will stop in the middle of the road to answer their cell phones...wtf?!

Had a weird craving for blue tortilla chips and salsa yesterday...so I went crazy. Let's just say that it's a good thing it was one of the smaller bags from Trader Joe's and not the Costco brand chips...and it was unsalted too! Spivey asked me the other day about the cravings I've been having during this pregnancy. Chocolate! I have to have it in some form every day. I'm normally not a milk drinker but I bought a quart of organic chocolate milk and downed it in two days. Also Hansen's natural cane soda, I can't be without it! I absolutely love the Black Cherry flavor but then discovered the new Pomegranate flavor at Trader Joe's. There must've been some sort of stampede in the soda aisle when this one made it's debut because while the other flavors were being sold by the six pack, had to get this one by the can. I bought one can, finished it that day and of course now it haunts me...I need more.

Pig's poop has taken an even nastier turn. Kris usually changes the #2 diapers these days but the other day I was home alone with Pig and as she ran by me, my super sensitive pregnancy nose caught a whiff of something noxious which I had to investigate. Great Caesar's ghost was it awful. I dry heaved so bad my lower back cracked. We had planned on introducing Pig to the potty in a few months and really seriously potty training when she's close to two....but after meeting that last turd...I dunno, maybe earlier is better.

Date's been Set

2009-03-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

So looks like we have an arrival date for Moo, April 9th, 10 am. I am to report to the hospital at 8 am for lab work and surgery prep. As my sister said after I told her, it's strange to set your child's birthdate, like setting up a fedex pickup time. Also weird, my son's birthdate will be an all purpose household cleanser, 4/09...easy to remember at least.

K is open to having more kids but I am set on only having two. I loved having a sibling so I wanted to give my kids that experience. But as pregnancy has been just way too debilitating for me, I've decided that two is enough for me. I really want to be finished with the childbearing portion of my life so that I can focus on being with the family I have. I spent most of my first trimester holed away in my room, missing out on precious time with Pig and now in this last trimester, I find that I can't keep up with her. Often I watch her play while seated in a chair even though I'd love to just plop on the ground with her.

I do feel sad at times knowing that this time next year, my final baby will be toddling around like his sister is now and that we'll pack up the little onesies and baby toys away for good. I got a little verklempt yesterday as I watched Pig's earlier video clips back before she could roll over. But then I think about all the great things to look forward to, like watching my babies develop into little people.

For example, Pig's language skills sharpen everyday. I can't wait for the day when my child can tell me what she needs from me so that I won't have to guess. One of the hardest things is to guess where she hurts and treating her based on my best guess. I look forward to Pig being able to tell me that she's still hungry or thirsty. Currently, we're not sure if she declines food because she's sick of it or because she's full, there are some days when she'll eat and eat and eat and then I start to wonder if I'm starving her on other days when she only takes a few mouthfuls and quits.

Anyway, back to language skills. For the past few days, Pig has been singing to herself, sounded like total gibberish to me, "eee oooh eee!" She'd sing this over and over. One day, while she was sitting in her highchair ready for her dinner, she started singing again. So just for fun, I repeated it after her. Then she got excited and said in response "oooo ooooh eeee!" Then I realized, dude, my kid's singing the Barney song ("I Love You, You Love Me"). I had known that her daycare provider sang that to her when she had trouble sleeping. So we started singing those two lines over and over again because unfortunately at the time mommy only knew the crude parody version of the Barney song so had to stop after the first two lines.

So needless to say, we're more on the alert in the hopes of picking up more.

Sleep...I miss you so

2009-03-05T01:09:00.000-08:00

Still got pinkeye, hopefully the drops I'm using will wipe it out soon. In the meantime, I wake up twice to clean the goop oozing out of my eyes and go down to the kitchen to rummage around for something cool to relieve my sore throat. Perhaps nature's way of preparing me for Moo.

Methinks Pig is cutting another pair of teeth, most likely her molars. She's been whiny as of late and prone to sudden bursts of irritability and clinginess, strange for our usually sunny, independent little child. Today for instance, we sat her in her high chair, on the menu, boneless pork chops with a balsamic honey mustard glaze, rice and green salad. (Side note: I've always been afraid of boneless pork chops but finding it easier and easier each time, the trick being to find the thickest chop, pan searing and finishing in the oven with onions and a nice thick glaze)

Our pediatrician encouraged us to let Pig feed herself more and more so she could achieve that heady feeling of triumph that comes with successfully using utensils. So our practice these days has been to give Pig her own spoon and we'd do the primary feeding with another spoon. Pig already in a bad mood, immediately hurled her spoon to the floor. We said bye-bye to that spoon. K tried to feed with the spoon he was holding and girlfriend had a major cow. Started pushing her dad's hands away and flicking the food out of it. After a few tries, we decided to let her chill on her own. We continued eating and chatting as she yelled and whined and made funny faces and finally threw her high chair tray to the ground. We said bye-bye to the tray.

It wasn't until I got up to clear the table that she settled down and realized that this meal was marching on with or without her. She then proceeded to eat the rest of her meal, granted her daddy helped it along by slathering it with lots of cold applesauce.

Then during her shower, she cried when we stood her in the stall...very unusual, she normally loves any form of bathing. Some whining while her dad diapered and dressed her. It's gotta be teething and judging from the uber-crankiness, it's gotta be the molars. Further proof, my friend E's daughter who's 2 weeks older than Pig is currently cutting her bottom molars and these two chicks have been twins when it comes to their developmental milestones. Also, Pig has been sucking down her nighttime bottles and the other night she slept fretfully, we thought it was a sneaky, nighttime poop but nope, all was clean.

Well back to bed, let's see if I can get in a few more hours.

The Pig Personality

2009-03-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

The Pig at 15 months

She is walking quite well, will occasionally take a tumble but learning quickly how to balance herself. She's discovered that to put her shoes on (or daddy's shoes on), she should hold onto something stable first.

She is a dancing fool. My sister, her Emo, visited for a week and demonstrated some great Indian dance moves as we listened to Chaiyya Chaiyya on youtube.com. Pig stared intensely for a few seconds and threw herself wildly into it, her arms were a fat little blur as she waved them about. She was sitting in her high chair which I thought just might flip over from the force of her dancing.

Girlfriend got herself a temper. Pig and Emo were playing with a plastic laundry basket. Emo held onto the basket as Pig climbed in. I was doing the dishes when all of a sudden I hear a loud shriek of anger. I come running to find Pig standing and glaring back at the basket and her Emo rolling with laughter. (Apparently, Pig got stuck trying to get out of the basket) Then in a huff she turned around, shaking her hands and yelling, "No-no, no-no!" She then proceeded to take her anger out on the kitchen cupboards. But she soon got over it and she and the basket have since reconciled.

(to be continued..)

34 Weeks...have mercy

2009-02-27T01:34:00.000-08:00

At my last ob apptmt (a week ago), the doc estimated that Moo is already weighing in at 6.5 lbs. O..M...G...and still a month left to go. I really don't think my body can handle getting any bigger...I have long since lost sight of my Flintstone sized feet, I no longer turn around in front of the mirror to get a glimpse of my derriere, there's no point, I already know the answer to the question does this make my butt look big...yes, indeedy. I have a waddle that could easily fool a passel of Emperor Penguins into thinking that I'm one of them. I am currently sporting a lovely skin tone that could only be described as fishbelly white and so I laughed long and hard when K suggested that don one of my old bikinis and join himself and Pig during her Saturday morning baby swim class. AND, because I wasn't beautiful enough, I've also caught bacterial conjunctivitis (aka pinkeye) from Pig and am now walking around with swollen, bloodshot eyes, oozing yellow and green discharge from the tearducts.

Oh yeah, I know you want a piece of this now.

Pig's pinkeye is doing much better thank goodness, she's on antibiotics and responding well. I will hopefully get treatment tomorrow from my GP. In the meantime, we're hoping that K stays pinkeye free, we've got separate towels and several bottles of hand sanitizer around, so fingers crossed.

Update

2009-02-18T03:10:00.000-08:00

It was the croup after all. Pig's ped prescribed steroids and told K that that night (Friday) would be the worst but would slowly get better. The likely viral host was a little boy at Pig's daycare who ended up hospitalized so I stayed worried. So we had another sleepless night but at least we knew what we were up against and had a plan. K took Pig into our shower and created a steam sauna, the two of them emerging with matching hairdos and drowsy expressions. The medication was administered and humidifier filled to the brim and the night began...

Saturday was a mucous-y, cranky day. Pig was over-tired and unhappy with the world. She was still to sick to really do anything other than play around the house so we skipped her first swim lesson that morning and hung out, fighting a mountain of mucuous that was pouring out of her nose. She got another steam shower and then we decided to forego the steroids since the nose was bothering her more and try a small dose of baby Benadryl and a little baby vapo-rub.

Sunday was a bit better. She slept a bit more Saturday night so not as cranky. K took Anoki to the vet, got a refill on the pain meds, more about this later.

And other news, K has to watch his cholesterol. I'd been nagging and nagging him about eating more and better and after getting a printout from our GP and a little lecture, he finally believes.

I hate this weather.

Sick again

2009-02-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

Poor Pig was up all night coughing, groaning, whimpering, and crying...and we have no freaking idea why. It wasn't at all like her usual colds....she managed to sleep through most of the night when she had her sinus infection last year....but this time, she'd wake up every 30-45 minutes or so. I'd walk into her room and find her poor sleepy little self sitting up, holding her stuffed animal and crying.

She was having trouble breathing so we made sure her humidifier had plenty of water and turned down the heat to 69. Usually that would help her get through the night. Nope. So we gave her a large drink of water thinking her throat was dry from mouth breathing. Nope. So around 3 am, we changed her diaper, gave her a dose of baby tylenol, administered saline nasal drops, suctioned out her nostrils, and some more water. Not really. She slept for maybe a few hours and then woke up again fretful.

I'm afraid it's croup. K is taking Pig to her pediatrician today so fingers crossed that it's only a teeny cold.

Drinking Pig

2009-01-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

Pig using her straw cup, the cuteness just kills me.

Eat it and Wear it

2009-01-28T11:31:00.001-08:00

Pig's been getting picky as of late. She's a good eater but it depends on the day/mood/lunar phase/size of diaper wedgie up her butt...who knows...but one day she'll eat eggs and the next day she'll look at us like "what are you stupid, who said I liked eggs?"

Does anyone know how to say "you'll eat it and you'll like it" in baby babble?

I kid, we don't force Pig , we'll try a couple of times and if she keeps declining we'll just try again another day. But I wish I could see what's going on in that little dome of hers.

Luckily there are some things that she'll always eat. She loves rice and fish and will gobble tofu soup. Oatmeal and yogurt is always accepted and so is anything in a baby food jar. For the most part, she likes whole wheat toast and will eat cheese, if it's melted on bread. So far, linguine is ok, we've tried it coated with marinara and another time with a creamy tuna sauce. Turkey chili is tolerated, she ate a ton when I made it and made through half of it when I packed it for her lunch a few days later.

Pig's stance on fruit is a conundrum. She'll eat it pureed from a jar no problem. She'll have applesauce. But fruit chunks she'll spit out every single time. I've tried mango cubes, grape slices, pear cubes, banana slices in her lunches and the little container always comes back 3/4 full. However, when her dad gives her pieces of the whole fruit he's consuming she'll eat it. The other day she knawed on the pear that K was eating. She'll also eat pieces of apple if someone scrapes pieces out with a spoon.

Actually, it's the same with veggies. I have to chop them up and hide them in her meals. I smush up peas in with her salmon and rice or mince cooked spinach with her chili. I've tried steaming and cooking veggies for her lunch and like the fruit...rejected. We keep trying but in the meantime, I'm hiding them in her food to ensure that she's getting what she needs. It's not like she objects to the taste because she'll happily eat the Earth's Best jarred peas and carrots and spinach which looks just awful to me.

We're assuming that it's just pure cussedness at this point. So to be safe we don't plan to introduce juice into her diet until she can understand and respond to the words "drink your milk first." I frown generally on sugar, it's unnecessary and kids just go ballistic under its influence and it'll just rot her teeth. I don't think I'm being anal, food is important and kids should be getting their energy from protein, not sugar. It irritates me when others try to tell parents to relax when they're not the ones who will have to take the fructose frenzied kid home. An occasional treat is fine but sugary juices, soda and candy on a regular basis, no way.

My Parents

2009-01-27T17:19:00.000-08:00

I was reading about Marian Robinson, the First Granny, and thinking alot about my parents. They came out and looked after the whole family when Pig was born and they're all set to do the same when Moo is born. I know I'll do the same for my children when they have kids but I'm still in awe of everything my parents did for us.

First they cleaned the house, from top to bottom. All of the laundry was done, folded and put away, in fact, we started running out of dresser and closet space. The kitchen and bathroom floors were swept all day long. My dad, horrified by the dog fur, vacuumed everyday. The refrigerator was fully stocked and my mom started cooking, soups, stews, teas, roasts... My dad worried about K being tired would take the dogs out and feed them before we woke up in the morning. While we were in the hospital, my dad completely took charge of the dogs, walking, feeding and brushing them everyday.

While we were in the hospital, my parents came by 3 times a day to deliver food. It's tradition for new mothers to eat miyuk gook, a seaweed soup, to help cleanse the blood. She also made vats of pumpkin juice to help bring down the swelling. My parents were convinced that K and I were malnourished so we were fed protein-rich dishes. I thought K was getting sick of the soup so I ordered my hospitals meals for him...turned out he preferred the soup to the hospital food after all. When we came home with Pig and K went back to work, my parents took charge of Pig while I was recovering from my surgery, I pumped or nursed but otherwise, my parents did everything else, bathing Pig, changing her, bottle feeding her when I was asleep all while cooking up a storm, cleaning the house and taking care of the dogs...not to mention keep me in good spirits while I battled with hormone-induced mood swings.

Thank you omma and appa, we couldn't have done it without you.