Mommy Brain

Sometimes I feel like I lose out on a lot of intellectual stimulation being a stay at home mom. I mean, seriously, playing blocks and tickling kids doesn't amount to a whole lot of smarts. The fact that I can rattle off the tv schedule for PBS in the morning is not something that I am proud of, nor the fact that the majority of my education these days is confined to learning bits of Spanish and Mandarin from Nickelodeon.

I like learning. I love the fact that you can open a book and learn something new each time. I love libraries and bookstores and places of education. I love that the internet is brimming over with knowledge just waiting to be gleaned from. I get excited about the prospect of taking my kids to museums and aquariums. I peruse the adult school catalogs each season looking for classes I could potentially take when the opportunity arises.

Funny thing though...I wasn't a very good student. I usually do better when the learning comes of my own volition rather than on a forced schedule. So in my classes I always averaged out because I couldn't keep up with the school work or mentally handle that timeline on my syllabi. So time was never my thing, but in all honesty, I still have most of my college textbooks, and I still use them. I like to read them every once in a while for no other reason than the information fascinates me. Yup, kind of nerdy, huh?

Perhaps that's why I liked teaching. It was an opportunity to always learn, to find new things to pass on to my students. It was an opportunity to study up on teaching theories and child development. It gave me an excuse to read odd books just to have a wealth of knowledge to entertain my students.

So that explains my need to read half of the parenting books in existence when I found out we were expecting the first time around. It also explains why I reread some of the more pertinent ones the second time around. There's also the horrendous pile of books by my bedside and the hundreds of feeds flying into my Google Reader each day. It makes me feel like I'm not letting my brain turn to mush as I pretend I have no idea how to put together that 5-piece puzzle my daughter wants me to help her with.

Then again, I do love that look of accomplishment on Bear's face after she figures out that puzzle, and I'll take that over being smart any day.

Clean Up Time

Bear, it's time to clean up! Pick up your toys off the floor!

Okaaaaaay, mommy!

I guess I should have been more specific.



Oh well, at least she did pick her toys off the floor. Although I guess now I have to clean off the couch.

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today...Happy Birthday, Chipmunk!



...And thanks for sharing your birthday with your son, Matt...Happy birthday to you, too!

It's a first!

First birthday, that is.

Our little Bubba (er...Chipmunk) is turning one this week...So of course, being that he's half-Korean, he got his very own celebration of life.



Here he is all decked out in Korean garb taking part in his dohl jabi. He picked up a pencil and proceeded to stir the rice with it. Apparently that means something really good...(Remember what Bear picked up?)





Besides the cute kids in Korean clothes, I think this was one of the highlights...



Yum! Gotta love that cheesecake.

One already. Wow.

Stay Tuned

For some reason we've been utterly busy, but not with anything I'd consider bloggable. So stay tuned...

Meanwhile here's a little pic that I'll leave you with...



Gotta love that silly smile...

Those Four Dreaded Words

Lately there have been four dreaded words in our home..."I Doing Nothing Mommy!" Usually when those four words are used, it means Bear is up to no good.

"I doing nothing, Mommy!" She says as she swipes at her brother's shirt. I later find ketchup up and down Chipmunk's sleeve.

"I doing nothing, Mommy!" She calls from her room where I later find she's taken all of her clothes out from her bottom two drawers.

"I doing nothing, Mommy!" She answers after I question her about the food she's dropping on the floor.

"I doing nothing, Mommy!" She yells preventatively before I find her playing with things I've already asked her to stay away from.

"I doing nothing, Mommy!" She cries out to mask her brother's complaints as he's crawling away from her now wearing several layers of hats.

"I doing nothing, Mommy" She exclaims after I hear a loud crash and a boom.

"I yuv you, Mommy" She says afterwards, hoping that I won't notice a thing.

Daddy, Buy this!

Going to Costco is not just a shopping trip, it's a family outing for us. Two kids can sit in the cart comfortably, partake of yummy samples and watch as mom and dad ponder whether it's worth buying 300 diapers at a time. Bear enjoys the ride and has happy thoughts of hot dogs. Chipmunk loves the ride as long as his sister is sitting there next to him, sharing her hot dog.

Today, I parked the cart and stepped a couple of feet away when I heard, "Ooooh, wow! Daddy! Daddy! Come buy this! Buy this!"

Matt was a little confused and said, "What?! Do you know what this is?"

Bear smiled, nodded and said, "A Drum box! Buy the Drum box!"

Apparently I parked the cart next to a large pile of Guitar Hero:World Tour boxes for the Wii.

So we bought it...just kidding, we didn't. But that sure would have been a fun ending to this story. Oh well.

Paint, Squish, Glue, Smile

Art.

That's what Bear told me she wanted to do for her birthday party. So a little research led us to the Art Zone. After a brief visit to see what they had to offer, we were hooked. Plus, we couldn't get Bear to leave the place...so it was decided...

Seriously, clay, some goopy stuff, easels stocked with paint, projects with glue and beads, a play area with dress up clothes, paint that you can spray on fake windows and then squeegee, and a mud and water room for...yup, playing with mud and water. It's one of those places you walk in and think, "man, I wish I was a kid again."

Add some pizza, spam musubi and a chocolate cake, invite some friends from play group, and you've got a party!





She was so tired afterwards, she passed out on our couch...hopefully dreaming about fun, art-y things.

Now on to plan Chipmunk's dohl.

Retaliation

I still worry that our assertive, outgoing Bear will overshadow her brother, but lately I have been seeing signs of Chipmunk standing his ground. He has a few techniques:

1) Diplomacy - First he uses his words...well, his word (singular). Not so surprisingly, with a sister always telling him "no," Chipmunk has learned to reply back with "no." (Bear: No Baby, that's mine! - Chipmunk: (babble) No! )

2) Bartering - I've often seen him offering up whatever toy he has at the moment to his sister, perhaps in hope that she'll trade in return.

3) Thievery - After bartering fails, he resorts to stealing. He waits and watches, and the moment Bear puts down the desired toy, he pounces. Sometimes Bear looks up and finds her toy gone not even noticing Chipmunk swept by and stole it. Of course, Bear then grabs the toy back and then hides it behind the couch or behind a closed door even quicker.

4) Take Down - When diplomacy, bartering and thievery has failed, Chipmunk then retaliates with physical force. I've witnessed a few times our 22-pound 10 month old crawl up to his 30-pound sister, grab her around the waist and then pull her backward to the floor...thud. After that, he purposely crawls over her to hold her down so that he can reach the toy once again.

I'm curious to see how this will pan out in their future as siblings.

Returning to Normal Land

With travel and illnesses, it's been slow trying to get back to what we call "normal" in our home. Bear is finally remembering to use her "please" and her "thank you" without our prompting. She's also remembering what it's like to actually take afternoon naps. Chipmunk who has been super-clingy and seems to have developed some kind of super-baby-anxiety is starting to regain his independence. Once his fever broke, he still wasn't acting like his usual happy self, but slowly, day by day, he's starting to regain his appetite for food and for life. And naps? Oh yes, the naps are getting back on track, too.

It's kind of funny though how hard you have to work just to adjust everyone back to a normal schedule, but it's definitely necessary for sanity.

Speaking of normal, here's a funny Bear story...



So she runs up to me like this, hat over one eye and says, "Look, Mommy! I'm a pirate! Arrrrrrrr!" Then she proceeded to "Arrrrr!" all over the livingroom.

Now that's normal for our home.

Through Bear's Eyes

I used to wonder what Bear's view of the world was like...what she sees and how she sees it. For her birthday she got her very own camera. Apparently this is how she views the world...Hope you enjoy her version of our trip.

The rest...

So our trip wasn't all bad. There were some good memorable moments...



...celebrating the fact that it was Chipmunk's first Christmas.







...visiting the Snoopy store and ice rink in Santa Rosa, CA.



...Bear learning the word "zamboni."



...celebrating a birthday.



...spending time with loved ones.

Hope you all had a wonderful...virus-free...holiday.

Sick in Sacramento

Christmas was rough this year. The kids were sick. Yup, again. This time wasn't so fun though. We ran the whole gamut from fevers to upset stomachs. It was one messy Christmas...ew.

Bear was fine after about a day or so, but Chipmunk is still not doing so well. After peaking at a fever of 104.1, we took him to see a doctor who basically told us that there wasn't much to be done, prescribed some meds and sent us on our way. Currently he's still running a lowgrade fever, and just not eating much by way of solid foods. Plus, he's super unhappy and seems to be only wanting the comfort of mom.

So Chipmunk spent his first Christmas very much the same way Bear spent her first Christmas...ill.

So amidst all the icky symptoms we've tried to have as normal a Christmas as possible.

Tried.

So we're still here...sick in Sacramento.

3 years

I can't believe our little girl is three years old today.



I still remember that night three years ago...coming home from a family Christmas, feeling like I ate one too many scoops of super cheesy mashed potatoes...Matt felt it, too (indigestion...ugh). We couldn't sleep that night and little did we know that we wouldn't sleep that night. I remember it was 3 am when I decided that I just couldn't sleep so I propped my pregnant self up with pillows to read a book. About 5 minutes into my reading I felt really weird and decided to get out of bed. As soon as I stepped into the bathroom my water broke, surprise hit my face and with a weak voice I managed to yell out to Matt who responded, "what! are you serious?!"

Calmly, yet quickly...we were out the door, into the car, driving quietly into the night to the unloading zone at the hospital...I remember a security guard wheeling me into labor and delivery...getting settled into a room and then the constant questions, check ups, contractions, ivs, whirlwind of procedures...

And then it all stopped...at least that's what it felt like to me. It was as if time slowed down as my little girl was being placed into my arms...my tiny baby girl with her chubby cheeks and soft mound of black hair. It was surreal.

And today, she's three years old. She's no longer my baby, but rather my child. She's roasting bears, drawing monsters and calling firemen on the phone. With her constant conversation and her insatiable curiosity (why? why? why?) and her beaming personality, I'm still as amazed now as I was back then.

3 years old. Wow.

Happy Birthday, Little Bear!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

From 2008

Climber

I think because his sister didn't start crawling (and combat crawling at that) until she was 10 months old, it feels like Chipmunk is on the fast track. He crawled a little before he was 6 months old, pulled himself up to standing a month later and has been cruising ever since. When he hit 10 months old he started doing something Bear didn't start until she was almost 2 years old...climbing.

He climbs on top of plastic tubs. He climbs onto the kitchen play set (as you can see above). Lately, he's been climbing into and out of the exersaucer on his own, too.

I hope he doesn't figure out how to climb out of the crib. Scary thought.

What's Cooking?

Roasted Teddy Bear. Yum.

Just don't tell Chipmunk what his sister did to his bear.

Chipmunk Bites

Since we are traveling to see family this week, I scheduled some random posts to pop up during this week...just in case you miss us and need to read more about what we've been up to.

Chipmunk has this thing about biting.

See this?



And this?



He also bit out chunks of wood from the 30 year old vintage crib at his grandparents house.

Occasionally, he takes a bite of my knee or arm.

At our visit to the County Fair last Fall, I found a hole in the map right where we were trying to look for information.

He's ripped holes, made scratches and punctured with those eight little teeth.

Man, he's got strong teeth.

Another ha ha moment

Lately, Bear has been enamored with talking on the telephone. This is one of her most recent "imaginary" conversations.

"Hello? Dire Dighter (Fire fighter)? We need help. You coming? You come in the truck. Okay, Dire Dighter. See you later!"

She's not yet three and already imagining about firemen rescuing her. Hmmm.

Chipmunk's latest attempt at talking? "Whooooaaa!" whenever he sees something worth the exclamation. Oh, and "ssssssss" which in baby talk is "cheese" as in whenever Bear points her camera at him.

Silly kids.

Internet Hiatus

We've been having withdrawal these past four days. Why??? Our lovely internet was out. Gone. Nada. Not only the internet, but our cable service was out, too. So we were put on a non-self-imposed internet hiatus (no paying bills, no online Christmas shopping, no updates for our Tivo service). Yup, no tv, no internet...Whatever did we do with ourselves these past four days?

So for all of you waiting for our Christmas cards (my address list was online) or return emails, they're coming. If you noticed that my commenting on Facebook was non-existent or that our blogs have been mysteriously quiet, well we've been sitting here twiddling our thumbs instead. Right.

Surprisingly, it felt twice as busy. Who knew?