cindy's world

Monday was Columbus Day, and hubby and I had the day off. We still had Jayne come over (altho giving her a late start in the morning) since she’s loathe to lose an Allie day when she was going to be gone for 2 weeks visiting her parents in New York. It was a great opportunity to re-meet the guy I married.

Soon after we left the house, I realized I’d left my wallet in the diaper bag from the day before. I felt bad all day as Mr. W would have to pay for everything. This becomes important later in a different way.

The weather was warm very early in the day, so hubby and I went to the Lake to try out a first for us — stand-up paddle-boarding! I didn’t think it’d be very hard since I’d done stand-up kayaking already, to the demise of my first smart phone. However, a lot of things change with pregnancy, they say, especially things like balance. Thankfully, neither Mr. W nor I fell off the board. It took a few minutes to get used to how to hold the paddle and switch it from side-to-side, and I tested the limitations of the board’s rocky-ness early on so I know it could lean left and right pretty far without actually flipping over, so I was comfortable. Mr. W confessed he was less comfortable, and that almost the entire time we were boarding, he’d felt he had to make constant weight distribution adjustments to maintain stability. I guess it helps to have a lower center of gravity. As for ease of movement, I’d put it somewhere between pedalboating and kayaking. The paddling wasn’t as futile as the stupid foot pedals in the paddleboat, where you think you’re gonna die of exposure stranded out there in the middle of the lake pedaling like mad and getting nowhere (except when a lifeguard boat or a kayak goes by and the wave pushes you a little), but it wasn’t as swift as kayaking, either. It was, however, more easily maneuverable than the kayak, possibly because it has less momentum and pretty much when you turn your hips, the big board turns with you. When we were done with that, it was 10:30a and time for me to pump, so I did that for the first time in the car with the double-electric pump running on a battery pack. Worked out pretty well.

I would’ve loved to post a picture of me on the paddleboard, but altho we pulled in 15 minutes before our time was up, Mr. W refused to run to the lockerroom for the camera while I waited in the water. =P

After the Lake, Mr. W and I headed out to a couples massage. It was nice and relaxing, and a little painful, as my muscles are pretty messed up with all the new leaning-forward positions I’ve had to hold after having a baby.

Then, we grabbed some super-juice blends (carrot, beet, spinach, parsley and garlic for me; carrot, apple, beat & ginger for him) and some kale chips for a pre-lunch on our way to Laguna Beach for a late lunch. At a friend’s recommendation for a great view, we ate at The Deck right on the sand.

We got there just before happy hour so we were able to indulge in the relatively inexpensive seafood happy hour menu, but Mr. W was the only one that had alcoholic drinks, since the timing was such that I was missing out on the 2nd pumping, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to do it later in the car. The photo above is my Arnold Palmer. This is important for later, as well. (Do you see what’s coming?) The martinis the place served were HUGE; the only thing missing from Mr. W’s martini glass was a fish swimming around in there. At one point, MR. W asked me, “Can you drive?” As I didn’t think he was mocking my Asian roots, I assumed he wanted another alcoholic indulgence and I told him that was fine, and he ordered another giant martini.

On the drive home, I wanted to turn right after the beach street and go on local streets home. Altho this way was more direct, it was potentially more time-consuming because of all the traffic signals we’d have to go through for 8 miles or so. Mr. W strongly suggested (insisted) that I take the toll road. It made me uncomfortable, but I finally did as I was told. And you know that little voice that is usually right when it makes you feel uneasy about doing something? I got pulled over for speeding. AND I didn’t have my wallet and hence no driver’s license. The motorcycle cop walked over to Mr. W’s side, and I’m sure when he leaned down, greeting me politely from the passenger side window, he could smell the alcohol. “Hello, license and registration, please.” Mr. W was already pulling out his ID and was explaining sheepishly that I’d left my wallet at home because I hadn’t intended to drive, but we had just been at Laguna Beach and he’d had a few drinks, so he asked me to drive instead. The CHP officer leaned in and asked me, “Have you had anything to drink, ma’am?” We both simultaneously said no as I explained that that was why I was driving. (Thank gawd, I didn’t decide to just “try” one cocktail, so that I could completely honestly say I had not had a drink.) He asked me whether I knew how fast I was driving. I hesitated, and then admitted I wasn’t totally sure. He said, “Eighty-one. Sixty-five zone.” Okay, and I knew that if I’d let Mr. W drive instead, he would’ve been pulled over for going 100 in a 65 zone while under the influence. I apologized to the CHP, said I didn’t realize I was going that speed as I wasn’t familiar with the feel of a car that isn’t mine. He said he understood, but one indicator that I was going to fast is that I’m passing everyone else on the freeway. I knew I was very suddenly passing cars shortly before I was pulled over, but I’m pretty sure it’s because the people who travel that stretch daily KNOW the motorcyle cop always hides right there around the curve of the road, out of sight until it’s too late. I told the cop he’s right, and that I’d pay better attention. He tapped Mr. W’s ID and said, “You’re good. Drive carefully.” And walked back to his motorcyle. Whew. (I’m glad I didn’t have to flash my engorged boobs.) (I kid, I kid…about the flashing, that is.)

And that nicely wrapped up my Monday with a big red bow.

I’m at home right now in the first of 3 days off this week to spend with Allie. Jayne left for New York last nite. For next week and half of the following week, Jayne’s friend Missy will be here to care for Allie in Jayne’s place. That’s right, our nanny found us a relief nanny, AND “trained” her, too! Allie seems to love Missy so much and so quickly that Jayne’s jealous. It may be weird and cute, but I’m happy so many people love Allie.

Allie’s napping right now, and I have beets baking to puree later on. Earlier after we played for a bit indoors, we went for a 40 minute walk around the neighborhood, during which she hummed along with her musical toy and pointed at crows and random things. Putting her down for naps and even bedtimes are psychologically easier on me, now, because she basically does it all herself. I go thru a small short nap routine (putting her fuzzy blanket in the crib, turning on the air purifier, closing the bathroom door), and then she’s already pulling toward the crib. I put her in, she rubs her cheek on her blanket, smiles at me, I whisper a nite-nite to her and walk out as she smiles at me. She takes however much time she needs to settle down (usually 10-20 mins in the AM nap, up to 30 in the PM nap, so I get her in the crib in plenty of time), and she naps for a little over an hour in the AM, between 1-2 hrs in the PM. At bedtime, she rarely falls asleep nursing and stays asleep for the crib transfer anymore, so I lay her gently in her crib and leave to let her settle down, which she does quietly, sometimes bear-wrestling for awhile, but she does.

I think why it was so nerve-wracking before, was because she didn’t have the ability to help herself sleep or stay asleep or go back to sleep, so I had to bridge that gap, but there was only so much I could do. I had to hold her and gently sway back and forth until she’s comfortable enough to fall asleep against me, then transfer her to the crib, praying that if she wakes up a little, that it’s not so wide awake that she’ll be up wailing as soon as she hits the mattress, necessitating me to pick her up and try to soothe her again. If she woke up due to noise or whatever back then, she was unable to soothe herself back to sleep, so the nap was over and I’d just have an overtired kid on my hands until the next nap. Same thing with bedtime. Now that she’s older and has had plenty of practice between then and now self-soothing and getting used to the more common sounds, she doesn’t wake up, or will just sick her thumb if necessary, close her eyes or flop in a different position, and go back to sleep. Since she bridges her own gap between awake and sleep, all I have to do is get her to her crib at the appropriate times.

Her AM nap used to be 1.5 – 2 hours, but it’s been closer to an hour these days, and one day she skipped her PM nap. Since that’s not the nap that’s supposed to disappear (the AM nap is), I looked it up. So turns out that the AM nap is supposed to decrease and start to disappear between 10-12 months (i.e., now), but if the PM nap starts to disappear, it’s because the AM nap is too long. To protect the PM nap, which is to stay until she’s past toddlerhood, she’s to take no more than a 90-minute AM nap. The way to do that is to wake her between 60-90 mins at her 9am nap, and/or put her to bed a bit earlier at night so she’s better rested in the mornings and less dependent on the AM nap to catch up. I don’t really want her to go to bed that much earlier as she typically in her crib by 7pm these days, but maybe I’ll move it up 10 mins or so on days when she’s had more active time before bed, or woke up earlier from her 1pm nap.

I feel most of the depression waning away, now. (Ha, as I typed that, the gardeners showed up and started blasting their noisy mowers, leaf blowers and weed whackers outside her room, but seeing that she’s already been sleeping 1:05 hrs, if this wakes her up it’ll save me the trouble of having to wake her so that she’ll hit her PM nap on time.) Things are easier on me as they go from my control to Allie’s own control. There’s less pressure on me to figure out what to do to help her out, and feeling like a failure if I can’t get the result. Pretty much all I’m responsible for in the day-to-day these days where Allie’s concerned is that she gets to nap when she needs it (9am & 1pm), and she eats well, and she’s safe.

Allie’s interest in milk is waning, and I didn’t pump at 5am for the first time on Saturday and Sunday, so my milk supply just from that has dipped dramatically. I hope the 8 gallon baggies in the freezer is enough to get her through her first year until we can switch her to cow’s milk, but I’m not too stressed about it, especially since she nurses just fine, still. She’s down to drinking 14.5 oz in bottles at home a day when I’m not here, and I’ve been pumping/storing 9 oz a day or less, but she nurses for all her milk intake when I’m here on weekends, and she still gets her daily morning and bedtime milk from nursing. I think my stockpile is fine even if I stop the 5am pumpings altogether, which I think I’ll do since I’ve been only getting 2.5 oz from that anyway after I’d stopped this past weekend, which is hardly worth the early risetime and the milk-storage and washing pump parts, etc.

Huh. This kid is still sleeping through the gardening noise, at 1:22 into her nap.

My parents came over on Sunday to visit Allie (they sometimes remember to say they’re visiting us, too, but we know better), and we went to a park to let Allie frolick in her new Skidders shoes (which are like half-sock and half-shoe, so Allie walks better in them than hard-soled shoes, and doesn’t slip around on hard floors like she does in just socks). So Allie frolicked, and frolicked, and we let her frolick barefoot on the grass so that she could connect with nature (and dog pee), and then she saw a boy sitting by himself in the grass. So she frolicked over to him, smiling at him, greeting him, flirting…and he just IGNORED HER. I told her, “Don’t worry about it, Allie, he’ll regret this in about 10 years.” My mom took the video, and I posted it on the social networking site. The following conversation ensued on comments.

Dwaine: That little girl is so beautiful. I can’t believe how well she’s walking already!
Me: See, spoken like a guy with taste, unlike that stupid kid sitting on the ground in the video.
Dwaine: LOL
Me: Of course, if he did show some friendliness toward Allie, I’d probably call him a cradle-robbing pedophile, push him over, then grab my baby and run.
College Roommie Diana: boys are stupid at that age…and at many other ages thereafter.
Me: damn good point, Diana.
Dwaine: We’re trying…
Diana: haha. i don’t mean to generalize- “SOME boys are stupid at that age…and at many other ages thereafter.
Dwaine: Too late. My feelings are hurt.
Me: Diana means just the boys we’ve dated are stupid. You were smart enough not to date either one of us.
Dwaine: Very diplomatic Cindy. 😛
Me: I’m trying…
Diana: i just watched the video-that’s hilarious. the boy is not even cute.
Dwaine: In about 15 yrs he realize what he did and send Allie Cat a friend request…but it’ll be too late. That’s how guys learn…
Me: Allie: Who’s Pedro Gonzalez? I just got a friend request from him. He LOOKS kinda familiar…oh, wait a minute. *clicking on Cindy’s FB* *looking at old videos* I KNEW IT! *clicking DECLINE on Friend Request*
Dwaine: …poor Pedro…
Me: hey, what goes around, comes around.

(I didn’t copy/paste the other random comments on the video itself, like how big Allie’s getting, wow she’s walking, etc)

I only blogged once this past week?! Geez. Busy. And oh yeah, I must not have been on the computer at home. I wonder why.

Speaking of busy, we had a very full long weekend! On Saturday, Kyden and his family drove all the way down from San Jose so that he could have his 3rd birthday at Disneyland! As an invited guest, Allie also got to visit Disneyland for the very first time (not counting the time she was at Downtown Disney outside of Disneyland with her cousin Alexandra when she was 2 months old).

I started the day by getting her out of bed at her usual time after she woke up, a little after 6am, and then winding her down early and letting her hit her first name on time at 9am (she actually took it 10 mins early). I was jumping for joy that she woke on her own in 75 minutes, so that I didn’t have to wake her so that she’d hit her 2nd nap on time, which she did at exactly 1pm. We did have to wake her from that one so that we could leave for Disneyland and get there by 3p. I pumped while she napped and fed her via bottle on the drive to save time. That didn’t go too well; she was too distracted to eat more than 3-4 ounces and we had to dump 2 ounces. Ouch. We really tried, but still ended up being 15 minutes late because it took longer than expected to get to the Plaza Inn via the old “People Mover” (anyone remember those days?) and everyone else was already there, but Kyden forgave us, I think. (Sorry, Flip Flop Girl, aka Kyden’s Mommy!)

A coworker with a 2nd job as Disneyland security signed Mr. W and I in as his free guests. That saved us a LOT of moolah! The stepkidlet came along with her premium annual pass, expecting to meet a friend there later, altho she ended up just hanging out with us the whole time we were there. That worked out for us, since that means we had a photographer. 😀 (As always, hover mouse pointer over photos for captions.)

The Disney party at the Plaza Inn was super-cute. Each person (including kid) got to decorate their own cake!

This was the first time Allie ever touched cake, white flour, frosting, food dye, sugar… and I’m happy to say, she did NOT like the taste of any of it.

She took one tiny pinch of cake, put it in her mouth, made a face. She tried again just to make sure she didn’t like it. And that was the last time she tried the cake AND the frosting. And this is a kid who eats dried leaves from the lawn.

Allie: How could you let me put that in my MOUTH, mommy? I want my sippy cup!

She had a lot of fun at the party, and got to see lots of things she’d never seen before. She saw a person dressed up as a birthday cake. She saw lots of kids in party hats. She saw sprinkles and M&Ms and frosting. She saw a giant mouse run by.

She saw the birthday boy and the birthday daddy chasing down the runaway mouse.

She even helped point out which way the giant mouse went, just to make sure he’s caught.

We caught up to the giant mouse and his girlfriend!

Okay, it wasn’t us. It was a team effort. It took lots of people. All Kyden’s guests, in fact.

“Good job finding the mice so we can catch them, Allie! Mice running loose in a restaurant would NOT do!”

Allie even found an old friend at the party, the birthday boy’s sister, Sienna! Kyden was helping make sure Sienna had her vitamin C and phytonutrients for the day.

I’m totally bummed because Allie and Sienna walked up to each other and HUGGED, and I had my camera ready to go, but missed it cuz Kyden was patting my stomach and I was talking to him instead. Oh, well. Birthday boy gets priority, those ARE the rules.

I caught the birthday daddy, Uncle Mike, having a serious discussion with Allie about signing on to his pest control company, since she helped catch the big mice.

Allie must’ve disagreed with him, cuz Mike tried to Jedi-Mind-Trick her next. I’m not sure that it worked, tho.

We had a lot of fun, but we left after an hour or so, so that we could explore Disneyland with Allie in the hour or so we had left. She was so happy people-watching, seeing all the colors and balloons go by, and she hummed along with the music blaring over the loudspeakers.

Did you notice…no stroller! Yup, we were able to run around and dart in between people cuz we didn’t have to make room in the crowd for a stroller. At some point, Allie decided we were still too slow, so she took the initiative in trying something faster…

…and when that was too dangerous in a crowd, she opted for something even faster.

We landed in front Sleeping Beauty’s castle, holding our own sleeping beauty. I’m happy when Allie sleeps at least 11 hours at night and over an hour in her naps, she doesn’t need to do 100 years straight like Aurora.

We did ride one ride: Pinocchio. It was the scariest ride ever when you look at it from a baby’s point of view. Mr. W and I sat in front of the buggy with Allie in between us, and she looked around wide-eyed at everything. Most of the ride was in the dark with glaring ominous characters. She started whimpering toward the end, but that was when the blue sparkly fairy came out and brought us back to sunlight again, so it went fine. (We would’ve gone on Small World, but the line was 45 minutes by the time we got there.)

We got home in time to put Allie down for bed on time, even with some minutes to spare, but wouldn’t you know it, she was too full of residual happiness from the Happiest Place on Earth. She fell asleep nursing, but popped wide awake in her crib when I transferred her, and stayed up and played for almost an hour on her own. Ack. She was sound asleep before 8pm, tho.

I have a ton more photos, but I don’t want to overwhelm this post (altho it may be too late for that). Happy 3rd Birthday, Kyden! Thanks for the adventure!

Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is at its fullest and Chinese people traditionally spend the evening sitting outside, admiring the moon (and writing poetic homages to it back in the day), drinking tea and eating mooncakes.

My parents came over in the afternoon brought a box of assorted mooncakes. When Allie awoke from her afternoon nap, we took the little beaver (she decided on Sunday to start gnawing on her very expensive crib’s front and side rails, and has taken the paint off and a few layers of wood, as well) out for an early dinner at a local Chinese restaurant near the lake. We didn’t get lake views like we do at our favorite sushi restaurant, but Japanese has to stand aside for Chinese yesterday.

Food was good, altho all the dishes were a bit on the sweet side. My dad recognized his motherland dialect in the conversations between the staff, so he figured the restaurant is Shanghai-style. That explains the sweetness. If you guys like Shanghai-style Chinese food, visit Lakeside Chinese Cuisine (they don’t seem to have a website I can link).

Despite another epic nap of over 2 hours in length in the afternoon, Allie was able to nurse to sleep and be laid gently in her crib, which I was grateful for, because if she has to be put in her crib awake again, I know she’ll end up eating more of her crib. While I was nursing, Mr. W ran out to Babies R Us and picked up a crib rail protector called the Easy Teether by Leach Co., which is basically just a fabric wrap that velcros around the front rail of the crib. It probably won’t stop Allie from chewing on the crib, but it’ll keep her from ingesting more of the paint and wood splinters. The deep gouges and damage she was able to do in just one day, 2 naps’ worth of time spent in her crib, were pretty horrific. I wish I’d been prepared for this ahead of time. There’s no “touch-up” possible for what was done; when she gets older and that piece converts into her full-size bed’s footboard, that entire piece will have to be sanded down and refinished. Glad we paid more for the hardwood option instead of soft pine. =P The very light color of exposed wood, however, makes me just a little suspicious.

Anyway, after leaving Allie and medicating the cat, who promptly made himself throw up his meds so that I had to readminister more meds, Mr. W and I went outside to take a peek at the full moon. We probably only sat there for 30 seconds before I went back in and ate a miniature mooncake with some red wine. I cut another small mooncake in half, keeping in mind what college roommie Diana had warned me about how bad mooncakes are health-wise, chatted with the stepkidlet and her boyfriend who had come back from the grocery store and were eating at the kitchen table, then read myself to sleep.

Next year, maybe Allie would be able to stay up until the moon comes out and could join us for a taste of mooncake. It’s fun to think about how dramatically different things will be a year or two from now, just as it was fun, when I was pregnant, to think about how different things this year would be from last year. (Boy, did I underestimate “different” in my naivete, tho.)

Allie turned 10 months yesterday! I’m mashing soft foods now instead of pureeing all foods, and I’ve just gently pressed the mashed carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. into the same ice cube trays I’d used for her purees so I could control portion size. She still gets some purees, because I just find it easier to make big batches of stuff once or twice a week that lasts for a few weeks (she gets a lot of variety), and I feel like mashed foods or chopped table foods have to be prepared and served fresh(er). I’m clueless on how to get her on actual table foods and snacks later on, as I’m away from home full time. Maybe prep her sandwiches early morning or have large pre-cooked meals in a crock pot? I don’t know. She does eat more fresh stuff these days, tho. Small pieces of watermelon, chopped bits of baked beetroot, shelled peas, etc.

She is pretty healthy and hasn’t gotten sick again since her early bout with RSV, despite hanging with her daycare-attending cousins here and there. She definitely understands more than she says, and will initiate games with us. Yesterday, she discovered that she could see her daddy in the back of the room by peering over the top of the living room couch from the floor, so she would make eye contact until he acknowledged her, then she’d duck down in a squat to hide herself, and then she’d stand up, he’d say “Peek-a-boo! I see you!” and she’d laugh and squat again, doing this until she’s done something like 15 squats on her little legs and couldn’t even walk well after that. She also loves the “I’m gonna pretend to put your cell phone in my mouth, but I’ll pause with my mouth open, look at you and smile expectantly waiting for you to say ‘No,’ and when you panic and yell ‘No,’ I’m gonna laugh at you before I lower your phone” game, which she of course made up herself and is tireless about playing. Her coy smile reaches her eyes and she looks sideways at us, and that’s how I always know she’s about to do something mischievous. It’s the same look she used to have before she bit me nursing.

So yes, it’s pretty fun now, aside from the more-often-than-not (naught?) shrieking struggling fit she’d have when we lay her down to get her diaper changed. =P

(photos from Cousin Alex’s bday, below)

Me: Hey Allie, you busy?
Allie: I’m just inspecting the grass. What’s up?

Me: I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday!
Allie: It’s not my birthday…?

Me: Sure it is! Daddy over there wants to wish you a happy birthday, too, cuz now you’re a big girl of 10 mon–

Allie: I’m not going to stand for this, a lady NEVER reveals her age!
Me: All right, all right, I won’t tell anybody…today. Get back here.

On Saturday, my cousin Jennifer’s baby Alexandra turned 1 year old! Time flies! Jennifer and her hubby hosted a buffet brunch at Back Bay Bistro, a really nice place sitting right over the kayak/small craft launch area of Newport Beach. We rushed Allie there as soon as she was up from her morning nap. Okay, I had to wake her over 90 minutes in, as she took a longer nap than usual. Figures.
Jennifer had an adorable theme of owls.

In the private room, there were orange and white balloons, colorful stuffed toy owls in wicker baskets in the center of each table, owl stickers, even an owl finger puppet board book for each attending baby. I think Allie may have been the youngest, as all the other “babies” were at least walking independently. In each owl “nest” wicker basket were an assortment of differently-colored construction paper, on which the guests were asked to write a message to Alex for a time capsule, which the parents plan to give Alex when she’s about to go off to college. It was hard imagining this 1-yr-old as an 18-yr-old, but I still got all sentimental writing my note, imagining her as a young adult about to start her semi-adult life. (I chose a yellow owl and blue owl sticker to decorate my note, as together they make UCLA colors, hee hee.)

The private room opened out onto a little grassy yard, which Jennifer had set up with a bubble machine and a colorful tunnel for the kids to play with.

Crawl, baby, crawl!

Yay! Almost to mama!

Allie got to hang out with her older cousin Elle, whom I still remember as a newborn. Crazy.

I’d kept trying to find Alex so Allie can have a pic with the birthday girl, and Alex was adorably dressed that day, but some grownup or other always monopolized her. =/ At least she got a little time with her auntie Jennifer, Alex’s mom. I guess Jen will have to be Alex’s representive. 🙂

There would’ve been no photos of me as usual except that handed Mr. W the phone and made him take some of me with Allie Cat.

We had fun, but it was a short event for us. We got there half an hour late (altho there were plenty of people with kids who were an hour or more late), and then were one of the first to leave to make it back for Allie’s afternoon nap. In the hour+ we were there (plus half an hour of drive time each way), I barely had time to eat and definitely didn’t want to stand idly in the long buffet line when I could be hanging with Allie feeding her so that Mr. W can eat (and he did eat), so that’s what I did. Mr. W pestered me the entire time to go get food, but I was too busy to care. My uncle, Alex’s grandfather, sat across from us and watched admiringly as Allie obediently ate all her chicken w/zucchini, carrots, and blueberries w/multigrain cereal, then fed herself her puffs and drank from her sippy cup. “She eats very well!” he said, impressed. I got a flashback of Alex’s mom Jennifer at age 4, sitting at the family table for each meal crying, as my uncle stood over her with a ruler in his hand, rapping at her hand and loudly on the table as he demanded in Mandarin, “EAT! EAT EAT EAT! CHEW CHEW CHEW!” Yeah, Jennifer did not enjoy her mealtimes. =P
Knowing the stress and planning involved with getting this brunch together, and knowing that Alex had to be there on time and stay until the last guest left, I’m feeling even less inclined to do a 1-yr party for Allie. They say the 1st bday party is for the parents instead of for the kid, anyway. I keep thinking things will be easier time-wise once she’s on 1 nap a day, which should be sometime in her 2nd year (next year). Maybe I’ll start with the public bday shindigs with a lake event for her 2nd bday. But then there’s the other issue — Allie’s bday is always gonna fall on/around Thanksgiving weekend. Potential guests would most likely have plans to be with family, or be out of town. This will be interesting.

Hubby and I still haven’t reached any resolution on the near future regarding his imminent retirement. He knows he’s going to retire in about 5 years (he can’t wait, he talks about it almost DAILY, especially when traffic’s bad on the freeways commuting to work), and he still wants me to quit when he retires, so we can be a family unit all together, but I’m still not ready to give up the financial security of having my own money, and own work life. Maybe things will change in 5 years. Maybe Oregon, Hawaii or Florida (yes, Mr. W put FLORIDA on the potential retirement location list) won’t seem so far away by then. Who knows.

Mr. W took me to lunch today at a Chinese food restaurant. When the fortune cookies came at the end, he cracked his open, read it to himself, and then commented with a big smile, “Hey, I’m gonna get to retire this year!” Huh? He handed me the fortune. It says, “The current year will bring you much happiness.”
Heh.
He told me to open mine. I did, and read it silently. “Hey, I’m NOT going to be quitting this year!” I said in delight.
“Your fortune is ‘The current year will NOT bring you any happiness’?” he predicted.
I handed him my fortune, which says, “Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned.”
(more…)

Eddie and Michelle had a kids’ birthday party to attend in local city Irvine this past Saturday, so they contacted me and asked if they could swing by afterwards so that our daughters can finally meet. The last time I saw their daughter Scarlett was through Michelle’s belly at her baby shower. Allie was 3.5 months old at the time. Now Allie is 9.5 months and little Scarlett is 4.5 months. They didn’t interact much, but I can see them running around together in another year or so. 🙂

It was a triple-digit weekend and Allie was wearing a cool pinafore-style top with matching ruffled diaper-cover shorts, white with red needlepoint embroidery, very Bohemian looking (a gift from Rebecca). But as soon as I brought the babies face-to-face, I realized that I’d forgotten who Scarlett’s parents are. In the past, when the four of us hung out, I’d be in UCLA gear and Eddie would be in USC gear. So of course Allie had to be changed into something more appropriate.

Scarlett: Fight on!
Allie: *discreetly* Gag!
This is actually the only UCLA item Allie owns, and only because Christi (flip flop girl) had the foresight to buy this for her the time we visited them up north. The shirt is for girls 12 months, so I’d put it away into the “future wear” drawer. On Saturday when I finally took all the tags off and pulled it on my 9-month-old, it was a PERFECT fit. She would’ve outgrown it without my knowing had Eddie and Michelle not come over! And I would not have been happy about the missed opportunity for Bruinwear.
Scarlett, on the other hand, had spit up on her pretty ‘SC dress and had to be changed out of it, and her parents were prepared with another USC onesie, which she wore after the dress. 😛

On Sunday, my parents came over and took a ton of video footage of Allie, since she’s toddling around on her own and is now up to 5-6 steps walking without assistance. She did most of her continous walking on Saturday and may have gone more steps than 5-6, but she had already gotten to where she’d wanted to go so she’d stopped (we need a bigger house). It’s usually one end or another of the L-shaped couch, where we place her toys for incentive. Unfortunately, my parents didn’t get any footage of a long walk. I think Allie was just distracted because of all the people around her, and of all the dancing she had to do, of course, since we put some music on.
Here’s Allie rocking and doing the head-bang to rock:

And here’s Allie doing body rolls and hippy movements to R&B/hip-hop.


That last toothy smile? She was just hamming it up for the camera for my mom (who was video-ing). She does a lot of stuff to deliberately “play” with grownups. What a clown. Rebecca did say very early on that Allie would have a wonderful personality, a great sense of humor which she would develop very young, and would deliberately do things for a reaction, to make people laugh.

A day before Allie’s 3-month birthday, she found her thumb and ever since then has rejected the pacifier. She doesn’t suck her thumb much, only when she used to suck on the pacifier, which is to self-soothe as she falls asleep.

Today, I thought it would be interesting to reintroduce the pacifier to see what she would do with it. Obviously, if she showed too much interest, I’d take it away again so I don’t have to wean her of something later that she’s already weaned herself of. So while daddy was changing her diaper and she needed a distraction, I popped her old pacifier in her mouth. She looked surprised and smiled playfully, and then started chewing on the nipple. She then pulled it out, looked at it, giggled, turned it around and around and observed it from different angles, then put it back in her mouth for more tentative chews. She laughed, pulled it back out, turned it to its side, then tentatively gave the rim a few chews. She thought that was funny, also, and pulled it out again. She test-chewed various corners of the pacifier before deciding that the slightly thicker and harder rim between the nipple and the handle was the best for her teething needs.

So now we have a new bath-safe chew toy. She isn’t interested in sucking it, so I think she may be around the corner from self-weaning off the bottle, as well. Soon she’ll be eating what the big people eat.