My lovely little Echo,
I love having conversations with you.
Mommy: "Echo, my phone broke."
Echo: "Your phone broke?"
Mommy: " Yes. I was running to my car to pick you up from school. I didn't want to be late, so I was running real fast. Suddenly, my phone jumped out of my bag and CRASH! It fell on the ground. The little cat decoration flew across the street. I picked up my phone. It was cracked open. I snapped it together - snap. I looked, the screen was broken. I can't fix the screen.
At this point of the story, your face changed to pain, sadness, and desperation. I worried that you'd cry... "I will take it to a store tomorrow and they will fix it for you!" I said excitedly.
You brought your little fists to your cheeks, with a wide smile, and eyes bright open, "they will fix it for me?" you said with happiness.
"Yes, they will fix it for you!"
"Tell it again! Tell it again!"
We went through this exact dialogue for days in our commute to school and back. If you wanted to initiate the conversation at another time, such as during dinner, you'd ask "your phone broke?"
You are a very helpful little girl. When I come home with grocery bags, or am in the kitchen preparing meals, you come to me and say "I will help you." You help m put groceries away, set the table, wash produce, prepare salad... You always clean up after yourself when you are done playing. You even clean up after Zoe.
You are also well mannered, except when you declare that you farted or tell me "clean my butt!" If I'm having a meal or doing work, and you need me, you come and ask "are you all done?" If I say yes, you hold my hand, saying "come, I want to show you something" and lead me away.
I went to Italy for a weekend, for your uncle's wedding. The day I came back, you started calling Zoe with her name, rather than "Ayi." You say it so perfectly: Zowi.
I love you my little bundle of fire cracker.
Mommy.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Your first haircut, camping, bows, and your expressions
My lovely little star,
Your beautiful curly hair has been growing rich and wild, with your baby hair frizz, hanging on the edges. It was hard to get myself to take you to a hair dresser, because I love it so much. But it was time, and we knew you'd love the experience of being in a kids' hair salon, with the car chairs, cartoons on the TV screens, the hair styling the glitters, and the nail polish.
When your session came to an end, you receive a balloon, stickers and a lollypop, and you looked beautiful!
Your teachers say speech set you free, and that since you started expressing yourself verbally, your personality and your confidence, have been coming through. At home you were always confident, so I have not seen a personality change. But you do become even more enjoyable, friendly, surprising and assertive as your language grows.
Around the house, you always come up to us and ask "Hello, what are you doing?" Never forgetting to greet us first with your sweet "hello." If I"m doing something you find interesting, you add "I'm going to help you."
While driving, when I catch you suck your thumb at the back seat, which happens often, I ask you what's in your mouth. We pretend its a piece of fruit, and you give me some. I pretend to take taste, and spit it out, saying yucky, you are trying to trick me. You laugh and we repeat. I ask you not to suck your thumb. When I insist, you get upset. You pull it out, and put it right back in. On your face, I can see the struggle, and the failure, which leads to anger. Sometimes you kick your leg. "No. I kick you out of the car!" you say.
When someone touches you when you don't want to be touched, you put your hand forward and say "go away." Once papa replied "you go away," to which you replied "you go away," and this dialogue went on and on.
At bed time, you get under the covers without much resistance. By the time you go to bed it's so late that you are exhausted. "Mama cuddle," you say, persistently. By that time I'm exhausted too and I just want to sit on the couch and relax a little before I go to bed. You are a persistent little girl. "Mama cuddle," you repeat. "Mama cuddle with me." How can I say no?
Sometimes, after you fall asleep, I pick you up and carry you upstairs to sleep with us all night. Next day, on the drive to daycare I tell you about how I got you out of your bed, carried you to the big bed, we got under the covers, and cuddled all night. You ask me to tell it again and again, until we reach your daycare.
You have a nursery rhyme book, passed down to you from Zoe. The cover is designed like the head of a sheep, fluffy. You love reading the rhymes. So did Zoe. One of the pieces is called "Kitty in the Well" and it talks about a boy that threw a kitten inside a well, and another boy who rescued it. The illustration i of a boy holding a dripping wet kitty in his hand. To explain to you who is who, I once pointed at the boy who threw the kitty in the well and said "bad boy." This stuck with you, and became the highlight of the story. You point at the boy and say "bad boy!" and every time one of us does something bad or something the other person doesn't like - me, Zoe, or papa - you point at the person and say "bad boy!" The highlight for Zoe was the wet little kitty. She'd point at it ad say "o-oh o-oh!"
We went camping. Going camping with kids is hard work for parents - from set-up to feeding, to cleaning, to entertaining. But it can be magical for kids, and giving you the experience and seeing you happy is our satisfaction. It can easily turn to nightmare for all if the kids are not entertained. We got lucky that there were two girls in the camp site next to ours, which provided plenty of entertainment for Zoe. Partly your age, partly your personality, you were ecstatic.
We stopped by a local Walmart and bought you a new toy each, a pinata and a bag full of candy for you two to fill it. Everything we did was exciting to you - swimming in the lake, canoeing, sleeping in the tent, peeing in the bushes, running around wild, having tea around the camp fire... but most of all, you enjoyed eating shelled peanuts at night around the fire, and banging the pinata with a stick. More than 2 weeks after the event, you still talk about it: "I'm going to bang it!" We went hiking yesterday, and you used your walking stick to bang the rocks by the river bed, like a wild little warrior. Bang bang bang!
I love you!
Mommy
Your beautiful curly hair has been growing rich and wild, with your baby hair frizz, hanging on the edges. It was hard to get myself to take you to a hair dresser, because I love it so much. But it was time, and we knew you'd love the experience of being in a kids' hair salon, with the car chairs, cartoons on the TV screens, the hair styling the glitters, and the nail polish.
Your teachers say speech set you free, and that since you started expressing yourself verbally, your personality and your confidence, have been coming through. At home you were always confident, so I have not seen a personality change. But you do become even more enjoyable, friendly, surprising and assertive as your language grows.
Around the house, you always come up to us and ask "Hello, what are you doing?" Never forgetting to greet us first with your sweet "hello." If I"m doing something you find interesting, you add "I'm going to help you."
While driving, when I catch you suck your thumb at the back seat, which happens often, I ask you what's in your mouth. We pretend its a piece of fruit, and you give me some. I pretend to take taste, and spit it out, saying yucky, you are trying to trick me. You laugh and we repeat. I ask you not to suck your thumb. When I insist, you get upset. You pull it out, and put it right back in. On your face, I can see the struggle, and the failure, which leads to anger. Sometimes you kick your leg. "No. I kick you out of the car!" you say.
When someone touches you when you don't want to be touched, you put your hand forward and say "go away." Once papa replied "you go away," to which you replied "you go away," and this dialogue went on and on.
At bed time, you get under the covers without much resistance. By the time you go to bed it's so late that you are exhausted. "Mama cuddle," you say, persistently. By that time I'm exhausted too and I just want to sit on the couch and relax a little before I go to bed. You are a persistent little girl. "Mama cuddle," you repeat. "Mama cuddle with me." How can I say no?
Sometimes, after you fall asleep, I pick you up and carry you upstairs to sleep with us all night. Next day, on the drive to daycare I tell you about how I got you out of your bed, carried you to the big bed, we got under the covers, and cuddled all night. You ask me to tell it again and again, until we reach your daycare.
You have a nursery rhyme book, passed down to you from Zoe. The cover is designed like the head of a sheep, fluffy. You love reading the rhymes. So did Zoe. One of the pieces is called "Kitty in the Well" and it talks about a boy that threw a kitten inside a well, and another boy who rescued it. The illustration i of a boy holding a dripping wet kitty in his hand. To explain to you who is who, I once pointed at the boy who threw the kitty in the well and said "bad boy." This stuck with you, and became the highlight of the story. You point at the boy and say "bad boy!" and every time one of us does something bad or something the other person doesn't like - me, Zoe, or papa - you point at the person and say "bad boy!" The highlight for Zoe was the wet little kitty. She'd point at it ad say "o-oh o-oh!"
We went camping. Going camping with kids is hard work for parents - from set-up to feeding, to cleaning, to entertaining. But it can be magical for kids, and giving you the experience and seeing you happy is our satisfaction. It can easily turn to nightmare for all if the kids are not entertained. We got lucky that there were two girls in the camp site next to ours, which provided plenty of entertainment for Zoe. Partly your age, partly your personality, you were ecstatic.
We stopped by a local Walmart and bought you a new toy each, a pinata and a bag full of candy for you two to fill it. Everything we did was exciting to you - swimming in the lake, canoeing, sleeping in the tent, peeing in the bushes, running around wild, having tea around the camp fire... but most of all, you enjoyed eating shelled peanuts at night around the fire, and banging the pinata with a stick. More than 2 weeks after the event, you still talk about it: "I'm going to bang it!" We went hiking yesterday, and you used your walking stick to bang the rocks by the river bed, like a wild little warrior. Bang bang bang!
I love you!
Mommy
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
My Little Pony and other cool stories
Your sister Zoe decided it was time to introduce you to My Little Ponies. She put the show on the tablet, and the two of you started watching, and watching, and watching. Not only that you were hooked, but her interest in the show reawakened. Next day when I came back from a run, I found the two of you watching the show on the TV screen.
The shows fueled your interest in My Little Pony toys, which Zoe already had a few, and the good sister that she is, she passed them on to you. You noticed Applejack was not in the collection. Zoe wasn't a fan of Applejack, and it turned out that you are. I needed to go to Target anyway, so I offered to bring you along, to get you one. You got excited, "Buy Applejack!" you said. On the way to target, we went over our shopping list multiple times. "Hairbrush, hair color, diapers, buy Applejack!" When we got to target, you repeated "Buy Applejack." We browsed through our options. Of course you wanted them all, but soon understood that you needed to make choices, so you told me to put some of them back on the shelf. You picked one good sized Applejack stuffy, and one little hard pony. "2 Applejacks?," I asked. "Don't you want one of them to be Pinky Pie or Rarity?" The two other ponies that were missing from your collections. "No. Applejack," you said. Later that day papa had to go to Fred Mayer, and he came back with the other 2 little ponies. Your collection was complete. We made a little living space for them with food and water.
You were sick, so at bed time, I took you to bed with me, as I always do when you girls are sick. You broke fever and got all sweaty at night, so I changed you into my T-shirt, not to go all the way down to your closet. You were so amused to find yourself in my shirt when you wake up, you want to wear it to bed every time you see it.
I picked you up from school on the bicycle earlier this week. We were in a lot of hurry, because I had a time sensitive surprise planned for you two. It's a tough route, with lots of hills and lots of cars. I was pushing myself, pedaling as hard as I could, to the sweet sound of your unexpected cheers "You Can Do It! You Can Do It!"
Zoe is a very loving girls, and we often hear her say "I love you mommy." Last week you came to the kitchen while I was preparing dinner. You looked at me, and quietly said "I love you mommy." I don't know if you meant it, or were you just repeating because you heard Zoe say it. Either way, you knew it was something special that makes mommy super happy to hear.
"My Mommy!" you say, mouthful. "My Echo!" I say heartful.
I love you, my Echo.
The shows fueled your interest in My Little Pony toys, which Zoe already had a few, and the good sister that she is, she passed them on to you. You noticed Applejack was not in the collection. Zoe wasn't a fan of Applejack, and it turned out that you are. I needed to go to Target anyway, so I offered to bring you along, to get you one. You got excited, "Buy Applejack!" you said. On the way to target, we went over our shopping list multiple times. "Hairbrush, hair color, diapers, buy Applejack!" When we got to target, you repeated "Buy Applejack." We browsed through our options. Of course you wanted them all, but soon understood that you needed to make choices, so you told me to put some of them back on the shelf. You picked one good sized Applejack stuffy, and one little hard pony. "2 Applejacks?," I asked. "Don't you want one of them to be Pinky Pie or Rarity?" The two other ponies that were missing from your collections. "No. Applejack," you said. Later that day papa had to go to Fred Mayer, and he came back with the other 2 little ponies. Your collection was complete. We made a little living space for them with food and water.
You were sick, so at bed time, I took you to bed with me, as I always do when you girls are sick. You broke fever and got all sweaty at night, so I changed you into my T-shirt, not to go all the way down to your closet. You were so amused to find yourself in my shirt when you wake up, you want to wear it to bed every time you see it.
I picked you up from school on the bicycle earlier this week. We were in a lot of hurry, because I had a time sensitive surprise planned for you two. It's a tough route, with lots of hills and lots of cars. I was pushing myself, pedaling as hard as I could, to the sweet sound of your unexpected cheers "You Can Do It! You Can Do It!"
Zoe is a very loving girls, and we often hear her say "I love you mommy." Last week you came to the kitchen while I was preparing dinner. You looked at me, and quietly said "I love you mommy." I don't know if you meant it, or were you just repeating because you heard Zoe say it. Either way, you knew it was something special that makes mommy super happy to hear.
"My Mommy!" you say, mouthful. "My Echo!" I say heartful.
I love you, my Echo.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Happy 2, and many more!
My baby love Echo,
We celebrated your 2nd birthday, though in my thoughts, I celebrate your birth every day. You are unique, independent, interesting, and incredibly cute. We had a party at your daycare, shaking pompoms, dancing, and eating cupcakes with your friends, the day before. Your teachers watched you in awe as you knowingly blew the candle.
On June 18, we celebrated at home with our little family. You don't know what a birthday celebration is, but you were quick to figured out it was something special for/about you. "It's my birthday. It's my birthday," you said, pointing at your self.
The theme of your cake was Minnie and Mickey hula dancing on a beach in Hawaii, since we just came back from Hawaii where we all had a great time. Papa made sure to pick balloons that matched the nautical theme.
Some interesting developments about you ,as you approached your 2nd birthday:
You can ride a bike! When you saw our excitement when Zoe started biking without the training wheels, nothing was going to stop you. We already had a bike waiting, a barely used hand-me-down from Zoe. After a few trials, you started pedaling on your own. You are slow and cautious, but it is still incredible. People stop and watch you with a smile. Some cheer you and congratulate you for your effort. I congratulate you for your determination. When you first started pedaling on your own, you;d say "Look at me! Look at me! I'm biking!" You already know how to turn the bike, and you are slowly figuring out how to go straight. The bike is still a bit big for you, but in a couple of months, you'll be able to go downhill with more confidence, and pedal with more power.
You love Elmo, and lately, you have become absolutely crazy about Dora. You love the show and you love the books. "I need to poop," you say, and we go to the bathroom. "My tablet. Watch Dora." You sit on the toilet and watch, and interact with the show as Dora asks her questions. "The map! The map!" "No swiping!" "There it is!" "Right there!" You make us read the same Dora books over and over. Zoe went through a similar stage when she was your age.
You are about to transition to a new class. There's a little bathroom in the new class. I know you will love it and use it often. At pickup time you take me to that bathroom some times already. Your teachers said that you have been very ready for the transition. They are all amazed at your verbal development. One of the teachers said that since you gained your language, you have become more confident and more involved. She noticed that you even stand up more straight. I noticed that too. She asked me if we sing a lot at home because you knew the lyrics to some of the songs you all were singing in class. My amazing girl. I miss you all day.
Many happy birthdays to come!
Love,
Mommy
We celebrated your 2nd birthday, though in my thoughts, I celebrate your birth every day. You are unique, independent, interesting, and incredibly cute. We had a party at your daycare, shaking pompoms, dancing, and eating cupcakes with your friends, the day before. Your teachers watched you in awe as you knowingly blew the candle.
On June 18, we celebrated at home with our little family. You don't know what a birthday celebration is, but you were quick to figured out it was something special for/about you. "It's my birthday. It's my birthday," you said, pointing at your self.
The theme of your cake was Minnie and Mickey hula dancing on a beach in Hawaii, since we just came back from Hawaii where we all had a great time. Papa made sure to pick balloons that matched the nautical theme.
You can ride a bike! When you saw our excitement when Zoe started biking without the training wheels, nothing was going to stop you. We already had a bike waiting, a barely used hand-me-down from Zoe. After a few trials, you started pedaling on your own. You are slow and cautious, but it is still incredible. People stop and watch you with a smile. Some cheer you and congratulate you for your effort. I congratulate you for your determination. When you first started pedaling on your own, you;d say "Look at me! Look at me! I'm biking!" You already know how to turn the bike, and you are slowly figuring out how to go straight. The bike is still a bit big for you, but in a couple of months, you'll be able to go downhill with more confidence, and pedal with more power.
You love Elmo, and lately, you have become absolutely crazy about Dora. You love the show and you love the books. "I need to poop," you say, and we go to the bathroom. "My tablet. Watch Dora." You sit on the toilet and watch, and interact with the show as Dora asks her questions. "The map! The map!" "No swiping!" "There it is!" "Right there!" You make us read the same Dora books over and over. Zoe went through a similar stage when she was your age.
You are about to transition to a new class. There's a little bathroom in the new class. I know you will love it and use it often. At pickup time you take me to that bathroom some times already. Your teachers said that you have been very ready for the transition. They are all amazed at your verbal development. One of the teachers said that since you gained your language, you have become more confident and more involved. She noticed that you even stand up more straight. I noticed that too. She asked me if we sing a lot at home because you knew the lyrics to some of the songs you all were singing in class. My amazing girl. I miss you all day.
Many happy birthdays to come!
Love,
Mommy
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Farts are funny
My Baby Echo,
The birds that built a nest in our flower basked last year, came back to lay their eggs again. Three baby birds hatched, and are growing under the watchful eyes of mama and papa birds. They bring food, and take the poop drops away, so the nest is clean. We are waiting for them to fly, so we can remove the dying plants, and plant new ones for the season. We don't want to water the basket, not to get the nest wet, or scare off the parents. I added a couple of laurel branches to shade the sun and hide the nest away from predators.
We love watching the birds grow and move about the nest, open their demanding beaks to gobble the worms, and cozy up to sleep. Lately, you and Zoe have been sleeping all snuggled up in the same bed. We got a bunk bed thinking you would enjoy sleeping in the same room, but lately you've been preferring to be in the same bed. So you sleep together for several hours, and some time during the night, you wake up, and cry for mama, and come upstairs to join us. You occupy so much space that I can barely sleep from that point on. I know it's not going to last forever, so I'm not complaining. I love having you close to me.
Going to bed is still a battle. We went through this with Zoe, for years, and the dame old struggle continues with you. Your friends go to bed at 7:30 - Rena falls asleep by 7:15. No matter what we try, you stay awake, and you want mama right there with you. Papa stays with you, and reads you a book. When its time to sleep, you cry, standing behind the door, until I come in the room. You don't give up.
A few nights a go, I took you to bed. You pointed at the upper level of the bunk bed. So we lay there. Zoe joined us too, under the condition that she would keep quiet. I could tell you had no intention to sleep. We cycled through moments of chatter, my threats to leave if you two aren't quiet, and seconds of silence. You broke one of those seconds with spitting raspberry sounds you make with your mouth. "I'm farting!" "I'm farting!" you declared. We broke in laughter.
A few days later, we were on the couch. I smelled something funky and asked if you pooped. "No," you said. "No poop." "I farted," said Zoe. You looked at me and confirmed: "Ayi farted."
You still call Zoe Ayi. You two were playing at the swings, in the back yard. Zoe got bored, and moved on to another game. You called her "Ayi! Ayi! Sit. Sit," tapping your hand on the seat.
You worry when Zoe cries. You come close "Ayi, Ayi" you cry out, standing right in front of her, concerned, and hug her. She loves your touches.
Every coin has two sides, they say, and it is so true. Every positive trait, has a flip side. You are very independent, and eager to do everything on your own. "Me me me" you say, pointing your cute little finger at yourself. You want to put your pants, shoes, shirts, everything on your own. Wash your hands, wipe your butt, and the list goes on... And you want to put your diapers on your own. It gets frustrating, because we are usually in a hurry, and as great as your fine motor skills are, you are not ready to put your diapers, or your socks on without help. When I take charge, hell breaks loose. Even though it gets frustrating, I still prefer that you want to do all these things by yourself.
You are my happiness. It is so easy to make you happy.
Love,
Mommy.
The birds that built a nest in our flower basked last year, came back to lay their eggs again. Three baby birds hatched, and are growing under the watchful eyes of mama and papa birds. They bring food, and take the poop drops away, so the nest is clean. We are waiting for them to fly, so we can remove the dying plants, and plant new ones for the season. We don't want to water the basket, not to get the nest wet, or scare off the parents. I added a couple of laurel branches to shade the sun and hide the nest away from predators.
We love watching the birds grow and move about the nest, open their demanding beaks to gobble the worms, and cozy up to sleep. Lately, you and Zoe have been sleeping all snuggled up in the same bed. We got a bunk bed thinking you would enjoy sleeping in the same room, but lately you've been preferring to be in the same bed. So you sleep together for several hours, and some time during the night, you wake up, and cry for mama, and come upstairs to join us. You occupy so much space that I can barely sleep from that point on. I know it's not going to last forever, so I'm not complaining. I love having you close to me.
Going to bed is still a battle. We went through this with Zoe, for years, and the dame old struggle continues with you. Your friends go to bed at 7:30 - Rena falls asleep by 7:15. No matter what we try, you stay awake, and you want mama right there with you. Papa stays with you, and reads you a book. When its time to sleep, you cry, standing behind the door, until I come in the room. You don't give up.
A few nights a go, I took you to bed. You pointed at the upper level of the bunk bed. So we lay there. Zoe joined us too, under the condition that she would keep quiet. I could tell you had no intention to sleep. We cycled through moments of chatter, my threats to leave if you two aren't quiet, and seconds of silence. You broke one of those seconds with spitting raspberry sounds you make with your mouth. "I'm farting!" "I'm farting!" you declared. We broke in laughter.
A few days later, we were on the couch. I smelled something funky and asked if you pooped. "No," you said. "No poop." "I farted," said Zoe. You looked at me and confirmed: "Ayi farted."
You still call Zoe Ayi. You two were playing at the swings, in the back yard. Zoe got bored, and moved on to another game. You called her "Ayi! Ayi! Sit. Sit," tapping your hand on the seat.
You worry when Zoe cries. You come close "Ayi, Ayi" you cry out, standing right in front of her, concerned, and hug her. She loves your touches.
Every coin has two sides, they say, and it is so true. Every positive trait, has a flip side. You are very independent, and eager to do everything on your own. "Me me me" you say, pointing your cute little finger at yourself. You want to put your pants, shoes, shirts, everything on your own. Wash your hands, wipe your butt, and the list goes on... And you want to put your diapers on your own. It gets frustrating, because we are usually in a hurry, and as great as your fine motor skills are, you are not ready to put your diapers, or your socks on without help. When I take charge, hell breaks loose. Even though it gets frustrating, I still prefer that you want to do all these things by yourself.
You are my happiness. It is so easy to make you happy.
Love,
Mommy.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Holidays, nursing and other updates
My dear baby Echo
As a grownup, I never cared for the holidays. Lack of belief, cynical view of anything collective, an intravert personality, distance from the society in which I was raise, all played part in my disengagement. Then I had kids, and now we celebrate everything. We started mildly with baby Zoe, mostly focusing on Halloween and Easter, because they are the most fun, and lightly covering Passover and Christmas, and a tad of Hanukah, without much holiday spirit. As she grew up, she became more aware, so we bumped up our efforts each season. And then you came along, and doubled the fun of each special occasion. And now, like the rest of Americans, we celebrate.
We just finished celebrating Purim and Easter. They were back to back this year, so it's been an exciting week. First came Purim, so we went to a costume party. Zoe put on her pirate costume from past Halloween and you dressed as a fairy. You loved your pink wings, and swayed your airy dress from side to side. The next day, you had another Purim celebration where you dressed as a ballerina. You adored your ballerina tutu, and kept asking me to repeat the words, so you learn the type of costume you are wearing. "This this?" you asked, pointing at your dress. "Ballerina tutu, for dancing," I responded. You looked deep into my eyes, a smile forming on your lips. "This this?" "Ballerina tutu. For dancing. "Dance." you said. "This this?" you asked again, pointing at your dress. "Ballerina tutu," I said. You tried to say it too. We repeated this cycle over and over. I also put flower clips on your hair, to complete the look. You were beautiful.
Then Easter came. I've been collecting egg and bunny related fun stuff for the last few weeks in a secret bag. Stickers, chocolates, stuffed bunnies, plastic eggs to be filled with chocolate... The night before Easter, papa and you went to Home Depot, and Zoe and I spent some mama-Zoe time, filling some of the eggs with chocolate and candy. Only some of them, because I wanted the rest to be a surprise for her too. We had so much fun that when you two came back, Zoe asked that we continue to have mama-Zoe time. On Easter day, papa and I hid the eggs in the back yard. You girls had a ton of fun looking for the eggs, and even more, eating the chocolates.
Zoe is learning a lot in Kindergarten and through her, I see how aspects of life can be confusing. She is learning about all the holidays at school, including the Chinese New Year, Presidents Day and Martin Luther King day. Given the party animal that she is, coupled with a child's love for gifts and surprises, she is expecting celebration, and is surprised that we only acknowledge these dates without gifts, decorations, and special meals. There is no explanation that makes sense, we you think about it, so I leave it to time.
Nursing:
Baby Echo, we haven't nursed 4 days in a row. It wasn't easy. It broke my heart to say no night after night, and to see your sad face, as you snuggled into my chest and sucked your thumb. Last night started like the previous 4 nights. You, on my lap, asking for boob, pointing at them, saying "yeah, yeah," me saying "no baby, you are a big girl..." you insisting, lifting my shirt, me insisting, you giving up, snuggling and sucking your thumb. Only that you didn't give up. You kept imploring. It was making me sad, and I wished you would stop asking, because I started doubting my willpower to say no. Your imploring must have affected Zoe too. She was sitting next to me, hearing our exchange. "Give her a little boob mom," she said. That pretty much broke the little resistance power I've left. Let's see how we do tonight.
You're growing:
You went down the steps, holding on to the railing, walked all the way to the mailbox, got the mail out, and started waving the envelopes, with a victorious face. We didn't ask you to get the mail. You just did.
I love you.
Mommy.
As a grownup, I never cared for the holidays. Lack of belief, cynical view of anything collective, an intravert personality, distance from the society in which I was raise, all played part in my disengagement. Then I had kids, and now we celebrate everything. We started mildly with baby Zoe, mostly focusing on Halloween and Easter, because they are the most fun, and lightly covering Passover and Christmas, and a tad of Hanukah, without much holiday spirit. As she grew up, she became more aware, so we bumped up our efforts each season. And then you came along, and doubled the fun of each special occasion. And now, like the rest of Americans, we celebrate.
We just finished celebrating Purim and Easter. They were back to back this year, so it's been an exciting week. First came Purim, so we went to a costume party. Zoe put on her pirate costume from past Halloween and you dressed as a fairy. You loved your pink wings, and swayed your airy dress from side to side. The next day, you had another Purim celebration where you dressed as a ballerina. You adored your ballerina tutu, and kept asking me to repeat the words, so you learn the type of costume you are wearing. "This this?" you asked, pointing at your dress. "Ballerina tutu, for dancing," I responded. You looked deep into my eyes, a smile forming on your lips. "This this?" "Ballerina tutu. For dancing. "Dance." you said. "This this?" you asked again, pointing at your dress. "Ballerina tutu," I said. You tried to say it too. We repeated this cycle over and over. I also put flower clips on your hair, to complete the look. You were beautiful.
Then Easter came. I've been collecting egg and bunny related fun stuff for the last few weeks in a secret bag. Stickers, chocolates, stuffed bunnies, plastic eggs to be filled with chocolate... The night before Easter, papa and you went to Home Depot, and Zoe and I spent some mama-Zoe time, filling some of the eggs with chocolate and candy. Only some of them, because I wanted the rest to be a surprise for her too. We had so much fun that when you two came back, Zoe asked that we continue to have mama-Zoe time. On Easter day, papa and I hid the eggs in the back yard. You girls had a ton of fun looking for the eggs, and even more, eating the chocolates.
Zoe is learning a lot in Kindergarten and through her, I see how aspects of life can be confusing. She is learning about all the holidays at school, including the Chinese New Year, Presidents Day and Martin Luther King day. Given the party animal that she is, coupled with a child's love for gifts and surprises, she is expecting celebration, and is surprised that we only acknowledge these dates without gifts, decorations, and special meals. There is no explanation that makes sense, we you think about it, so I leave it to time.
Nursing:
Baby Echo, we haven't nursed 4 days in a row. It wasn't easy. It broke my heart to say no night after night, and to see your sad face, as you snuggled into my chest and sucked your thumb. Last night started like the previous 4 nights. You, on my lap, asking for boob, pointing at them, saying "yeah, yeah," me saying "no baby, you are a big girl..." you insisting, lifting my shirt, me insisting, you giving up, snuggling and sucking your thumb. Only that you didn't give up. You kept imploring. It was making me sad, and I wished you would stop asking, because I started doubting my willpower to say no. Your imploring must have affected Zoe too. She was sitting next to me, hearing our exchange. "Give her a little boob mom," she said. That pretty much broke the little resistance power I've left. Let's see how we do tonight.
You're growing:
You went down the steps, holding on to the railing, walked all the way to the mailbox, got the mail out, and started waving the envelopes, with a victorious face. We didn't ask you to get the mail. You just did.
I love you.
Mommy.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Talking bird, girl fun, and other updates
My Baby Echo,
I've been wanting to write a blog entry for you since Valentine's Day, because I wanted to make a record of our little Valentine's fun this year. Here we are, two weeks later.
Papa had a great idea to reserve a fancy hotel room for us at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Him and I took the day off, to enjoy downtown, and the hotel. We decorated one of the beds with chocolates, balloons, and a candle, as a surprise for you and Zoe. At night, we brought you girls to the hotel, in your PJs, and watching your excitement and faces full of joy.
In the morning, you had breakfast with cookies, milk and M&Ms, and off we went to the jacuzzi and the pool. After a royal brunch, we spent the remaining of the time playing princesses at the palace grounds. Although this was probably more enjoyable to Zoe, you had fun in your own way, going up and down carpeted steps and being greeted by hotel residents and personnel. Before heading home, we went to Zara, to give Zoe an opportunity to pick a piece of clothing for herself. I let you pick what to wear as well, but I usually narrow it to 2 items and ask you which you like more. With Zoe, we are slowly moving toward letting her pick on her own.
I wonder if we had sons, instead of two daughters, we would ever plan this event. On Sunday, we went to the Science Fiction Museum, to see the Hello Kitty exhibit. We had so much fun, watching everything in awe and desire. Zoe kept asking if she could buy a toy at the end of the exhibit. I agreed to one gift each, although I was actually ready to buy multiple things you girls liked. To my disappointment, the museum store was very meager in their selection, and Zoe settled for a hard Hello Kitty doll that wobbles her head. I got the same for you, and at night, I searched the web for a near by Hello Kitty store, and when that failed, I went on an online quest to find awesome Hello Kitty gifts. Next time we have some time to spare, I will sit with Zoe to pick a few items. I will also try to get a feel from you, on your preferences. Just like the Valentine's day - I wonder if we would do any of this if we had boys.
Updates on your vocabulary:
Nearing your 20th month, you started going through a linguistic breakthrough. You point at things and want to hear me say what they are. You repeat almost everything, some with greater clarity than others. You are very polite, and use "please" often: "Help please," "milk please," "more please," "boob please." That makes it a lot harder to say no, especially when you also add "yea!" as in "boob please, yea!"
You point at yourself in the mirror and say "Echo" and love eating "hanni" (honey). But best of all, is to watch you ask for chocolate. "Kakash, kakash" you say, while rubbing your thumb to your fingers, as if signaling money.
Zoe and you:
You love Zoe. When you see her door closed, you start knocking, and yelling out her name "Ayi, Ayi." When she watches a show on the tablet, you sit with her, and watch too. This has been easier since you learned not to touch the characters on the screen. Zoe surprises us daily at how good a sister she is. She is very gentle with you, no matter how rough you are at times. I interfere, so she doesn't get stepped on, and so you learn that hitting is not ok. Instead of complaining, or hitting back, Zoe chooses to be kind. Not too long ago, you kept pulling her hair over and over, no matter how many times I sad no. I just couldn't watch it anymore, and I pulled your hair, so you know how it feels. You stopped pulling Zoe's hair. "Mommy, next time, let me handle this. I say 'no baby, no Echo' caressing her."
At pick up time, if little siblings show up, her teachers at the after-school program give stickers to the little ones. Papa told me that when they didn't give you a sticker, Zoe took you by the hand, went to the teacher and asked the teacher if she could "give a sticker to my little sister." She is a very special sister and I hope you two stay friends.
Other updates:
Papa and I have been aware of your exceptional fine motor skills, and your teachers took notice too. The way you hold a crayon and draw, the way you operate the faucet and wash your hands, put your boots on and off, put your coat and pants on, and the anger you display when I want to do it for you. It is all so unbelievable and cute. On Thursday, we have a parent teacher meeting. Can't wait to hear about all the things you are doing in class. I wish they had cameras I could watch during the day.
I love you so much.
Mommy
I've been wanting to write a blog entry for you since Valentine's Day, because I wanted to make a record of our little Valentine's fun this year. Here we are, two weeks later.
Papa had a great idea to reserve a fancy hotel room for us at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Him and I took the day off, to enjoy downtown, and the hotel. We decorated one of the beds with chocolates, balloons, and a candle, as a surprise for you and Zoe. At night, we brought you girls to the hotel, in your PJs, and watching your excitement and faces full of joy.
In the morning, you had breakfast with cookies, milk and M&Ms, and off we went to the jacuzzi and the pool. After a royal brunch, we spent the remaining of the time playing princesses at the palace grounds. Although this was probably more enjoyable to Zoe, you had fun in your own way, going up and down carpeted steps and being greeted by hotel residents and personnel. Before heading home, we went to Zara, to give Zoe an opportunity to pick a piece of clothing for herself. I let you pick what to wear as well, but I usually narrow it to 2 items and ask you which you like more. With Zoe, we are slowly moving toward letting her pick on her own.
I wonder if we had sons, instead of two daughters, we would ever plan this event. On Sunday, we went to the Science Fiction Museum, to see the Hello Kitty exhibit. We had so much fun, watching everything in awe and desire. Zoe kept asking if she could buy a toy at the end of the exhibit. I agreed to one gift each, although I was actually ready to buy multiple things you girls liked. To my disappointment, the museum store was very meager in their selection, and Zoe settled for a hard Hello Kitty doll that wobbles her head. I got the same for you, and at night, I searched the web for a near by Hello Kitty store, and when that failed, I went on an online quest to find awesome Hello Kitty gifts. Next time we have some time to spare, I will sit with Zoe to pick a few items. I will also try to get a feel from you, on your preferences. Just like the Valentine's day - I wonder if we would do any of this if we had boys.
Updates on your vocabulary:
Nearing your 20th month, you started going through a linguistic breakthrough. You point at things and want to hear me say what they are. You repeat almost everything, some with greater clarity than others. You are very polite, and use "please" often: "Help please," "milk please," "more please," "boob please." That makes it a lot harder to say no, especially when you also add "yea!" as in "boob please, yea!"
You point at yourself in the mirror and say "Echo" and love eating "hanni" (honey). But best of all, is to watch you ask for chocolate. "Kakash, kakash" you say, while rubbing your thumb to your fingers, as if signaling money.
Zoe and you:
You love Zoe. When you see her door closed, you start knocking, and yelling out her name "Ayi, Ayi." When she watches a show on the tablet, you sit with her, and watch too. This has been easier since you learned not to touch the characters on the screen. Zoe surprises us daily at how good a sister she is. She is very gentle with you, no matter how rough you are at times. I interfere, so she doesn't get stepped on, and so you learn that hitting is not ok. Instead of complaining, or hitting back, Zoe chooses to be kind. Not too long ago, you kept pulling her hair over and over, no matter how many times I sad no. I just couldn't watch it anymore, and I pulled your hair, so you know how it feels. You stopped pulling Zoe's hair. "Mommy, next time, let me handle this. I say 'no baby, no Echo' caressing her."
At pick up time, if little siblings show up, her teachers at the after-school program give stickers to the little ones. Papa told me that when they didn't give you a sticker, Zoe took you by the hand, went to the teacher and asked the teacher if she could "give a sticker to my little sister." She is a very special sister and I hope you two stay friends.
Other updates:
Papa and I have been aware of your exceptional fine motor skills, and your teachers took notice too. The way you hold a crayon and draw, the way you operate the faucet and wash your hands, put your boots on and off, put your coat and pants on, and the anger you display when I want to do it for you. It is all so unbelievable and cute. On Thursday, we have a parent teacher meeting. Can't wait to hear about all the things you are doing in class. I wish they had cameras I could watch during the day.
I love you so much.
Mommy
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Where's Echo?
My lovely little baby,
When we drive home from daycare, I hear
your little voice at the back seat: "Echo? Echo?" I turn around, and
I see your hands covering your face, as your way of inviting me to a game of
hide-and-seek. I start playing along, looking for you under the seats, and the
flip mirrors. I panic: Did I leave Echo at school? What am I going to tell Zoe
and papa? Where is Echo? Oh no! Where is Echo??? Echooo! Echo? Where are you?
Your giggles bubble. You try to keep your hands on your face, but you peek
through, to follow my search motions. At some point you lift your hand, and I’m
super happy to have found you. “More more” you say, tapping your fingertips
together, and so we go again.
It’s nearly impossible to have a free hand to prepare meals or
start a load of laundry. From the moment I pick you up from daycare, you want
to be held by mama, and cry if I let you down. I summon papa or Zoe for help,
to entertain you just for a few minutes, so I can put dinner together. But
sometimes you take off on your own. We quietly sneak up on you, and watch you
put together a tea party, using the tea set in Zoe’s room, or a meal, using the
toy plates, bowls, and play food. You bring me a plate you prepared, to eat. Or
we find you in your room, changing the diapers of your dolls, sitting them on
the potty, wiping their butts, putting butt paste, and trying to put a diaper
on.
You love receiving new things. Shoes are your favorite. You put
them on immediately. If it’s Zoe who received new shoes, you make sure she wears
them right away. You take the shoe, take her foot, and put them together.
This morning we skyped with Dede for his birthday. I pointed at
him and said “dede” “dede.” You said “dede.” One more new word is added to your
growing lexicon.
You are very very precious. I love you.
Mommy
Monday, January 25, 2016
Your Bio
My dear baby Echo,
Your daycare asked us to send a bio which includes a paragraph about your family, a paragraph about you and a paragraph about our wishes for you. Here is what I came up with:
Your daycare asked us to send a bio which includes a paragraph about your family, a paragraph about you and a paragraph about our wishes for you. Here is what I came up with:
Echo lives in a little house near Green Lake with her mom Maya, dad Marco, and her older sister Zoe. Dad is an electrical engineer, and spends his days studying customers’ problems and needs with respect to non-volatile memory, and explaining to his gang of engineers how to solve those problems. Mom, with two feet on the ground and head in the cloud, tells people how a particular cloud service helps them grow their business. Zoe, the big sister, is 5 years old, and is in kindergarten. She loves art, and asks the best questions about the universe. She is sensitive, and like a coin, her sensitivity has two sides. Although jealous of the attention little Echo gets, she treats her little sister with great care and love.
Echo is a naturally happy baby. She maintains her beaming smile even when parents are upset at something she has done. She loves playing with dolls and balls. She has a blast at her weekly soccer game, and takes care of dolls as if they were real babies. She is very independent, and mechanically inclined. She insists on using the toilet instead of the potty, on dressing herself, disassembling and re-assembling objects, on wearing backpacks and heading out into the world. At dinner, she asks for a fork. While not as verbally agile as her sister was, Echo is quickly building up a vocabulary. She rarely cries, sleeps little, and wants to be held by mom very often. She looks up to her sister, and is often found in Zoe’s room, playing with Zoe’s toys.
My wishes for her are to maintain her innate happiness, reach her potential (whatever it may be), be very close to her sister, and to be healthy.
My special baby. I love you!
Mommy
Friday, December 25, 2015
Your 18-month checkup
My sweet little Echo,
You are 18 months old!
The bad:
You are still sleeping in the same bed with papa and me. you don't nurse in the middle of the night anymore, but you do wake up regularly, and if I'm not there, you cry. For now, it's more "convenient" to keep you in the bed, than to go up and down the stairs all night long, and wait by your side until you fall asleep.
You are still not done nursing. I continue to explain that you are a big girl with strong, sharp teeth, and that you don't need the boob anymore. A while back, we managed to bring it down to two nursing sessions a day, but we are still stuck there. We are thinking about me leaving in the evenings with Zoe, while papa puts you to bed. Zoe would probably enjoy the extra mama time, and the adventure of being outside, while everyone is settling to their bedtime routines. But I know you'll be looking for me and feeling sad and confused that I'm not there. So I'm not sure I'll be able to leave. I'll give it some more time.
The good:
You are awesome and make us very happy, still. When you are finally asleep, papa and I sit on the couch and talk about the things you do and say in longing, as if we haven't seen you for a long time.
Your growth is fantastic, in fact almost identical to Zoe. We had your 18 month checkup this week.
Here are your new specs:
Height: 33.5" / 85.1cm (95th percentile)
Weight: 22.4lb / 10.16kg (50th percentile for your age, 25th percentile for your height)
Head circumference: 17.75" / 45.2cm (25th percentile)
You started showing strong sense of ownership. When Zoe takes something of yours that you have been playing with, "mine, mine" you say, holding it tight. You fish your belongings from the laundry basket "mine, mine" you say, holding it tight. Papa and Zoe got a s pink bike seat for Christmas, so I can carry you around on my bike. You know it's for you. "Mine, mine," you say, and try to climb on.
I love you!
Mommy
You are 18 months old!
The bad:
You are still sleeping in the same bed with papa and me. you don't nurse in the middle of the night anymore, but you do wake up regularly, and if I'm not there, you cry. For now, it's more "convenient" to keep you in the bed, than to go up and down the stairs all night long, and wait by your side until you fall asleep.
You are still not done nursing. I continue to explain that you are a big girl with strong, sharp teeth, and that you don't need the boob anymore. A while back, we managed to bring it down to two nursing sessions a day, but we are still stuck there. We are thinking about me leaving in the evenings with Zoe, while papa puts you to bed. Zoe would probably enjoy the extra mama time, and the adventure of being outside, while everyone is settling to their bedtime routines. But I know you'll be looking for me and feeling sad and confused that I'm not there. So I'm not sure I'll be able to leave. I'll give it some more time.
The good:
You are awesome and make us very happy, still. When you are finally asleep, papa and I sit on the couch and talk about the things you do and say in longing, as if we haven't seen you for a long time.
Your growth is fantastic, in fact almost identical to Zoe. We had your 18 month checkup this week.
Here are your new specs:
Height: 33.5" / 85.1cm (95th percentile)
Weight: 22.4lb / 10.16kg (50th percentile for your age, 25th percentile for your height)
Head circumference: 17.75" / 45.2cm (25th percentile)
You started showing strong sense of ownership. When Zoe takes something of yours that you have been playing with, "mine, mine" you say, holding it tight. You fish your belongings from the laundry basket "mine, mine" you say, holding it tight. Papa and Zoe got a s pink bike seat for Christmas, so I can carry you around on my bike. You know it's for you. "Mine, mine," you say, and try to climb on.
I love you!
Mommy
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
When Jacob cried
Dear baby Echo,
You never knew your hand-me-down doll Jacob could cry. When Zoe heard him cry, she got very disturbed, and didn't want to play with him again. We removed the batteries, but to no avail. "I don't like Jacob. We should give him away." She was about a year older than you. Here is Zoe's blog entry, describing her experience.
You knew Jacob since you were born, and played with him on occasion. Expecting a traumatic reaction similar to Zoe's, papa and I didn't put batteries in him. But you were always playful with dolls, holding them, feeding them, putting them to sleep. We decide to give it a try, and Jacob started crying.
A curious look took over your face. You took Jacob in your arms, sat down, and started rocking him for comfort. We showed you how to stop him cry. You understood the batteries' role, the pacifier's role, but you wanted to play along. When I put the pacifier back in, you pulled it out, rocked him some more in your arms, and then lay him in Zoe's bed to sleep. We discovered that his thumb, and the milk bottle can be pushed in his mouth to make him stop crying, similar to the pacifier. You were entertained by the thumb sucking - and excited about the milk bottle, as now you could add variation to your play. A few days ago I heard him cry, then you appeared, holding Jacob in your arms, and one of your diapers in your hand. "Poop, poop" you said, pointing at his butt. That's why he was crying. We smelled his butt. You sniffed, waved your hand as to say "stinky." We pretend cleaned his butt, and put the diapers on. You were happy.
I love you!
Mommy.
You never knew your hand-me-down doll Jacob could cry. When Zoe heard him cry, she got very disturbed, and didn't want to play with him again. We removed the batteries, but to no avail. "I don't like Jacob. We should give him away." She was about a year older than you. Here is Zoe's blog entry, describing her experience.
You knew Jacob since you were born, and played with him on occasion. Expecting a traumatic reaction similar to Zoe's, papa and I didn't put batteries in him. But you were always playful with dolls, holding them, feeding them, putting them to sleep. We decide to give it a try, and Jacob started crying.
A curious look took over your face. You took Jacob in your arms, sat down, and started rocking him for comfort. We showed you how to stop him cry. You understood the batteries' role, the pacifier's role, but you wanted to play along. When I put the pacifier back in, you pulled it out, rocked him some more in your arms, and then lay him in Zoe's bed to sleep. We discovered that his thumb, and the milk bottle can be pushed in his mouth to make him stop crying, similar to the pacifier. You were entertained by the thumb sucking - and excited about the milk bottle, as now you could add variation to your play. A few days ago I heard him cry, then you appeared, holding Jacob in your arms, and one of your diapers in your hand. "Poop, poop" you said, pointing at his butt. That's why he was crying. We smelled his butt. You sniffed, waved your hand as to say "stinky." We pretend cleaned his butt, and put the diapers on. You were happy.
I love you!
Mommy.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
No no no no and Disneyland!
No no no -
No no no, you say, with a dramatic shake of your little head from left to right. If you don't want to eat something, or you don't want me to put you in the car seat, because you want me to hold you in my arms forever, or anything you don't want right that moment, you say "no!" "No no no no!"
Sometimes you say "no" just to see my reaction. When I reach to take you of the car seat, you say "no" and watch my face with a smile, waiting for me to say "what? you don't want to come out of the car?" Then you say "yeah!"
You are getting better and better using the potty. In fact, if we are more insistent about it, I think you can be fully potty trained in a few weeks, but then this would be a problem at daycare, since potty is not available for your age.
Our special time -
When I pick you up from daycare, until papa and Zoe join us, we spend a little time just you and me, bonding. This happens either at daycare, during pick up or as soon as we come home. First you want to nurse, and then just stay on my lap, all snuggled up, doing nothing. I ask if you are hungry, you say "yea," but when I make a move to get up, you change your mind, realizing that this would bring an end to our snuggle party. So I stay, holding you in my arms and chatting. Then Zoe and papa come, and the real party begins.
Sippy cup manners -
You stopped smashing your sippy cup on the ground when you are done drinking. Just like that - one day, about 3 weeks a go, once you were done drinking, you didn't throw your cup on the floor with your herculean force. You passed it to me, instead, pointing at the table, so I put it there for you. And that was it. Thank you.
Disneyland -
We took you girls to Disneyland, one of the last places on earth papa and I would want to go, because we love you, and seeing you happy makes us happy. Remember that :-). Zoe got to enjoy it a lot more than you did, of course. She already knew the princesses and the other characters, she was allowed on more rides than little ones like you, and best of all, she got a princess makeover! You need to be at least 3 for that. Before we went, I made sure to buy a princess dress with matching shoes and bag for you to bring along. I also brought some stick-on body jewels. The day Zoe was scheduled for a makeover, I dressed you like Princess Ariel, so you don't feel left out. I picked Ariel, because that was the cutest one at the consignment store. I love you, but I rather not pay full price for a dress you'll wear once:-). After the makeover, we took pictures of you girls in different locations in the park. When Zoe posed for a picture, you followed her to the same spot, and posed as well. When we said "Echo don't move," you froze, and let us take your picture.
Dancing -
You love dancing. At daycare during dance class, or at home, when there is music, you get up, lift your arms, and spin in a dance move. You are so very cute. Teacher Hannah sometimes sends me videos of you.
Daycare -
Your teachers love you. They always tell me what a sweet, loving baby you are. Your teacher Isabella moved to another class, and she was sad to leave you behind. You still see her in the playground, and she tells me that you sill go to her for hugs sometimes. Once a ta restaurant you saw a waitress that looked like her - light brown hair, fair skin, similar built, tattoos, and you lifted your arms for a hug. I'm pretty sure you thought it was Isabella. Isabella babysat you a few times the daycare was closed. I'll ask her to come again some time.
Tablet -
We knew this day would come. When you see a tablet around, your face lights up as if you found a treasure. You love playing games and pressing apps. You dropped the IPad and broke the screen. Zoe cried, of course. We found a repair shop that fixed it the same day, and put a bumper around it. She was very happy. First Zoe took my IPad. Eventually we bought me another tablet - a much crappier one which you want for yourself when Zoe has the IPad. Sooner or later, we'll need to get you your own IPad, but I;m hoping we can wait another year or so.
Love,
Mommy.
No no no, you say, with a dramatic shake of your little head from left to right. If you don't want to eat something, or you don't want me to put you in the car seat, because you want me to hold you in my arms forever, or anything you don't want right that moment, you say "no!" "No no no no!"
Sometimes you say "no" just to see my reaction. When I reach to take you of the car seat, you say "no" and watch my face with a smile, waiting for me to say "what? you don't want to come out of the car?" Then you say "yeah!"
You are getting better and better using the potty. In fact, if we are more insistent about it, I think you can be fully potty trained in a few weeks, but then this would be a problem at daycare, since potty is not available for your age.
Our special time -
When I pick you up from daycare, until papa and Zoe join us, we spend a little time just you and me, bonding. This happens either at daycare, during pick up or as soon as we come home. First you want to nurse, and then just stay on my lap, all snuggled up, doing nothing. I ask if you are hungry, you say "yea," but when I make a move to get up, you change your mind, realizing that this would bring an end to our snuggle party. So I stay, holding you in my arms and chatting. Then Zoe and papa come, and the real party begins.
Sippy cup manners -
You stopped smashing your sippy cup on the ground when you are done drinking. Just like that - one day, about 3 weeks a go, once you were done drinking, you didn't throw your cup on the floor with your herculean force. You passed it to me, instead, pointing at the table, so I put it there for you. And that was it. Thank you.
Disneyland -
We took you girls to Disneyland, one of the last places on earth papa and I would want to go, because we love you, and seeing you happy makes us happy. Remember that :-). Zoe got to enjoy it a lot more than you did, of course. She already knew the princesses and the other characters, she was allowed on more rides than little ones like you, and best of all, she got a princess makeover! You need to be at least 3 for that. Before we went, I made sure to buy a princess dress with matching shoes and bag for you to bring along. I also brought some stick-on body jewels. The day Zoe was scheduled for a makeover, I dressed you like Princess Ariel, so you don't feel left out. I picked Ariel, because that was the cutest one at the consignment store. I love you, but I rather not pay full price for a dress you'll wear once:-). After the makeover, we took pictures of you girls in different locations in the park. When Zoe posed for a picture, you followed her to the same spot, and posed as well. When we said "Echo don't move," you froze, and let us take your picture.
Dancing -
You love dancing. At daycare during dance class, or at home, when there is music, you get up, lift your arms, and spin in a dance move. You are so very cute. Teacher Hannah sometimes sends me videos of you.
Daycare -
Your teachers love you. They always tell me what a sweet, loving baby you are. Your teacher Isabella moved to another class, and she was sad to leave you behind. You still see her in the playground, and she tells me that you sill go to her for hugs sometimes. Once a ta restaurant you saw a waitress that looked like her - light brown hair, fair skin, similar built, tattoos, and you lifted your arms for a hug. I'm pretty sure you thought it was Isabella. Isabella babysat you a few times the daycare was closed. I'll ask her to come again some time.
Tablet -
We knew this day would come. When you see a tablet around, your face lights up as if you found a treasure. You love playing games and pressing apps. You dropped the IPad and broke the screen. Zoe cried, of course. We found a repair shop that fixed it the same day, and put a bumper around it. She was very happy. First Zoe took my IPad. Eventually we bought me another tablet - a much crappier one which you want for yourself when Zoe has the IPad. Sooner or later, we'll need to get you your own IPad, but I;m hoping we can wait another year or so.
Love,
Mommy.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Ear Infection
A night-time high fever took us to urgent care. You protested doctor's interventions, as she took your temperature, measured your oxygen intake, and looked in your ears. Ear infection, she said. As she entered information into the computer, you snuggled quietly on my lap, looking at the doctor. "Bye bye" you said, waving your hand at her. We weren't done, but you were ready to go. We had 11 minutes to get the antibiotic before the pharmacy closed.
It was tough few days for you, though you barely complained. You just wanted more love than usual, but your smile never went away.
When you are thirsty, you ask for milk or water. You call them both Wa Wa, and do the same hand motion. If i give you the wrong one, you shake your head from side to side, saying nananan. I have to show you both cups to know which one you want. When you;re done drinking, you slam it on the ground. Why Echo? It's ok with the water cup, but with your herculean strength, even the strongest sippy cup spills, and I have to clean the milk. When you're done eating, you turn your place upside down, and the remaining food ends up everywhere.
When you nurse - yes, you still nurse, though I prefer if you didn't at this point - you put your fingers on my eyes: "EYE EYE", then on my mouth: "MAH, MAH", then on my nose - not very clear what you say. Then you pull my hair - "HAA HAA"
Yesterday you carved halloween pumpkins at daycare. Your teacher said you very carefully took the seeds from one pumpkin, and put them in the other - just a game you came up with. Very clever I thought.
Papa has been away on a work trip. Us girls have been having halloween slumber party in the upstairs bedroom. I decorated it a bit, and we read books and chat before we go to sleep. It takes a very long time to go to sleep because you two are so excited. It makes you so happy to have Zoe in the same bed. You put your head down for 2 seconds and then you lift it back up, and check to make sure Zoe is there, with joy and disbelief.
Love,
Mommy.
It was tough few days for you, though you barely complained. You just wanted more love than usual, but your smile never went away.
When you are thirsty, you ask for milk or water. You call them both Wa Wa, and do the same hand motion. If i give you the wrong one, you shake your head from side to side, saying nananan. I have to show you both cups to know which one you want. When you;re done drinking, you slam it on the ground. Why Echo? It's ok with the water cup, but with your herculean strength, even the strongest sippy cup spills, and I have to clean the milk. When you're done eating, you turn your place upside down, and the remaining food ends up everywhere.
When you nurse - yes, you still nurse, though I prefer if you didn't at this point - you put your fingers on my eyes: "EYE EYE", then on my mouth: "MAH, MAH", then on my nose - not very clear what you say. Then you pull my hair - "HAA HAA"
Yesterday you carved halloween pumpkins at daycare. Your teacher said you very carefully took the seeds from one pumpkin, and put them in the other - just a game you came up with. Very clever I thought.
Papa has been away on a work trip. Us girls have been having halloween slumber party in the upstairs bedroom. I decorated it a bit, and we read books and chat before we go to sleep. It takes a very long time to go to sleep because you two are so excited. It makes you so happy to have Zoe in the same bed. You put your head down for 2 seconds and then you lift it back up, and check to make sure Zoe is there, with joy and disbelief.
Love,
Mommy.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Clemantines
My lovely little Echo,
I try to feed you as healthy as possible, just like I fed and still feed Zoe. By comparison, though, at least for now, you are less naturally inclined to healthy eating than your sister. Surprisingly, you like broccoli and salmon, so I cook both often. I grab on to any other health food you show interest in, and let you indulge to your heart's desire.
Over the last weekend I bought a bag of clementines - first of the season. I pealed one for you - repeating as I "peel, peel, peel." You said "more more" with your finger tips, and attempted to open the fridge door, resting your meaningful eyes on me. When I opened the door, you pointed at the clementine bag "that that that." I "peal, peal, pealed" another one. And so it went on, until you ate five. Unfortunately it's not the season yet, so once the bag was done, I couldn't find another store that sold clementines. Disappointed that I couldn't give you more. This past weekend the same store had one single bag left. I grabbed it for you.
When you see us getting ready to leave, you bring your shoes, point at your jacked hanging from the coat rack and help us put it on you. You know how it all works. It's so easy to dress you.
When you are exhausted, you grab your blanket in one hand, and come to me, one thumb in the mouth.
I asked your daycare teacher what your favorite toys are. By far books, she said. At home, you keep bringing us books to read. If I'm busy, I tell you to take it to papa, and off you go, to give him the book.
I love you, little awesome girl!
Mama
I try to feed you as healthy as possible, just like I fed and still feed Zoe. By comparison, though, at least for now, you are less naturally inclined to healthy eating than your sister. Surprisingly, you like broccoli and salmon, so I cook both often. I grab on to any other health food you show interest in, and let you indulge to your heart's desire.
Over the last weekend I bought a bag of clementines - first of the season. I pealed one for you - repeating as I "peel, peel, peel." You said "more more" with your finger tips, and attempted to open the fridge door, resting your meaningful eyes on me. When I opened the door, you pointed at the clementine bag "that that that." I "peal, peal, pealed" another one. And so it went on, until you ate five. Unfortunately it's not the season yet, so once the bag was done, I couldn't find another store that sold clementines. Disappointed that I couldn't give you more. This past weekend the same store had one single bag left. I grabbed it for you.
When you see us getting ready to leave, you bring your shoes, point at your jacked hanging from the coat rack and help us put it on you. You know how it all works. It's so easy to dress you.
When you are exhausted, you grab your blanket in one hand, and come to me, one thumb in the mouth.
I asked your daycare teacher what your favorite toys are. By far books, she said. At home, you keep bringing us books to read. If I'm busy, I tell you to take it to papa, and off you go, to give him the book.
I love you, little awesome girl!
Mama
Monday, August 24, 2015
Comprehension
My sweet Echo,
You continue making us super happy with you presence. Our days are hectic, a ton of chores, with little time to accomplish a fraction of them. So we power through everything at light speed. Still, everything takes a lot longer than it should, because with kids, for every chore, there is a ton of interruption. So stress is a daily visitor,but so is the joy of having you, and watching you grow. You understand a lot of things now, and it's miraculous to witness this transformation from a clueless baby.
"Echo, it's trash."
You walk to the kitchen with the piece of trash in your hand, open the cabinet, pull out the bin, throw the trash, watch it fall, push the bin back in, close the cabinet.
You walk to the kitchen with the piece of trash in your hand, open the cabinet, pull out the bin, throw the trash, watch it fall, push the bin back in, close the cabinet.
Yesterday you didn't push the bin back in, so I said "Echo, close." You walked away. I repeated. You used your body to say 'no.' So I went to close it. You used your body to say 'don't.' You walked to the hallway, picked up a small piece of paper and showed it to me with a smile "see mom? I wasn't done." I hugged you and your brightness. I should have trusted that you knew what you were doing. You threw the paper in the trash, watched it land, pushed the bin in, closed the door.
I take off your socks,smell them and say pewww. You think it's hilarious. You smell them too.
"Echo, put these on the laundry steps."
You walk tip tip tip, with the stinky socks in your hand,and put them on the stairs that lead upstairs, where we keep the dirty laundry. Today, driving to daycare, radio started playing a song called "Stinky feet." you became hushhh quiet the entire song. When it ended, you giggled. I bet you understood what it was about, you little adorable creature.
"Echo, put these on the laundry steps."
You walk tip tip tip, with the stinky socks in your hand,and put them on the stairs that lead upstairs, where we keep the dirty laundry. Today, driving to daycare, radio started playing a song called "Stinky feet." you became hushhh quiet the entire song. When it ended, you giggled. I bet you understood what it was about, you little adorable creature.
You also started helping empty the dishwasher. You know where your plastic containers go, and you can put them in place on your own. For your forks and spoons, I lift you up. When you take a plastic container to play with, you put it back in place when done.
You can use a fork comfortably. Something I didn't expect until much later. You aim at the food, stab it, and haaam. Did I mention in an older post that you figured out how to drink from a straw before you turned one? That's pretty amazing. You can also blow the flute and make sounds. That's a surprising lung capacity, but even more surprising is that you figured out how a flute operates.
You like plums -pla, pla
And apples. I didn't hear you say it, but papa and Zoe heard you whisper "apple."
And apples. I didn't hear you say it, but papa and Zoe heard you whisper "apple."
You are getting used to daycare. Drop offs are still tragic, though not as bad. But you are happier during the day. Pick up time is the peak of my day. You drop whatever you have in your hand - just drop it on the floor, and run to me, arms lifted, smiling, squealing. We hug, you don't let go. You pull my shirt to access your milk, your fists tight with intensity of emotions, you latch on, hugging me tight, never to let go.
I love you so much, my shining star.
Mommy.
Monday, August 3, 2015
At daycare full-time
Dear Echo,
Today, you officially joined the gang of the full-timers at daycare. Every day, all day, you will be there, except for weekends, vacations, and holidays. I am again at the cafe across the street from you. I dropped you off at 8:00am, hung out with you for 15 minutes, and left for a 9:00am meeting. Your teacher send me a picture of you in the yard, happy that you made a friend. All I saw is a skinny little orphan with big sad eyes, missing her mom.
In the afternoon, I drove to the cafe and settle with my laptop and phone, to be close to you. Can't wait to pick you up, and I know I can't wait until 5:30. So I'm not even going to try. I'll come get you soon, I'll hold you, and I'll make you smile.
Love,
Mommy.
Today, you officially joined the gang of the full-timers at daycare. Every day, all day, you will be there, except for weekends, vacations, and holidays. I am again at the cafe across the street from you. I dropped you off at 8:00am, hung out with you for 15 minutes, and left for a 9:00am meeting. Your teacher send me a picture of you in the yard, happy that you made a friend. All I saw is a skinny little orphan with big sad eyes, missing her mom.
In the afternoon, I drove to the cafe and settle with my laptop and phone, to be close to you. Can't wait to pick you up, and I know I can't wait until 5:30. So I'm not even going to try. I'll come get you soon, I'll hold you, and I'll make you smile.
Love,
Mommy.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Starting daycare
Baby Echo,
I'm at a coffee shop, across from your daycare, with my laptop, working. My mind is with you, hoping you are distracted by fun, and not missing mama. Yesterday it was our first warm-up day. We went in at 8am. I stayed with you until 9:45, and then left for 15 minutes. When I came back, you were playing in the yard. At 10am we headed home together.
Today we went in at 8:30. You did paint work with the other kids, and then cried for mama. I picked you up. We played with your doll Susan, and a girl brought us a book to read. Another boy joined us, and brought us another book when we were done. They were interested in the story too. I left at 9:10. You cried, looked at me and cried deep. I waved, I kissed, and said I'll be back soon, smiling, about to cry myself. The teacher took you in her arms as I waited outside the door until you stopped. I looked in from a distance, making sure you don't see me. The teacher nodded that you were all right.
So here I am, across the street, waiting for 10:30. Can't wait to hold you and comfort you, cover your little face in kisses. When we get home, after a short while, your nanny Faith will take over. Late afternoon, you'll be mine. Next week, the warm-up will continue, little by little, you'll stay longer each day, until August.
Love you so much.
Mommy
I'm at a coffee shop, across from your daycare, with my laptop, working. My mind is with you, hoping you are distracted by fun, and not missing mama. Yesterday it was our first warm-up day. We went in at 8am. I stayed with you until 9:45, and then left for 15 minutes. When I came back, you were playing in the yard. At 10am we headed home together.
Today we went in at 8:30. You did paint work with the other kids, and then cried for mama. I picked you up. We played with your doll Susan, and a girl brought us a book to read. Another boy joined us, and brought us another book when we were done. They were interested in the story too. I left at 9:10. You cried, looked at me and cried deep. I waved, I kissed, and said I'll be back soon, smiling, about to cry myself. The teacher took you in her arms as I waited outside the door until you stopped. I looked in from a distance, making sure you don't see me. The teacher nodded that you were all right.
So here I am, across the street, waiting for 10:30. Can't wait to hold you and comfort you, cover your little face in kisses. When we get home, after a short while, your nanny Faith will take over. Late afternoon, you'll be mine. Next week, the warm-up will continue, little by little, you'll stay longer each day, until August.
Love you so much.
Mommy
Monday, July 13, 2015
One-year specs and other developments
My baby Echo,
It's nearly a month since you turned one. I wish we could celebrate the day again. Watching you poke the giant cake with your finger again and again, and lick it, oblivious to norms, is priceless. In your future birthdays, you will be conscious of the day, but I think you will still poke the irresistible cake for a few more years. Your sister still does it.
Your specs from your 1-year doctor's checkup, with delay:
Height: 30.5 inches (77.5 cm)
Weight: 8.6 Kg
Head circumference: 17.13 inches
90th percentile height, 35-40th percentile weight.
You're tall and slim, but you eat like an older kid. You still have only six teeth.
Echo, give me a kiss" I say. "Mmma" you say, smacking your lips.
When I leave, nonna holds you by the window, so we can wave good bye. I blow kisses at you, and cross my arms on my chest into a hug, to say "I love you." Now you blow kisses too. Yesterday when I came home, you blew a kiss, and crossed your arms for "I love you" just like I do.
I forgot to mention that I bought you new shoes, as soon as you started walking. You try to pull the velcro open, and stretch your foot so I put them on you. Here they are:
Nonna got you very cute ones a couple of months prior, white, with yellow accents, but by the time you started walking, your feet grew.
You love the tomatoes that grow in our garden. You point at them "a! a! a!" asking me to pick some for you. When I weed in the yard, or pick lettuce, you pull onto whatever plant near by, imitating my actions, and show me your hands, holding the torn greens, with the satisfaction of camaraderie.
You are crazy about handbags. You know where the bags are in my closet. You point at them "ba! ba!" and pull one out of the drawer.You put the handle on your arm, take things in and out, and walk around. Zoe had the same obsession.
You know how to say "More" in sign language. It took you only one effort to learn. And now you use it with pride. You also know the sign for drink, and when I show you your sippy cup with water, you say "Wa! Wa!" When I say "cow milk" you say "mooo."
We celebrated Zoe's 5th birthday with her friends on Saturday. A pool party with real baby bunnies. She'll turn 5 in two days. This year, the gift bags for the guests also included a gift from you. Like she did with Zoe, nonna prepared Confetti to celebrate your birth. Decorative bags filled with almond shaped chocolates, and a card, with your name and your date of birth. I put one in your memory box, so you can see it when you get older. On your birthday, we gave them to our close friends, and on Zoe's birthday, we put one in each gift bag. Here is a picture of the confetti we gave to close friends, along with the one we gave at Zoe's birthday party. This is very important, because it is one of the little gestures that you matter and that you are special to us.
Zoe wished we had a coo coo clock! Nonna told nonno to bring one along from Italy. And he did. First few weeks, the family gathered around it every time the bird was about to coo coo. Zoe asked to be lifted so she could see the bird up close, chirping with her bubbly talk until she saw the bird. You pointed at the clock "ah! "ah!" your big eyes on my face, as if you wanted me to know something very important is about to happen. We lifted you both, and we all waited. The window opened, and the bird coo cooed. We all got excited. The scene repeated hourly in the evenings when we were all at home. Now we are calmer about it, but still wish to see the bird. Zoe runs from her room with the first coo coo, and gets disappointed if she misses it. So papa recorded the coo coo, for you girls to watch whenever you want.
We're still working on reducing your nursing sessions. As a first step, I eliminated one pumping session, and replaced it with cow milk. But in return, you added a physical nursing session to the schedule. Weekends are great for reducing boob milk intake. We are out and about most of the day. You are easily distracted by your surroundings, and you can't concentrate for a duration of a full nursing session. But come evenings, you make up for the lost time. You still get up every night between 3:30 and 5:30 to nurse. I don't known if you really want to nurse or just need mama love. What if I refused to nurse, and held you tight instead? Will you be ok with that? I could try, but I'm inclined to think I'll fail, because you know how to access your milk supply and you are plenty strong to pull the shirt away. And it's so hard as a mom to say no to something that you want from me that only I can give. When you were younger, I thought it would be easy to ween you. With Zoe it was a tragedy, but you seemed so much more chilled about it. As you grew older your attitude changed. I;m very happy that I can provide something that means so much to you. But here we are, past the one year mark, and you are eating so well. Fly, little girl, be free. You don't need my boob anymore. I love you. We need a vacation full of fun that last longer than a weekend, to get your mind off your milk stores.
Love,
Mommy.
It's nearly a month since you turned one. I wish we could celebrate the day again. Watching you poke the giant cake with your finger again and again, and lick it, oblivious to norms, is priceless. In your future birthdays, you will be conscious of the day, but I think you will still poke the irresistible cake for a few more years. Your sister still does it.
Your specs from your 1-year doctor's checkup, with delay:
Height: 30.5 inches (77.5 cm)
Weight: 8.6 Kg
Head circumference: 17.13 inches
90th percentile height, 35-40th percentile weight.
You're tall and slim, but you eat like an older kid. You still have only six teeth.
Echo, give me a kiss" I say. "Mmma" you say, smacking your lips.
When I leave, nonna holds you by the window, so we can wave good bye. I blow kisses at you, and cross my arms on my chest into a hug, to say "I love you." Now you blow kisses too. Yesterday when I came home, you blew a kiss, and crossed your arms for "I love you" just like I do.
I forgot to mention that I bought you new shoes, as soon as you started walking. You try to pull the velcro open, and stretch your foot so I put them on you. Here they are:
Nonna got you very cute ones a couple of months prior, white, with yellow accents, but by the time you started walking, your feet grew.
You love the tomatoes that grow in our garden. You point at them "a! a! a!" asking me to pick some for you. When I weed in the yard, or pick lettuce, you pull onto whatever plant near by, imitating my actions, and show me your hands, holding the torn greens, with the satisfaction of camaraderie.
You are crazy about handbags. You know where the bags are in my closet. You point at them "ba! ba!" and pull one out of the drawer.You put the handle on your arm, take things in and out, and walk around. Zoe had the same obsession.
You know how to say "More" in sign language. It took you only one effort to learn. And now you use it with pride. You also know the sign for drink, and when I show you your sippy cup with water, you say "Wa! Wa!" When I say "cow milk" you say "mooo."
We celebrated Zoe's 5th birthday with her friends on Saturday. A pool party with real baby bunnies. She'll turn 5 in two days. This year, the gift bags for the guests also included a gift from you. Like she did with Zoe, nonna prepared Confetti to celebrate your birth. Decorative bags filled with almond shaped chocolates, and a card, with your name and your date of birth. I put one in your memory box, so you can see it when you get older. On your birthday, we gave them to our close friends, and on Zoe's birthday, we put one in each gift bag. Here is a picture of the confetti we gave to close friends, along with the one we gave at Zoe's birthday party. This is very important, because it is one of the little gestures that you matter and that you are special to us.
Zoe wished we had a coo coo clock! Nonna told nonno to bring one along from Italy. And he did. First few weeks, the family gathered around it every time the bird was about to coo coo. Zoe asked to be lifted so she could see the bird up close, chirping with her bubbly talk until she saw the bird. You pointed at the clock "ah! "ah!" your big eyes on my face, as if you wanted me to know something very important is about to happen. We lifted you both, and we all waited. The window opened, and the bird coo cooed. We all got excited. The scene repeated hourly in the evenings when we were all at home. Now we are calmer about it, but still wish to see the bird. Zoe runs from her room with the first coo coo, and gets disappointed if she misses it. So papa recorded the coo coo, for you girls to watch whenever you want.
We're still working on reducing your nursing sessions. As a first step, I eliminated one pumping session, and replaced it with cow milk. But in return, you added a physical nursing session to the schedule. Weekends are great for reducing boob milk intake. We are out and about most of the day. You are easily distracted by your surroundings, and you can't concentrate for a duration of a full nursing session. But come evenings, you make up for the lost time. You still get up every night between 3:30 and 5:30 to nurse. I don't known if you really want to nurse or just need mama love. What if I refused to nurse, and held you tight instead? Will you be ok with that? I could try, but I'm inclined to think I'll fail, because you know how to access your milk supply and you are plenty strong to pull the shirt away. And it's so hard as a mom to say no to something that you want from me that only I can give. When you were younger, I thought it would be easy to ween you. With Zoe it was a tragedy, but you seemed so much more chilled about it. As you grew older your attitude changed. I;m very happy that I can provide something that means so much to you. But here we are, past the one year mark, and you are eating so well. Fly, little girl, be free. You don't need my boob anymore. I love you. We need a vacation full of fun that last longer than a weekend, to get your mind off your milk stores.
Love,
Mommy.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
My happy first birthday
My magical little love Echo,
Today we celebrated your first year of life, and the happiness you brought along. I worked from home, to pick up your cake and balloons, while your nanny Faith took you on a usual day of adventure and play. As a gift, she got you your own talking ball. She usually brings one that belongs to her grandchildren, and you love playing with it. So now you have your own.
After Faith left, you and I had a little play time of our own, with balloons, and whatever you found to be fun, such as lip balm,
before we headed out to your birthday dinner at Tutta Bella. There, every kid gets a piece of pizza dough to play with, making the place a favorite of Zoe's. Zoe's friend Geniva, her mom and grandparents, along with our all time friend Bill, nonna, nonno, and me were there to celebrate your presence.
A few days prior, I took pictures of my top 3 cakes at the bakery, and asked Zoe's help to pick the best one. She picked a Hello Kitty nature theme, with grass, flowers, sky, an apple tree, and a rainbow. It was the rainbow that sealed the deal for her.
We each had a piece of cake, but you preferred to eat directly from the source, pocking your finger deep into the colorful frosting, and licking it. At some point, you had enough, but you kept poking the frosting, and smearing your cake covered finger on your dress.
Thus came the bib, a little too late.
You skipped a nap during the day, with all the excitement of gifts and balloons, and it was difficult to keep you calm and still for pictures. At home, both you and Zoe stayed up late, playing with the gifts, and carrying the energy and excitement of the special event.
Today we celebrated your first year of life, and the happiness you brought along. I worked from home, to pick up your cake and balloons, while your nanny Faith took you on a usual day of adventure and play. As a gift, she got you your own talking ball. She usually brings one that belongs to her grandchildren, and you love playing with it. So now you have your own.
After Faith left, you and I had a little play time of our own, with balloons, and whatever you found to be fun, such as lip balm,
before we headed out to your birthday dinner at Tutta Bella. There, every kid gets a piece of pizza dough to play with, making the place a favorite of Zoe's. Zoe's friend Geniva, her mom and grandparents, along with our all time friend Bill, nonna, nonno, and me were there to celebrate your presence.
A few days prior, I took pictures of my top 3 cakes at the bakery, and asked Zoe's help to pick the best one. She picked a Hello Kitty nature theme, with grass, flowers, sky, an apple tree, and a rainbow. It was the rainbow that sealed the deal for her.
We each had a piece of cake, but you preferred to eat directly from the source, pocking your finger deep into the colorful frosting, and licking it. At some point, you had enough, but you kept poking the frosting, and smearing your cake covered finger on your dress.
Thus came the bib, a little too late.
On your birthday, I saw you take 3 forward steps, completely on your own, and 5, without forward move. Faith saw you take 5 steps forward. You are very comfortable on your feet. You and Zoe love each other's company, but when you interrupt her play, and destroy the scenes she set up for her pretend-play, or take away her mommy-Zoe time, she closes her door, politely and diplomatically. You stand behind her door, hand on the knob, eyes desperate to get in.
For the last couple of weeks, you've been saying MAMA clearly, and intentionally, referring to me - MAMA. We love hearing it - especially me.
Your 1 year wellness exam is scheduled for June 23, so update on your growth is to come.
It is hard to believe that exactly a year ago, you became part of our life, and infused it with your beaming smile and fun personality.
I love you,
Mommy
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Where is Echo?
A tiny bird built a nest on one of our hanging flower planters.
She worked diligently, digging a hole and flying back and forth with building supplies.
I lost count of how many times papa and I went to Home Depot... She laid 3 tiny
eggs in the nest, and is keeping them warm. We feel a relief every time we
check the nest and see mama bird’s little beak, and tiny head. We read that
watering the plants could scare of mama bird and she might leave the nest. So
papa will not be watering that planter until the birds are free to fly. I hope
mama bird gets as lucky as me, and her babies thrive.
“Where is Echo? Where is Echo?” I heard the worried voices
of Papa and noona last week while I was in the changing room upstairs. I
stepped out, and there you were, in the bedroom, crawling toward me. You
followed me upstairs, quietly climbed the steep, curving stairs, and found me. You’ve
been following me upstairs ever since. Someone always keeps an eye on you,
including Zoe, just in case you need to be spotted. You are a master stair climber.
Yesterday you took two steps, without help at all! But you
threw yourself on the ground to safety, before you took the 3rd
step. You have strong legs and you stand in perfect balance, but you seem
scared to take steps forward, unless we hold your hand. I think we are very
close to walking. All you need is a little daring.
I’m not sure, but I think you are saying “up” sometimes, when
you want me to lift you up.
We took our first road trip to Whistler, Canada. A beautiful
place, with lake sand mountains, and plenty of family time. You got used to
having access to mama 24/7, and when we returned to our normal lives, we had to
re-adjust. Mama had to go to work, but you wanted mama and mama wanted you. I love holding you. You give the warmest hugs. We lock our eyes and smile at each other. Your smile is wide and bright.
You gave us a health scare on the drive back from Canada and
the day after. You always had a purple mark on your back, the size of a large
blueberry. The doctor said it was likely a birth mark. Sunday morning, when we
changed you for the last time before we hit the road back to Seattle, we noticed
faint marks on your low back. On the drive back, papa and I were very worried
that you had some type of blood disorder that caused you to bruise. Next day, I
got a referral for bloodwork and drove you to the lab in Seattle Children’s
Hospital. Waiting for results is hateful. I called your doctor 3 times, first
to give them a heads up that a report would be sent to them, and so they know
to call me right away. The other two calls were to inquire about the results.
By the 3rd call they got the report, but not the chance to review.
Around 4pm they called me with good news that everything was normal.
Do not scare us anymore.
Love,
Mommy
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Eleven Months!
Baby Echo,
We celebrated your 11-month birthday with Zoe's favorite chocolate cupcake and a mini chocolate cheesecake. To watch your face as you savor the taste of chocolate is priceless.
A few updates on your status:
You are coming up to standing even more easily than before, and looking at us with a meaningful smile, waiting for cheers and applause.
Speaking of applause, you clap your two hands like a master. And of course, look at me with a big smile as you do it. I think you are the happiest baby alive.
When you hear the word poop, you strain "aaaghh" as if pooping, and we all laugh.
Last week you took the jar of butt paste, you strained "aaaghh," and with your finger, you pretended to smear the paste on your crotch.
When you eat something you like, you say nyam nyam nayam, and with your body language you ask for more.
Your nanny, Faith, keeps you busy with activities - story time at the library, sing-along at the book store, playground fun, exploration of flora and fauna at the Greenlake park. Every visit, she brings a fun toy to play with.
You are super funny and mega cute. Here are a couple of pictures to prove it.
Enjoying the sun and the grass on the way to picking up Zoe from school:
Keeping mama company in the kitchen after a bath:
On a family bike ride during the Memorial Day weekend
Love,
Mommy
We celebrated your 11-month birthday with Zoe's favorite chocolate cupcake and a mini chocolate cheesecake. To watch your face as you savor the taste of chocolate is priceless.
A few updates on your status:
You are coming up to standing even more easily than before, and looking at us with a meaningful smile, waiting for cheers and applause.
Speaking of applause, you clap your two hands like a master. And of course, look at me with a big smile as you do it. I think you are the happiest baby alive.
When you hear the word poop, you strain "aaaghh" as if pooping, and we all laugh.
Last week you took the jar of butt paste, you strained "aaaghh," and with your finger, you pretended to smear the paste on your crotch.
When you eat something you like, you say nyam nyam nayam, and with your body language you ask for more.
Your nanny, Faith, keeps you busy with activities - story time at the library, sing-along at the book store, playground fun, exploration of flora and fauna at the Greenlake park. Every visit, she brings a fun toy to play with.
You are super funny and mega cute. Here are a couple of pictures to prove it.
Enjoying the sun and the grass on the way to picking up Zoe from school:
Keeping mama company in the kitchen after a bath:
On a family bike ride during the Memorial Day weekend
Mommy
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Till work do us part
My dear little Echo,
Last three weeks were a dream, with you, under my finger tips, for huggies, kisses, giggles, walks, runs, and snuggles. As I commute to my new job tomorrow, you'll be on my mind, and I'll be sad. As I commute back home, you'll still be on my mind - impatient at red lights, angry at people that aren't in a hurry, and desperate to hold you and make you happy.
I've been trying to make the most out of the time we had together. I made Zoe skip school one day, and when she stayed home because she was sick, we all went to the grocery store and rode the Taxi cart. You both were so happy.
I took you to mommy and baby yoga the other day. Last time we were there it was about nine months ago. You were tiny and light as a feather, barely mobile. Every time I'd lift you up, you'd spit. This time you were like a free range chicken, going anywhere you liked, mostly to me, hanging on to my legs as I moved from pose to pose. I lifted you up in sun salutations, and down in forward bends. I wanted us to have one more special adventure before I disappeared for long hours.
I brought out the retired breast pump, since you are still nursing. We practiced with the sippy cup. You were surprised and amused by the familiar and unexpected taste, and looked at me "what is mama boob doing in here?" It's a big relief that you accepted the milk from the cup.
I'll be nursing you early in the morning and then leave you with two sippy cups of mama milk for my absence, and then I'll come back to you. The routine will continue until you turn one, when it's time to ween. Weening is slow, but I think it will be faster than it was with Zoe. We found a great nanny to be with you two days a week, and nonna will watch you the remaining three. In July, we'll start daycare.
I prepared your breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. I asked Papa to come home at lunch time to spend some time with you, and knowing that he is with you. I'll feel a little better. I hope you lose yourself in play and sleep tomorrow. The weekend is a day away, and it feels far. In a couple of weeks we'll go on vacation, all four of us together.
Love,
Mommy
Last three weeks were a dream, with you, under my finger tips, for huggies, kisses, giggles, walks, runs, and snuggles. As I commute to my new job tomorrow, you'll be on my mind, and I'll be sad. As I commute back home, you'll still be on my mind - impatient at red lights, angry at people that aren't in a hurry, and desperate to hold you and make you happy.
I've been trying to make the most out of the time we had together. I made Zoe skip school one day, and when she stayed home because she was sick, we all went to the grocery store and rode the Taxi cart. You both were so happy.
I took you to mommy and baby yoga the other day. Last time we were there it was about nine months ago. You were tiny and light as a feather, barely mobile. Every time I'd lift you up, you'd spit. This time you were like a free range chicken, going anywhere you liked, mostly to me, hanging on to my legs as I moved from pose to pose. I lifted you up in sun salutations, and down in forward bends. I wanted us to have one more special adventure before I disappeared for long hours.
I brought out the retired breast pump, since you are still nursing. We practiced with the sippy cup. You were surprised and amused by the familiar and unexpected taste, and looked at me "what is mama boob doing in here?" It's a big relief that you accepted the milk from the cup.
I'll be nursing you early in the morning and then leave you with two sippy cups of mama milk for my absence, and then I'll come back to you. The routine will continue until you turn one, when it's time to ween. Weening is slow, but I think it will be faster than it was with Zoe. We found a great nanny to be with you two days a week, and nonna will watch you the remaining three. In July, we'll start daycare.
I prepared your breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. I asked Papa to come home at lunch time to spend some time with you, and knowing that he is with you. I'll feel a little better. I hope you lose yourself in play and sleep tomorrow. The weekend is a day away, and it feels far. In a couple of weeks we'll go on vacation, all four of us together.
Love,
Mommy
Monday, May 11, 2015
Little mechanic
Little Echo,
Your dexterity, which we discovered early on, continues to surprise and amuse us.
You watch our hand moves, as we work on the house, in the kitchen, when putting on makeup, you name it, then you demand the item you have been observing us use, and you imitate our motions. That's not too surprising, since it is in the nature of every child to learn through observation and imitation. It is your ability to replicate the motions accurately and successfully that surprises us. You open and close containers, put smaller items in larger ones, and just figure out how things operate and work together, with few observations.
After bath, I rub lotion on your chubby smooth skin - just another excuse to enjoy my baby. A couple of weeks ago, you insisted to take the lotion bottle, and press the pump. I dispensed a small amount on your hands with reluctance, anticipating the mess that will ensue, and the cleaning I'll have to do... But like a pro, you rubbed the lotion on your leg. I dispensed some more on your other hand, and you repeated the action.
I'm very curious to see where your abilities will take you. I'll be proud of you all the way through.
Love,
Mommy.
Your dexterity, which we discovered early on, continues to surprise and amuse us.
You watch our hand moves, as we work on the house, in the kitchen, when putting on makeup, you name it, then you demand the item you have been observing us use, and you imitate our motions. That's not too surprising, since it is in the nature of every child to learn through observation and imitation. It is your ability to replicate the motions accurately and successfully that surprises us. You open and close containers, put smaller items in larger ones, and just figure out how things operate and work together, with few observations.
After bath, I rub lotion on your chubby smooth skin - just another excuse to enjoy my baby. A couple of weeks ago, you insisted to take the lotion bottle, and press the pump. I dispensed a small amount on your hands with reluctance, anticipating the mess that will ensue, and the cleaning I'll have to do... But like a pro, you rubbed the lotion on your leg. I dispensed some more on your other hand, and you repeated the action.
I'm very curious to see where your abilities will take you. I'll be proud of you all the way through.
Love,
Mommy.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Potty time!
My Echo
About two weeks ago papa and I bit the bullet and drove to
Ikea with a shopping list that has been growing over the past few months. Not
on the list, was a green and white potty. Too early for a 10 month old, but
sooner or later, we would need it, and since we were already, we decided to
grab one, and postpone an unavoidable future visit to Ikea.
While waiting at the Home Delivery line, which was slower
than the checkout line, you tested your potty and liked how it felt.
At home, when you started making your familiar grunts, nonna
Maria suggested that we sit you on your potty, just to get you used to it. Like
a pro, you pushed:
You posed:
You pushed some more, heart in the present, eyes in the future.
Zoe stopped playing with her new dinner set we got her from Ikea, and kept you
company the whole way, encouraging you to charge on.
The experience was more dramatic than the pictures portray. You even lost a sock along the way, although that's far from unusual for you. You leave no sock on your feet and no hat on your head, no matter what the weather is like.
We cheered, and clapped for your success, but instead of joining in our celebration, you were disturbed by the sight of your work, and tried to shun away. But worry not. Since that day, we have been putting you on the potty on and off, and whatever feeling of unease you had hat first time, is all gone. Instead, now we have to insist that you do not touch your poop.
Love, Mommy.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Little things about you
My Dear Little Echo,
I had to travel to San Francisco for a couple of days, and since you are still nursing, we made it a family trip. The weather was gorgeous. The sun was bright just the right amount, and the rays were warm just the right amount. The hotel was a walk away from the facility where I worked, and right across the street was Children's Center - a carousel with horses and chariots, an outdoor playground, grass to roll and run, and most fun of all, the Children's Museum.
As we were planing the trip, we were worried about how papa would entertain two little girls for two full days. Instead, you girls found yourselves in children's paradise full of activities. Kudos to papa for entertaining you, doing scientific projects with Zoe, crafts, dress-up karaoke, Disney store adventures, diaper changes, and meals. While Zoe was having the time of her life through amazing activities, you were enjoying the energy, colors and action around you in your own way.
Every few hours I joined you for half an hour to an hour for feeding and playing. Nursing you is near to impossible when there is something going on. In fact at the hotel room, I ended up hiding inside the small dark closet to remove all stimulus from your area of vision. Alas, the ironing board was there, and you found a way to play with it. In the evening, we all collapsed into the only bed in the hotel room. Reading your body language, I'm sure you said "Oh My God! I can't believe Zoe is sleeping next to me! Let the fun begin!!!" You kept crawling on her, all psyched, and wouldn't let her, or anyone else sleep. We were all tired. So very tired, but enjoyed your funny reaction.
I know you won't remember the little things we do, but you will know how much you are loved by everyone in our little family.
You love being in the bath tub with Zoe, so we throw you in together. Zoe holds you to make sure you don't drawn. When it's time to rinse her, she panics, screams, because refuses to let go. I tell her I will hold you. She makes me promise not to let go.
The other day we noticed you were chewing on something. Before we could figure out what it was, Zoe, quick as lightning, shoved her little fingers in your mouth and pulled out a shiny piece of chocolate wrapping paper.
You slammed my glass off the table with your Herculean arms. When Papa and I rushed to clear the pieces of glass, Papa asked Zoe to move you away. She immediately grabbed you from behind, lifted you up, and dragged you away from the scene.
I get on my knees and start crawling. You see me, and start crawling toward me, laughing. We head toward each other, butt heads, and hug.
Your little mouth houses five teeth that create an adorable asymmetrical smile.
I love you.
Mommy
I had to travel to San Francisco for a couple of days, and since you are still nursing, we made it a family trip. The weather was gorgeous. The sun was bright just the right amount, and the rays were warm just the right amount. The hotel was a walk away from the facility where I worked, and right across the street was Children's Center - a carousel with horses and chariots, an outdoor playground, grass to roll and run, and most fun of all, the Children's Museum.
As we were planing the trip, we were worried about how papa would entertain two little girls for two full days. Instead, you girls found yourselves in children's paradise full of activities. Kudos to papa for entertaining you, doing scientific projects with Zoe, crafts, dress-up karaoke, Disney store adventures, diaper changes, and meals. While Zoe was having the time of her life through amazing activities, you were enjoying the energy, colors and action around you in your own way.
Every few hours I joined you for half an hour to an hour for feeding and playing. Nursing you is near to impossible when there is something going on. In fact at the hotel room, I ended up hiding inside the small dark closet to remove all stimulus from your area of vision. Alas, the ironing board was there, and you found a way to play with it. In the evening, we all collapsed into the only bed in the hotel room. Reading your body language, I'm sure you said "Oh My God! I can't believe Zoe is sleeping next to me! Let the fun begin!!!" You kept crawling on her, all psyched, and wouldn't let her, or anyone else sleep. We were all tired. So very tired, but enjoyed your funny reaction.
I know you won't remember the little things we do, but you will know how much you are loved by everyone in our little family.
You love being in the bath tub with Zoe, so we throw you in together. Zoe holds you to make sure you don't drawn. When it's time to rinse her, she panics, screams, because refuses to let go. I tell her I will hold you. She makes me promise not to let go.
The other day we noticed you were chewing on something. Before we could figure out what it was, Zoe, quick as lightning, shoved her little fingers in your mouth and pulled out a shiny piece of chocolate wrapping paper.
You slammed my glass off the table with your Herculean arms. When Papa and I rushed to clear the pieces of glass, Papa asked Zoe to move you away. She immediately grabbed you from behind, lifted you up, and dragged you away from the scene.
I get on my knees and start crawling. You see me, and start crawling toward me, laughing. We head toward each other, butt heads, and hug.
Your little mouth houses five teeth that create an adorable asymmetrical smile.
I love you.
Mommy
Thursday, March 19, 2015
You are nine months old!
My dearest little Echo,You are 9 months old!
-You wave at people when you see them pass by. It's the cutest sight, and makes everyone smile.
-You drink water from a sippy cup, holding it with one or two hands, at will. I haven't figured out whether your intent is to drink the water, or to chew on the nipple, but either way, water flows into your mouth, and you like it.
-You might be a world record holder in speed crawling. When you hear Zoe, or see something you like, you zoooom like the wind.
-When I nurse you, if I don't sing, you hit my mouth with your little hand until I do.
-Progress on feeding has been slow. You are not crazy about mushed food, and you don't like finger food with soft texture, like steamed carrots, strawberries, potatoes, or soft anythings. So feeding you isn't easy. You need to be really really hungry to be willing to eat things that suit a toothless mouth. You like hard textures - carrots, apples, cucumbers, cheerios and crackers. You also like bread. When I'm desperate, I resort to plain yogurt, which you really like.
We had your 9-month checkup today. You are fantastic in every way, except that your weight gain slowed down. We assign it to your long lasting congestion, and to your picky eating habits. You've been congested for about a month. We went to the doctor 3 times, but your nose is still stuffy and runny. But things are slowly improving. The beginning was the toughest, and the only way to sleep was sitting up. I'd lean against pillows, and cradle you to sleep on my chest. You got used to the arrangement, and since then, almost every night, you wake up, look around with your usual smile, and climb on my chest, so you can sleep using me as your mattress.
Your specs:
Height: 72cm - 75th percentile
Weight: 7.79kg - about 20th percentile
Head circumference: I don't have the numbers, but your little head has been growing nicely.
Other changes in life:
-I started taking you to a child care facility a few hours a week. I work at the cafe upstairs, while you play downstairs in the kids room. The teachers love you and carry you around/
-Grandmother Nine went back home, and Nonna came to take her place. You like snuggling against her chest when you are tired.
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