Xuanie has 3 categories of poo:
1) Poo-poo in front = pee
2) Poo-poo at the back = poop
3) Poo-poo in the mouth = throw up
He hates all 3, and always wants to be changed and cleaned. But he is still not toilet trained yet. Wonder when he will cooperate/master the skill.
Lam-bour-geee-nee! Fer-ya-yi!
Xuanie is a big fan of Lightning McQueen, that we know. But he surprised me yesterday when we’re watching a F1 race on TV. Never thought he remembered those names so well!!
Waitress: Where is Papa?
Xuanie: Mei Guo (US) house
Waitress: Does Papa call you and talk to you on the phone?
Xuanie: Mama
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I was playing cards with Xuanie, trying to teach him numbers. When he got a “J” (jack?), I said, “J for Johnson.” Then I asked, “Is Xuanie a Johnson?” He said, “No, Papa.”
I have a Siamese twin. His name is Xuanie.
It is very flattering and heartening that I am the biggest love of his life. He absolutely loves my company, and mine alone.
But, it becomes a cause for concern when he does not allow anyone else in his life. He’s not interested in playing with anyone else. He does not allow me to leave him alone or with someone else so I could do something for myself (like get a decent hair-cut). He does not allow me to watch TV nor talk on the phone, or with anyone. I really hope this phase will pass soon, because he needs to grow up.
BTW, the general advice about attending to your newborn baby whenever he cries, just so he feels secure, is not always correct. I heeded the “advice” of all the mothering books and what I get now is a super clingy son, not what was promised, the confident and independent child who will go out to explore the world. He is independent when there’s something really fun that catches his attention, like a swimming pool, or water park, or a toy store. That’s about it, any other time, he wants to be literally stuck to Mama, whether it is on the slide or when he’s playing with his toys.
These are some foods that he never rejects.
1) Broccoli – He even grabs and munches on them whenever we go grocery shopping.
2) Plain white rice – Whenever we go out to buy cooked food and I ask him what he wants to eat, he always says “fan, fan.”
3) Spinach (and other green leafy veggies)
4) Duck – Not a big fan of poultry or any meat, he seems to LOVE duck meat
5) All kinds of seafood – He hasn’t tried ALL kinds of seafood yet, but so far, he’s always excited and have initiated and asked for fish, shrimps and clams.
That’s about it. Not a long list. Recently he tried frog meat. It was love at first bite. I’ve read that frog meat is a popular meat with toddlers (at least in Singapore) and it appears to be true, for even my anti-food son loves it.
Last night, I slept for 4 hours, from 10 p.m to 1 a.m. The harder I try to get back to sleep, surprise, surprise, the more impossible it is. At 3 a.m., I resorted to downing some wine given by my aunt. I was a little sedated but no sleep as my mind whirled over the failures of the day which are not necessarily unique to yesterday.
It is so stressful with a hyper and REALLY mischievious toddler. He loves to dash across roads no matter how hard I try to grab on to him. He loves to push his stroller instead of being in it, and enjoys pushing it by the edge of heavy traffic. When he wants something, he must have it or he’ll scream my ears deaf. Yesterday, I yelled at him in public, and over the course of the day, did many more things that make him confused and sad, and I end up thinking I am out of control, or even pyschopathic.
It helps when CL called and told me she was a “crazy” mom herself when her daughter was younger. It helps when I think of a couple of other girlfriends who have told me their own horror stories. Nevertheless, it still adds to the sense of helplessness and failure that is increasing by the day.
A young man I know once blogged that every sister in church should aspire to be stay-at-home-moms. Alas, not everyone is cut out to be that. In fact, many women thrive only when they can have their own life outside of the home – having an income (any amount), friends . . . the children and they themselves will have more quality time together.
Once I played a game on Yahoo with a stay-home-mom. Xuanie was in daycare, and I often treat myself to a game and just one game per day. That mom had her 14-month son in front of the TV, and wanted to play another game when our game was over. I declined and told her my quota is up, and that her 14-month old probably needs her. I’m no moral superior here, for I know how life can become a drudgery when one is home alone with her children for most of her waking (and even sleeping) life. That type of drudgery can make a woman dull and unlovable. It takes a lot of strength and the right type of personality to get social for herself and the children. Even with that, one has to be in the right location, in the right company etc. Not everyone can be a virtuously sweet stay-at-home-mother.
So, I stayed awake till past 4 a.m. ruminating over my decreasing social circle, increasing neuroticism . . . So, I decided to pray, and made a couple of decisions to help things, help myself. Not that I have not thought about them, but it’s good to be reminded, and hopefully, I can get into action.
Did I already write it down that Xuanie pulled the cord on my computer. Literally. He pulled the adaptor and the laptop came crashing down onto the floor from the coffee table. I need a new laptop now. And, I need a min. 16 GB memory stick to back-up all that’s on my computer if I can still salvage anything. Arrrggh. (BTW, that was 2 weeks ago.)
X. does not like shopping. Each time we’re about to enter some mall, he would say, “Hui Jia” (Go home). And, he will make it known to me he means it every few minutes when we’re at the mall. He’s more of the outside type of guy, and loves it at parks, playgrounds, or just about anywhere he can move around. He’s also quite a homebody too.
He’s started to understand what “MacDonald’s” mean, and he likes it. It’s good that most malls have M. I usually get only fries, hash brown or some nuggets for him, and ice-cream. He’s not into burgers, at least not the last time I checked, a couple of months back. I hope he does not develop any further liking for the food there.
X. produced his longest and most intelligible sentence yesterday. When my dad was going out of the door, he asked, “Grandpa, where are u going?” (In Mandarin of course: “Ah Gong, qu na er?”) Unbelievable. Just like an adult. Complete sentence. I was very happy.
After months of being a skinny baby and zero weight gain, Xuanie has finally put on weight. No, I didn’t weigh him but the weight gain is noticeable even to the least observant eye. Food in Singapore is just so good he just wants to try many (not every) things. Good thing is he’s still a hyper and active little one, and adventurous to try all kinds of gadgets at the health-stations in the playgrounds/parks. Each time he succeeds in climbing up a new hurdle or slide, he would say he’s “Zhang Da” (Grown up), because “eat.”
He has also allowed me to clip his nails. I used to have to do it when he’s deep asleep. He actually enjoys having me trim his finger nails.
He’s got a chance to watch older kids play basketball, and he says he will play it too when he’s “Zhang Da.”
We braved a heavy rainstorm together today. I asked if it’s ok that we got wet and walk in the rain since I didn’t bring along an umbrella. Asked if he was scared. He said no. As I manouvered each step slowly for fear of slipping, he said, “Mama, xiao xin” (careful) and he even wanted to get down and “qian shou” – it was so heartening to see him holding on to me by the hand to protect me and making sure I didn’t slip.
