Nhia's Niche

Frozen jeans and more stories

2008-01-02T00:53:00.000-06:00

Such a busy holiday break, I don't even know where to start ...

Most recent:

- I think I now know how Jack and Rose felt in "Titanic." Well, Jack anyways, since Rose had a makeshift raft. So here I am, standing in freezing water just to get the best shots as a bunch of even crazier people take the plunge into Lake Michigan as part of the annual New Year's Day Polar Bears dip. And as a shameless plug and ploy to generate more web traffic for us, check it out yourself to see what I'm talking about. Oh yeah, and here's proof (thanks to one of our brilliant photographers Sam Castro, who was right there in the freezing lake water with me):

I seriously thought I had frostbitten feet afterward. I couldn't feel my legs or feet as my wet jeans had gotten frozen onto my legs in the 4-degree wind chill weather. And it was quite a challenge trying to change out of jeans frozen to my ass, frozen boots where the laces refuse to be untied (it was like trying to unwind twigs) and frozen socks -- all while I wondered whether my legs had any feeling left to them.

- We have two Christmases in our family ... the one with my family in Indy, and one here with The Husband's family. And the girls (and Ian, one day!) love it, as they get soooo many gifts. Christmas ... is all about the kids and seeing the sheer joy on their faces now. Don't even ask what The Husband got me.

- Ian not only looks like his dad, he's beginning to act like his dad. He doesn't want to exert any extra physical energy unless he absolutely has to. The lazy fella won't turn over; he's content just sleeping flat on his back and crying for his toys rather than trying to turn and reach for them. But there's hope yet -- at least I'm training him to be sensitive to women's needs.

Cute story: While hanging out with daddy as he shoveled, the girls got out themselves their little lawn chairs from the garage. They were just sitting there like a couple of old women you'd see on a humorous Hallmark card. Too cute.

Lazy Ian

Boost for the ego when your girls want to be just like you!

***************************

All decked out for the New Year service at church. Since Norah doesn't have any Hmong clothes, she's wearing Ella's old Chinese outfit Uncle and Auntie Tou bought her for her first birthday. She just LOVED it. She's going to be such a girly girl.

Snap happy

2007-12-20T01:24:00.001-06:00

Let it be recorded that:

During our Indy trip this past weekend, I, for the first time since getting my camera almost two years ago, filled up my 1GB memory card for my camera. I was snap happy and got a ton of photos (between 250-300 photos). The down side to this is that I have to sift through these tons of photos to showcase here. And I tend to get lazy doing that.

So here are a few more random ones.

Aside mini-story here:

Norah has been able to speak in complete sentences for a few weeks now. And the even more amazing part: I can totally understand her, though I doubt anyone else would be able to! And, like her older sister, she can count to 10 in three languages. Well, almost in Spanish. She misses "tres" and "quatro."

But the little Chubster is so shy, every time I try to get her to show off her newfound toddler skills, she clams up and acts like she can't speak a word or that I'm speaking Greek to her. Again, like her older sister, she just needs a little time to warm up.

Kid Heaven

2007-12-18T07:41:00.000-06:00

The kids always enjoy visiting Grandma and Grandpa and alll their cousins in Indy. It is absolute Kid Heaven for them.

Impossible to get 8 kids all under the age of 5 to look at the camera all at once. Kudos to anyone who can achieve this near-impossible feat.

All sans Ian (sleeping already) decked out in the Chauncey Billups jerseys -- gifts from Auntie Lisa and Uncle Kevin.

Best friends forever.

"Norah, who's your best friend?" ... "SHAR-YET!"

Cousin Theoden enjoying raisins and "BAH-VOONS"

Caught!

2007-12-13T01:43:00.000-06:00

Been so super busy these past few weeks. I realize I've reduced my posts to just once -- maybe twice -- a week. That has not been intentional.

But -- here's proof of me at work. Thanks to our super talented chief photographer, Bruce Halmo who caught me on camera with me totally unaware. I look bored, I know, but really -- I enjoy my video production work (just not the long hours).

And the final product -- Check it out for no other reason other than that it is my work (I know like 99.99999% of my readers could care less about high school basketball, much less high school basketball that's not even considered local for you guys!).

Weekend photo essay

2007-12-09T23:25:00.000-06:00

Very few words here, lotsa weekend photos!

Outdoor pictures: Just having more fun in the snow, continued work on that snowman and Ella shoveling.

Indoor pictures: Playing Photo Shoot as I try to compose a photo for this year's Christmas cards. Awful, awful timing. It was just me and the kids as The Husband was at one of his marathon church council meetings. Both girls were in that deliberately disobedient mood and Ian was uncharacteristically fussy (see for yourself below); I think he's teething.

PTA parent moment

2007-12-06T02:02:00.000-06:00

Took a nice, extended break from work Wednesday night to bake cupcakes with my girls.

It's Make and Take Day today for Ella's 3K class, where parents come to school with their kiddies and helps out with various Christmas projects, all while enjoying treats that everyone brings. We opted to make cupcakes, something simple where the girls can actually help.

While making cupcakes, I felt like such a PTA parent! Not that that's a bad thing; just a new sensation is all. I'm sure it won't be long before I'm the soccer mom whose turn it is to be the carpool driver cartin' around a dozen attitude-stricken future Mia Hamms just about ready to burst with an extra dose of butt-kickin' girl power.

Those pictures will be coming soon ...

Lipstick, breast pumps and bras -- Another women-only post

2007-12-05T12:05:00.000-06:00

There are three things in life where the extraordinary price really does mean extraordinary quality (in no particular order).

1 - lipstick
2 - breast pump
3 - bras

Anyone who knows me knows that I refuse to buy expensive bras. To me, bras have always been like socks. No one's going to look there anyways and it's just a piece of cloth, right? How much difference could there really be?

A lot of difference.

Baby sister Lisa works for Victoria's Secret. And every month employees get to take home new, featured bras. Since she's got three wonderful older sisters (the oldest sis is the best and brightest, btw), we get to be guinea pigs for said bras.

Now that I've just about run dry from my nursing endeavors, I can finally switch to a non-front-clasp bra ... to the Victoria's Secret bra Lisa gave me months ago. And wow -- I cannot believe the difference between a VS bra and a cheap, department-store bra. I can't even explain it.

But I still don't know if I can afford to wear just VS bras ... :)

Enjoying the winter outdoors for the first time

2007-12-03T00:37:00.001-06:00

I have spent the past two winters here in our very first house either recovering from delivering another human being or having another human being growing inside me.

So when the opportunity arose to actually spend some fun time in the snow with my girls (and with me being neither pregnant or topsy-turvy from labor and delivery), I took it up. Here's how that opportunity was conceived, the day after our first snowstorm of the season:

The Husband: You don't know how hard it is to shovel (said irritably on the drive home from church after I had given him a hard time about how he took so long that morning to clear the driveway).

Ella (from the third row of the SUV): Mommy, I want to shovel! I want to shovel!

The Husband (still irritable): You and Mommy can shovel.

Ella (always Mommy's Little Girl): Yeah. Me and Mommy shovel. Daddy cook.

Me: Yep, Ella, you and mommy will shovel.

So I bundle up the girls in hats, scarves, gloves and boots (snow boots for Ella because she actually owns some; fashionable black boots for Norah because she doesn't own any snow boots but hey, I had to be creative and give her something high to cover those little ankles) and we head outside to tackle the driveway, armed with our shovels.

End result: The Husband's shovel sucks because the handle is loose. It's hard to maneuver. There's a slight glaze of ice over the unshoveled parts of the driveway. Norah slips and falls a few times. The Husband's shovel sucks. Ella accidentally whacks Norah with the handle of the way-too-tall shovel because Norah was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Husband's shovel sucks. Did I already mention that The Husband's shovel sucks?

So we manage to at least shovel the walkway to the front porch before I realized: Hey, it would be much more fun to build a snowman! So the girls and I start working on it. Right away, I realized that there's also glaze over the snow. But we're not to be disappointed.

Although we can't build a snowman traditionally by rolling a pea-sized snowball and making it astronomically larger, we improvise. We start out with a chunk of snow and just add to it with continuous packing. And to our delight, we were able to build a toddler-sized snowman!

The Husband looks outside and exclaims: "You guys didn't even shovel!"

Well we shoveled the walkway, I pointed out. And hey, we built a snowman. So there.

The other side of Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T23:21:00.000-06:00

So I discovered how the other side lives -- the other side of people who DON'T have to work Thanksgiving weekend; I've worked it for the past five years, not to mention a couple of actual Thanksgiving Day shifts in those five years, too.

With a little luck on my side this year, I opted to not just sit on my butt and put on even more weight after chowing down too much food. Our time was more than occupied with the traditional Thanksgiving church luncheon, annual Hmong New Year celebration, family stuff and helping out with the youth worship night -- which, throwing out kudoses to the youth group, was awesome.

But the cynic in me flashes a self-reminder that this is all short-lived, for next year, it may be back to the Thanksgiving weekend shift. At least I now know how it feels to actually spend time with family during a family holiday.

Ella in her Hmong threads during the New Year. Poor Norah wanted so badly to wear Hmong clothes too, but Grandma "Pog" had only bought an outfit for Ella during tournament season. We'll have to get one for my Nor this summer.

Ella and Norah during lunch at the New Year.

I made The Husband put up the Christmas tree Thanksgiving Day (in the background). The girls and I started hanging ornaments Sunday evening.

For women only

2007-11-18T21:55:00.000-06:00

WARNING: If you are of the male species (and yes, contrary to science, males are of a completely different species), you may not want to read this post. ........

........... (I'm giving you more than ample time to navigate to another more male-friendly page) .......

............ (you've still got time) ............

............ (giving you a little more time yet) ...........

............ consider yourself having been warned .....

I haven't pumped for breastmilk in quite a while; I've just been letting Ian take it directly from me while I'm home. The Husband supplements with formula when I'm at work.

But these past few days, I've suspected another plugged duct on my right breast. So instead of trying to tolerate the pain and hoping it would eventually go away with each feeding, I got out that ol' reliable electric breast pump that lasted through three kids and went to work at it.

Before the story continues on any further ... I must let it be known that I have never been shy about baring it all in front of my daughters, whether it be directly nursing their little brother or pumping. They watch me with quite the intrigue, excited that one day they'll also be able to do the same with their (get this!) "due due" (pronounced not like "doo-doo", but the emphasis is like saying "true true").

Yes, that is what they call breasts: due-due. It stems from the sound that my pump makes -- that pumping, semi-whistling sound that somewhat, but not really, sounds like "due-due." To put it in context, here are some real ways that phrase has been used: "Mommy, are you going to do your due-due now?" (Translation: Mommy, are you going to pump now?) ... "Mommy due-due ow-wee" (Mommy's due-dues are hurting) ... "Mommy, are you going to feed Ian your due-dues?" (self-explanatory). Get the point?

So the story continues. After pumping and successfully unplugging the duct, I was washing the pumping supplies when Ella and Norah wanted to do their due-dues too. This was not the first time, but the first time in a long while where they put together -- mostly on their own -- the pumping supplies with the bottles as if getting ready to pump. So each has one set of bottle and pumping shield/cup, with one hand holding up their shirts while the other hand holds the contraption against their chest, smiling and saying "Due-due, due-due, due-due."

It was so cute, seeing how proud they were of themselves, standing there in our kitchen with their 1,000-watts smiles as they simulated pumping. The blogging-mom instinct wanted to grab the camera, but the common sense part of the blogging-mom instinct won over as I thought better of it (sorry!).

A wonderful advantage to having girls: They want to be just like Mommy (see the post below as well). Does wonders for the ego. :)

Sorry, no due-due simulation photos

Norah is stylin'! She's often the "fobby" one, according to her daddy. So I had to capture just how adorable she is when a little effort is made in her outfit for the day. Amazingly, the shirt is a hand-me-down from Ella, as are the boots -- black, zipped boots, just like Mommy's!

Going online with Daddy.

Looking more and more like Daddy each day. But I always say to my Ian: "You look like your daddy. But somehow, you're cute."

Trying to be like Mommy

2007-11-16T11:44:00.001-06:00

All right. I don't normally post in the middle of the day, but this was too cute.

Here's Miss Ella trying to be like Mommy (I was in the shower this morning when all this happened). She's just trying to put on makeup -- not that that's how I look afterwards, but I think you know what I'm getting at! If you look closely, she colored her eyebrows with my eyeliner too!

Broken promises, but here's a compromise

2007-11-14T21:34:00.000-06:00

So I'm a promise-breaker.

I captured the kids on camera, but I haven't been able to actually edit the stuff for here. I'm running short on hard-drive space. So here's a compromise instead: videos of Ella and Norah way back when.

** Ella was just over a year when her Auntie Lisa (who was her full-time babysitter at the time) recorded this. She's amused because she actually saw what we're seeing -- Lisa turned the viewfinder around. Gosh, she was sooooo young!

** Norah is still at the hospital. I think she's barely a day old. Again, Lisa took this footage, as I was still not physically capable to do much yet. Funny story: When I was going through this to decide which old videos to upload, Norah was sitting on my lap. When she saw this one, she insisted that the infant was Ian. When I tried telling her otherwise, she got upset and started crying, "No! Ian! Ian! Ian!"

Celebrating 2!

2007-11-11T20:31:00.000-06:00

Just birthday party pictures for now.

More stories to come later in the week as time permits. Maybe even VIDEO if I can squeeze that in. Sneak peek: Norah counting to 10 in English ... Ella showing off her trilingual skills as she counts to 10 in English, Hmong and Spanish ... Norah with a few comebacks against her daddy ... Norah ID-ing her best friend, boyfriend, "the best," her siblings ...

But don't hold me to any of this just yet!

Even with gentle coaxing from her grandpa, shy Norah still refuses to crack a smile and blow out her candle. Ella actually behaved herself and didn't try to steal the spotlight and stake claim to anything birthday-related.

Enjoying the gifts from "Grandma Pog" and "Grandpa Yawg" -- her new princess cup (it's brand spankin' new, meaning it's EMPTY, but she loooves straws and cups) while chillin' on her new princess chair.

Two years ago

2007-11-08T02:19:00.000-06:00

When I look at my Norah, I still find it amazing at how she's changed and grown. For it was two years ago yesterday that God blessed us with the little Chubster.

We're throwing her a little family birthday party this Saturday. But I couldn't let the actual birthday go by without doing something. So I got her an ice cream cake (which I proclaimed to The Husband as half mine, since he didn't get me an ice cream cake for my birthday not more than two weeks ago) and a pair of Dora tennis shoes.

Norah is always trying on Ella's character shoes: SpongeBob crocs and Ella's own pair of Dora sneakers. She'll put them on the wrong way, proudly boast to me, "Yook, Mommy!" and walk around the kitchen, clunk, clunk, clunking along in shoes 3 sizes too big. But she's so darn cute doing it!

I'm still not sure what her real gift should be yet. She's so used to playing sidekick to Ella that she's pretty undemanding and will just settle for whatever comes her way. So I'll take suggestions on what to get my little Egyptian hieroglyphic.

I'm a Meez!

2007-11-06T00:59:00.001-06:00

Thanks to my good friend Katrina (who is sitting comfortably at home with a one-month darling and has nothing better to do than create herself as an animated character), I am now an animation.

And, get this: You'll see my animated self every time you visit my blog, as I will happily get up and down on one knee holding a video camera at a crime scene -- all on the sidebar of this lovely blog. Yes, I am quite self-absorbed ...

But whoever creates one, let me know! I'm curious as to how all of you would look animated!

Visit www.meez.com and tell me about your creation ...

Not such a big deal after all; happy thoughts

2007-11-05T00:02:00.002-06:00

Sunday was supposed to be Armageddon: Big showdown between the elites of the NFL, the "Game of the Century": my Colts vs. the bully Patriots.

Big effin' deal.

Nothing like watching a drama about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda ("Beyond the Gates") to put into true perspective the trivial disappointment of a football game. If only half as many people would have paid attention to the slaughtering that was happening in Rwanda then as they did to a frickin' football game today, history might have been different.

I've blogged about this similar topic before, so I'll spare you guys the preaching. But it sure has been a while since I've cried so much during a movie.

OK, I have to tell myself to have happy thoughts ... so here are happy pictures with happy kids. For the first time in my 29 years of existence, I cut someone else's hair. Actually, I just trimmed Norah's bangs because they were getting super long. So she looks like an Egyptian hieroglyphic now.

Tale of a pirate and a lion

2007-11-01T00:53:00.001-05:00

Everyone's here for the Halloween pictures, right?

Not to be disappointed.

The girls had a blast. And I had the night off. Ian was in the stroller and slept through most of it. But as has seemed the case lately, it's always too cold. I certainly don't remember Halloween being this cold (not counting my documented recollections from last year, of course).

I am venturing to dare say that we would have hit more houses had it not been for the brisk, cool weather -- even though Norah is understandably a slow walker; and those two toddlers just cannot walk in a straight line even if their basket of candy depended on it. Since we don't have sidewalks, they were just unintentionally all over the street. Good thing our street isn't busy!

I forgot to grab the camera before we headed out. These are post-trick-or-treating photos:

Posing like nice little girls should ...

Ignoring Mom's commands of "Look this way. Smile!" and instead checking out the goods, thinking "I can't believe I collected ALL this candy!!! And it's all MINE!"

At the very last house we visited, Ella saw that Norah was generously given THREE Diego suckers. From that walk on home, she kept trying to look into Norah's basket to see just what Norah got that SHE didn't. So while Norah's entranced by some trick-or-treaters who had a dog with them, Ella's plotting on how she could get a hold of a Diego sucker.

Serenity

2007-10-30T00:13:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite prayers. I have it saved on my desktop crediting my college girlfriend Cathy with having passed it along.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

You are my sunshine

2007-10-28T21:56:00.000-05:00

It just seems like I've been a disappointment magnet lately. I must somehow be advertising the all too tempting "Disappoint me."

But at least when I'm feeling down in the dumps, I can always count on the three special little people who are my world to bail me out; not a lot of people can say they have such a lifeline.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey ...

One more year of youth

2007-10-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

I am getting oooooold.

I may not be 30 yet, but I am right there. With the passing of Oct. 24, I officially turned 29 -- and moved one year closer to actually being considered OLD.

You can still hold onto a part of your youth when you're still in your 20s. Once you hit the big three-O, it's like you HAVE TO grow up. You're an adult for real now (as opposed to being an impostor of an adult before this milestone). To me, 30 is just so, well, OLD. Age can't be an excuse anymore for the silly things you do.

Here's to a final year of using age as an excuse ...

What's the meaning behind this picture? Just another good time from college, you say? Almost, not quite. Just reminiscing to days of immaturity and being allowed to do dumb things. Actually, just thinking of how fun it used to be to celebrate birthdays. Although we weren't celebrating any birthdays here, I am with two friends whose birthdays fell within three days of mine. Nikki (showing off her stomach) was Oct. 23, and Michelle (microphone) Oct. 26. When we turned 21 ... the story stops here. :) HI MICHELLE! You should come up from Chicago there some time for a belated celebration, for old times' sake!

Last glorious weekend, Part II

2007-10-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

Just pictures for now, since I actually have a night off. Going to watch a movie tonight (a rental, of course).

As Cowgirl Ella rides a pony for the upteenth time ...

Wimpy Norah refuses to go near the other species, hanging out with her daddy instead; her daddy is trying to make her touch the ponies (look at the hands), and Wimpy Norah is refusing to even let her hand move in that direction.

Last glorious weekend, Part I

2007-10-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

It was, perhaps, the last glorious weekend of the year.

And we took full advantage.

As anyone who knows me knows, when I've got the digital camera and three cute kids in the perfect, photogenic environment, I go snap-happy. But I haven't had a chance to download the 100-plus photos I've taken this weekend, and it's late, and I don't feel like waiting for them to download, and then sifting through them to share them with the world ...

so for now I've posted only this one that my colleague and friend, Sam Castro, kindly took of us (while on assignment) as we arrived at the pumpkin farm, unbeknownst to us. Awesome shot!

I've got the whole world

2007-10-17T02:50:00.000-05:00

Funny how things change over time.

I was invincible in college. I would walk from the video editing lab or Mac lab across campus at some 3 a.m. in the morning, making my way around the shady neighborhood I lived in. I would do this, it seemed, every night after spending way too much time perfecting that latest video or graphic design project.

All without a fear in the world.

Fast forward some 7, 8 years later ... And as I leave work at some insane hour -- usually as the last person to leave the building -- I'm constantly looking over my shoulder, on the lookout for the slightest suspicious looking thing as I make my way over 2-feet of sidewalk to my car that's conveniently parked right next to the building. The thought of someone lurking nearby is enough to make me almost run that two feet to my car. Heck, I even check the backseat just to ease my paranoia.

What it comes down it to is pretty simple: When it's just you, you've got nothing to lose, nothing to fear. Well, now I've got three perfect reasons to abandon this invincibility philosophy, because when you've got the whole world waiting for their milk, food and livelihood, then you've got the whole world to lose.

One of my last nights of invincibility ... night of college graduation, May 2001.

Costumes and pumpkins

2007-10-15T01:02:00.000-05:00

Busy past week at work led to minimal posts here. Some catching up to do:

-- Ella's class took its first field trip last week -- to the pumpkin farm! We had been hyping it up all week for her and she in turn had been so excited about it. I'm just glad it lived up to her expectations. The only thing she didn't participate in was feeding the animals. My kids just do not do well with other species. And she knew this, so she didn't care to get too involved with that (see photo below).

-- Parents were encouraged to tag along, but it wasn't required. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going. But The Husband had considered neither one of us going, since that would have required finding baby-sitters for Norah and Ian for that morning ... I am sooooo glad that I went; Ella would have been the only student without a parent. How would that have looked: Parental neglect already starting in 3K ...

-- I decided to not wait until the 11th hour this year to buy the girls costumes for Halloween. There were already slim pickings for kids last week. Heck, the best I could find for Norah was a lion. So Ella is this glorious pirate chick, while my Norah has to settle for the sidekick lion. But that's Norah: She's always going to have to settle for that second fiddle role until Ella stops determining Norah's fate for her. And she's OK with that -- for now. During that first day when we first bought the costumes, Ella was going around saying, in as best a pirate voice as she could muster: "Arrrrrrr!"

-- Sleep deprivation has caught up with me. For the past two days, my head has felt like a carousel: constantly spinning. When the kids and I went out shopping on Saturday and Sunday, as I was driving, I felt like how you do when making a 6-hour drive and you're fighting off sleep in the third hour: forcing the eyes to stay open, knowing you'd zonk out as soon as you let the lids close. The sad part: this was a simple 10-minute trip to Wal-Mart and Target.

- So I think I set a personal record Sunday. Come 7 p.m., I was ready for bed. Being that I was still mad at The Husband (sisters and friends know/will know what I'm talking about), I took Ian to nurse (he loooooves falling asleep with me while nursing) and said we were going to bed; the girls were his for the night. So by 8 p.m., Ian and I were out. I can't remember the last I went to bed that early. But it sure felt nice. The only drawback -- I was interrupted in my quest for at least eight hours of continuous sleep. Hence, I am up blogging.

Loved ...

2007-10-09T00:13:00.000-05:00

It's a wonderful feeling knowing you are loved.

My Ian loves me soooooooooooooooooooooooo much. :)

I love the way he looks at me when he's crying when he wants to be picked up and nursed. His little dark eyes are so sad and he's just begging to be held by the person who loves him like no one else can.

I love our moments together. He's so soothed and comforted when he's being nursed that he easily dozes off. As soon as I try to put him down -- and thus stop the nursing -- he immediately wakes up and starts looking for me with his mouth. I tried to let him cry it out once, and his cries turned from cries of needing to be soothed to cries of having his feelings hurt (better described as tu siab in Hmong) to cries of hysteria. It was too much for me and I gave in.

But the little guy needs to be weaned. My supply is slowly decreasing. I'm constantly paranoid that he isn't getting enough from me. But when I try to supplement with formula, he refuses to take the bottle from me. With The Husband feeding him, it's no problem. Grandma? No problem. Baby-sitters? No problem.

But mommy? Problem.

It's because, I told The Husband, he knows that I -- and only I -- can offer something much better than the bottle. :)

It's that post-partum weight -- don't mind my three chins ...

Beautiful weather with proof of a dad

2007-10-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

Thousands of photos.

I am sure of it -- I've probably taken between 3,000-4,000 photos since I bought my camera less than two years ago. It's no guessing game what the subjects of my amateur-photographer stint have been. But every now and then I try to squeeze myself into the frame just to say, "Hey. I'm the mom of these cute kids. And here's proof!"

I once told The Husband: If anything ever happened to us and the only records that existed to tell the story of our family were these thousands of photos, then the investigators would think that these kids didn't have a dad ... He hasn't taken many photos with us because he's never around to play Photo Shoot with us nor has he ever indicated an interest in being a part of our center spreads. Guys just aren't into that stuff, right?

So ... this past weekend was absolutely glorious. Weather was warmer than a normal October day. Stuff was going on. And I told him: We are going to take advantage of this weather.

And so we did. With excursions to a pumpkin festival, the park and the beach. And I was able to document two of the three -- with proof that these kids do have a dad ...

Gross and not-so-gross stuff

2007-10-02T00:49:00.000-05:00

One of the most painful things that can happen (outside of labor pains):

Your baby knocking his hand into your mouth, causing your teeth to dig right into a very painful canker sore. OUCH!!!

For whatever reason, I get canker sores a lot -- more than normal, I'm convinced; and it sucks. This is my second in as many weeks.

OK, not-gross stuff:

- Norah can say "cuse me, Mommy" (excuse me, Mommy) when she needs to slide by me as I'm blocking her path.

- It doesn't take much to make my Ian smile. He looks so serious all the time, but all you need to do is talk to him while showing some excitement, and he flashes that winning smile. You can say anything, even "Global warming is on its way!" As long as he sense the excitement, he's happy and he shows it.

- Ella's newest love: the PBS show, Caillou. She had her own Caillou marathon Sunday. We rented a DVD of it this weekend, and she's been watching it non-stop. In her world, Ian is Caillou, so it makes it that much more personal. It's a good, cute show. I'm just glad she's into educational stuff.

Schizo relationships at an early age

2007-09-30T22:10:00.000-05:00

Not that it's taken me some two weeks to blog about this (it has, technically), but Norah's betrothed, Asher, came over for an afternoon the other week while his due-any-day-now mommy, Katrina, went in for a routine OB exam.

The two can be considered kissing buddies, sorta. Norah is usually all over every baby in her path, which included Asher while his mommy was not present. Here she was, wanting to kiss and hug while he was still trying to open the front door and chase after his mommy. But once Katrina returned, it was suddenly the other way around -- Asher wanted to be cuddly and sweet while Norah was warily scooting away (second picture!) ... a schizo hot/cold relationship -- just like the real deal between men and women today! Let 'em learn early ...

Grandpa Rogers

2007-09-28T00:46:00.000-05:00

Not sure why, but as a kid growing up, I used to absolutely love watching "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood."

I think it was Mr. Rogers' super calm demeanor and how he was so super nice. I remember how much I truly wished he was my neighbor ("... a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine? could you be mine?"), and how encouraging it was with the closing song: It's such a happy feeling, you're growing inside ... It's such a good feeling, a very good feeling, that I'll be back, when the day is new, and I'll have more ideas for you, and you'll have things you want to talk about, I will too ...

Don't make fun of me, but I truly felt that Mr. Rogers was my friend.

Anyway, the point of this post is that Ella and Norah have watched Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood for quite some time. Actually, they like watching the beginning, where he walks in and changes from his suit jacket into a sweater -- as he opens the closet door, Ella and I like to guess which color sweater he'll wear. And they like the cool little objects he brings to share. And then the girls are suddenly totally uninterested during most of the show, only to come back toward the end and watch him slip out of his canvas shoes and back into the dress shoes, return that sweater to the closet and slip into that suit jacket.

It's real cute. But the cutest part is: They call him "Grandpa." Anyone who is an older man is automatically "Grandpa" to them. Same goes for an older woman -- she's suddenly "Grandma." Guys are "Uncle" and girls are "Auntie." I can't tell you how many times we've referred to the cashier or waitress as "Auntie." I can't imagine what Auntie Cashier and Auntie Waitress must have been thinking.

But Mr. Rogers is a special "Grandpa." They hear that intro music, see the little model homes and trolley and before Mr. Rogers even has a chance to burst through that front door, both of them are immediately, excitedly screaming: "GRANDPA!!!!!" as if "Grandpa" just came through their own front door to visit them.

Yes, Mr. Rogers still has an impact on my life today as an adult. And hopefully the educational, nice things he teaches will impact my kids' lives too.

Now and then

2007-09-26T00:55:00.000-05:00

I love doing these comparisons of who looks like who, then and now.

Voila ...

Ian's 4 months, Ella about 5. Although Ella's cheeks are tad bit chubbier, and Ian's eyes a bit bigger, I say one cannot not know that these two are siblings.

Taken almost exactly one year apart. Look at the number of teeth in each one! And the lack of hair when Norah wasn't even a year yet! This was when her hair was just starting to fall flat. For the first 8 to 9 months of her life, her hair was straight up -- SEE BELOW:

Keeping my Baby Map

2007-09-25T00:17:00.000-05:00

Depending on how you look at it, I am happy/disappointed that no one won a free date with my Baby Map.

Disappointed that 1) Not too many people wanted to guess, meaning 2) they didn't want to take off my hands a 4-month-old who still needs to be fed, changed and entertained.

But I am happy that I can still keep my Ian all to myself!

DawnK came the closest -- pretty darn close, Dawn!, but not quite close enough.

Here are his measurements:

- Weight: 13 lbs. 1.5 oz., putting him in the 10th percentile for weight.

- Height: 25 inches, 50th percentile.

- His head circumference was actually off the radar on the low end for his 2-month checkup, which surprised me since his sisters' heads have always been big. But for his 4-month, he's back on track at the 20th percentile.

So like I've been saying to The Husband, Ian will be tall and lean like his uncles Doa and David (from The Husband's side) and Jeff (my side).

And man, does it seem like he's growing up sooooo fast. Check out how different he looks from when he was 8 days old (right picture) to almost exactly four months old (left picture) ...

Popular Google search

2007-09-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

I'll wait one more day for contestants to enter their guesses for a free date with Ian (see previous post).

In the mean time, you may notice a new feature on the right rail of this blog: Forever a part of this now is a picture of Ella with her SpongeBob crocs that I bought her in April of this year. And people: You will not believe how many hits this blog has had with the Google search terms "spongebob crocs."

You see, I have a site tracker with this blog just so I can see who's been on checking out my rather random life. There are a lot of cool features with this tracker, including how people were directed to my blog. And I have lost count of just how many times my blog has received hits because of the search terms "spongebob crocs." The hits have come from all across the country -- and Europe too. And all because of my April 22 post of Ella showing off her new-at-the-time Dora dress and SpongeBob crocs.

So here's the photo again for all you people who have enough of a fascination with SpongeBob crocs to Google it.

Win a free date!

2007-09-21T10:32:00.000-05:00

Almost forgot: Ian had his 4-month checkup this past week. If you can guess his height and weight and the percentiles of each (or come within 6 oz. of his weight, an inch of his height and 5 points of his percentiles), you can win a free date with the stud! Guess your answers in the comments section ...

Who doesn't want a free date with this stud muffin?

Stalling tactic for my lack of posts

2007-09-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

I'm so behind on posting. While I gather my latest thoughts and think of new creative pictures for the kids, here's a video (courtesy of the kids' Auntie Lisa) to occupy your time:

Norah is hanging out with her first cousins from Indy, the studly Max and wonderfully cute Charlotte -- probably considered her best friend now. She calls her "Tar-yeh". This was back in August when the families came for Ian's thov Vajtswv party. I have NO IDEA what she's saying to Charlotte.

Nostalgia of summer days gone by

2007-09-19T02:00:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was a beautiful day; very springlike. In fact, it smelled like spring: that fresh air wafting through from the perfect temperature outside; there was like an excitement in the air, like the excitement of a change of season after a long, cold winter.

Unfortunately, it won't be a change of season into spring. But the sights and smells of today brought me back to this wonderful past summer. I had an absolutely wonderful spring/summer, just lounging around with my newborn son, two beautiful daughters and a husband who, for the most part, proved useful. :)

Maybe it's the crazy hours I've been putting in at work. Maybe it's the hormones. But when I think back to the Summer of 2007, I am hit hard with nostalgia and a longing. Just me and my family. No worries about work. No worries about nothing. Just pure bliss of endless, careless, lazy days of being around those who make me happiest. And then another hard hit of longing for these precious days again.

Ah, yes, it was a beautiful, wonderful summer. May fall bring some pleasant surprises our way.

The ones who made the Summer of 2007 so wonderful ...

Wonderful weekend

2007-09-16T21:23:00.000-05:00

Just mostly pictures from a pretty good weekend. At least the weather's held up for the time being. But fall's just a week away ...

Out near the Kettle Moraine Forest on Saturday for a retreat. The girls love their little camping chairs.

Ella pondering if it's worth it to try to stick something into the bonfire; weighing the excitement of that versus the inevitable, harsh "Elle!" from mommy.

Norah just loving being outside in beautiful fall weather all day. She loves being outside, free to roam wildly and run in circles; run to nowhere in particular.

To anyone who's been inside my house and hates my staircase ... Norah has discovered that she can walk along that little ledge there. I FREAKED out the first time I saw this, only to have The Husband say that she's done this a number of times. He's actually the one who took this picture Friday night. She did it again, and this time, according to him, she was too scared to get back on solid ground, crying out, "Daddy!"

Conceding now

2007-09-13T01:11:00.000-05:00

I've conceded: Summer is over.

Sure it may not be Sept. 23 to mark the actual day of fall yet, but it sure ain't summer anymore. Not when I have to make sure my kids are dressed in long-sleeved shirts and have socks on their tiny cute feet. Not when I'm back to wearing pajama pants to sleep instead of the more comfy girl boxers. Not when the temperature inside the house is actually colder than when we actually have the furnace on during the cold season. Not when I'm rummaging through the kids' dressers looking for warm clothes, finding only tees, shorts and capris and thinking, "These are so in the way ... where are the turtlenecks?"

I hate cold weather. I hate being cold. I miss summer already. Felt like it was here for only a few days before quietly slipping away into the cool night air.

Random kid and non-kid thoughts

2007-09-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

A few random thoughts and hits as I sit here on a rare quiet Sunday night with the sweet, inviting smell of hot-from-the-oven brownies wafting through the house:

The Kids:
** It's been so amazing watching Norah's language skills progress. Some of her newest and most impressive sentences:
- I can do dat now! (I can do that now! as she boasts of her latest achievement, like coming off our high bed safely or reaching up to grab something from my dresser drawer)
- Coze ur mow, Ehyah (Close your mouth, Ella -- said after observing Ella cough)
- Doan ty baby (Don't cry, baby -- said to Ian as he sits in the bouncer, fussing to get me to pick him up)
- Here you doe, Ehyah (Here you go, Ella -- as she gives Ella a toy, her milk, etc.)
- She can also almost count to 10; and she has the gist of her ABCs. Of course she doesn't know all 26 letters, but she knows the tune and comes pretty darn close.

** Speaking of language skills: The old folks give us some friendly flak for not teaching our kids more Hmong. The girls are proficient in English; Hmong is an afterthought (the rationale behind this will be discussed in a future post). So it's rather amusing for me to say that, thanks to her good friend Dora the Explorer, Ella knows more Spanish than Hmong. She can count to 7 in Spanish, and she knows a few words here and there in Spanish. That's at least 10 Spanish words. I think the Hmong words she knows, I can count on one hand.

** Ian has discovered the joy of sucking his fingers -- yes, that's plural: fingers. He doesn't do the thumb, but a couple fingers at a time (see pictures below).

** Ella has become pretty good at praying. She offers to pray at meals and sometimes volunteers to pray before going to sleep. Quite honestly, I don't think she understands the concept of God and praying, but I think she's got a good start.

** When we pray, we tell the girls to "Close your eyes." That's no problem for Ella. But Norah can't quite master deliberately closing her eyes. So as we pray, she takes both pointer fingers and holds her eyelids down to force them closed. I am definitely going to get a picture or video of that soon!

** Went shopping for some powdered formula tonight (when I started Ian on formula last week -- see post below -- it was from liquid formula I bought right after he was born. I bought it in case it took my milk a while to come in. Good thing we didn't have to open it until now). And I was absolutely shocked at the impact inflation has had on powdered formula. $26 freakin' dollars! $26!!!!!! It was $21 with Ella, $23 with Norah. And now $26! Incredible! I found myself thinking: "Is it too late to get my milk supply going again?"

Non-kids:
** Roger Federer won the U.S. Open AGAIN on Sunday. That's four straight, I think. And 12 Grand Slams total. He is on his way to making history by 1) breaking Pete Sampras' record of 14 slams, and 2) winning THE Grand Slam one of these years. When Federer wins, I am in quite a happy mood. As I've stated to the sports guys at work: I may no longer put all my heart, soul and emotion into sports anymore, but Federer is the last sports entity that can still determine my mood.

** The Indy Colts also won to open up the NFL season. They're probably No. 2 on my sports-don't-matter-but-they-can-still-determine-my-mood list. Ever since the Super Bowl, I've taught Ella how to say "Go Colts!" All of us except The Husband have Colts gear. On my lengthy, in-my-mind-only to-do list is to dress us all up in our Colts gear and take a picture. That will be fun!

** It's always great hearing from old friends -- just re-established contact with a good college girlfriend (HI KATE!) who found me through my blog here. That's one of the great things about blogs -- a universal way to keep family and friends updated without e-mailing each person. Personal correspondence, no. Kind of lazy, yes. A time-saver, definitely.

Kinda sad

2007-09-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

Kinda sad today.

It's dreary outside. But oh so humid. And I return to work after two days off.

But what's been kind of hanging over me is that my milk supply has been running low. And I'm at the point now where, when I'm not home, we'll have to supplement with formula. I actually just gave him some formula this afternoon because I wanted to be the one to do it so I could observe how well (or not) he reacts to it. (He was fine with it.)

A part of me is like, "Yeah! No more pumping!" But a larger part of me is disappointed in myself for not having kept at it more aggressively, disappointed that I couldn't hit my 6-month target, disappointed that Ian and I will no longer share our special bonding moments when I nursed him. And, perhaps most disappointed that Ian will no longer be getting breastmilk -- the breastmilk that even the formula companies concede is best.

I'll still nurse him during the days. But there's not enough left for The Husband to feed him during the evenings.

Ian and I have got, in my estimation, maybe another week or two left to share our special bonding moments. My Ian ...

First Day of School Photo Essay

2007-09-06T10:43:00.000-05:00

Ella was supposed to be happy and excited on her first day of school. The usual night owl even woke up in plenty time to get ready. But like 5 minutes before we were to leave, her mood mysteriously turned dark. She was crabby. She had a bad attitude. And she refused to look nice and smile for the camera. Then jumps in innocent Norah. She saw me trying to take pictures of her big sister, and intentionally steps into the shot because she wanted in on the action too. Her thinking must have been, "If Ella's not going to enjoy this moment in front of the camera, I will" ....

The moody queen finally lightened up on the car ride. And by the time we arrived at school, she was noticably in a much brighter mood. She's posting her fake, overly exaggerated camera smile while her daddy -- who at the last minute decided he did indeed want to be a part of his first-born's first-day-of-school-ever experience (a no-brainer in my book; took him a few cues and clues to realize the importance of this milestone event) -- gets Norah out of the car.

Waiting for Daddy as we've already crossed the street. Norah's wearing Ella's SpongeBob crocs because she left hers outside and they were all wet with dew. Actually, The Husband forgot to bring them inside. Norah is relieved of all blame because she doesn't know better; her dad does.

Walking into the school. If you're wondering about Ian, I'm holding him while taking a picture with my bulky SLR camera that I switched to autofocus. I usually leave it on manual focus, but it's just not possible to focus the camera while holding it and holding your 4-month-old.

Despite all the fights throughout the day, yes, these two sisters do love each other. And I could tell they were going to miss each other too. Btw: Norah's going to LOVE school. She wanted to stay and play with all the cool toys and puzzles. As I was buckling her into her carseat on the way home, she just kept saying, "No! No! No! No! No!"

First day of school -- almost

2007-09-04T01:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not making promises, but I hope to have first-day-of-school pictures later today.

Although, I must confess, I'm not sure how I'll be able to pull that off. We have to walk Ella to her room. So picture this: I'll have Ian on one hip (sorta -- his neck is now strong enough to be carried upright all right) and Norah on the other. That doesn't exactly leave me any hands to snap pictures. Heck, I'm still not sure how I'll walk Ella to her room safely while holding two other kids, much less take pictures.

While I sleep on strategizing how to best transport all three kids, enjoy these county fair pictures. The girls had an absolutely wonderful time seeing farm animals, eating cotton candy and enjoying the carnival rides. Ian slept like 98 percent of the time we were there. He enjoys the comfort of sitting/sleeping in his car seat. He always falls asleep while in it.

Letting go ...

2007-08-30T01:39:00.001-05:00

Unbeknownst to my ignorant mind, 3K or 3-year-old preschool (same thing, right?) DOES exist. With schools having had to slash budgets ruthlessly over these past few years, I always thought the 3-year-old programs would be the first to go. That was the impression I was left with when I still covered the education beat.

But I am indeed ignorant. The slashing of 3K programs is true for most of the public school districts. I had forgotten about the private schools. So I happened to come across an item about 3K. And I thought, "Hmmm. It might be worth looking into for Ella." And less than 24 hours later, The Husband and I agreed and even settled on a Christian school. And less than 24 hours later, Ella is equipped with a brand spankin' new Dora backpack.

She's so excited, it's adorable. We visited the school Wednesday and talked with the principal -- who happens to be a former student of The Husband's. And you could just see the pure innocent excitement in her eyes and behavior. Even though there were no students there yet, and just a handful of staff, she wanted to stay.

"I want to stay at my school," she pleaded with a hint of desperation as we tried to coax her into her carseat. (We haven't even technically enrolled her yet, and she's already staked claim to it -- "MY school.").

"Five more days," I told her.

"No. Now," she begged.

Poor thing. She's going to love it so much.

And I'm going to be all broken up over it. I just can't believe that my baby is now old enough to be on her own where I can't keep an eagle's eye watch over her 24/7 and protect her from mean kids and anything else the world has that can harm her. It's going to be so hard letting go. You want your kids to go out and explore and be worldy, yet you want to keep them close and protect them with all that you have. You know that hurt and trials will help them grow as a person. Yet it will hurt you knowing that they must hurt and endure that pain while you must just helplessly observe.

Just this past Sunday, I was talking to one of the moms who just sent her first daughter to college. She told me she cried, and that when my kids are old enough to go to college, then I'll understand how it is to have your kids leave you.

"College?" I said. "I'll be crying when I send them to preschool."

Haircuts! ...

Preschool

2007-08-29T11:18:00.001-05:00

Quickie here; details to come later:

I think we're going to enroll Ella in 3-year-old preschool. I've been thinking about how I will feel all day. And when I look at her, I see my little baby has grown up.

Also: Girls got haircuts yesterday! Pictures to come later!

You've been warned

2007-08-28T00:28:00.000-05:00

Monday, Aug. 27 was significant. Because it was the. last day. I was able to. sleep. in.

The Husband returns to teaching Tuesday. And in the past, he'd have fewer classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, meaning he could linger around on those mornings for a bit for my sake before leaving for campus. Now, he's got morning classes each day -- as well as an early Saturday morning class.

What this all means is that there is no day I can rely on for extra sleep. Monday-Saturday have to be early days because he's gone -- and the kids are up early. And you can count Sunday out because there's church.

Add this with my 4-1 a.m. shift (I usually find my way home more like 1:30ish), and I am wiped. I tend to get cranky when I am sleep deprived. So please, everyone who must interact with me, don't mind my crabbiness for the first few days hereafter as my body adjusts!

My Baby Map

2007-08-23T01:26:00.000-05:00

In Ella's world, everyone is a character on all her favorite shows.

She is Dora, Elmo, SpongeBob, Uniqua (from The Backyardigans). Norah is the sidekick: Boots (the monkey from Dora), Grover, Patrick (from SpongeBob). And because Ian was born after most character assignments were already made, he settles.

For the Dora cast, my Ian is The Map. Yes, you heard me right: Ian is The Map. That cute name has stuck. We usually refer to him as "Baby Map." I wouldn't be surprised if he grew up thinking his name was "Baby Map." I must confess: I think I call him "Baby Map" more than I call him "Ian."

Surprise visit

2007-08-21T00:35:00.000-05:00

Seeing my kids is always a plus. It's an even bigger plus when The Husband drops by with them unexpectedly on a Monday night while running errands.

Although I swore I'd never bring my Ian to work because I didn't want to expose him to all the high levels of stress present in this place (!), with them right at the doorstep, I couldn't help but show him off to the few people here at night. He's such a good baby. Didn't fuss. Didn't cry. Let anyone hold him. And just charmed the girls here!

It absolutely made my night to see Ian and the girls. I was able to give them all their good-night kisses instead of coming home super late and just seeing them already asleep.

Girly-girl quality time

2007-08-19T22:22:00.000-05:00

I've never been a girly-girl. So of course I wouldn't expect my girls to be girly-girls either. But, I must admit, having some mommy-daughter time doing girly-girl stuff has been a lot of fun.

Ella has recently discovered hairdos. Much to my surprise, that super fine and short hair of hers can indeed be put up. Certainly not enough for a ponytail, but enough to tie the top, as evidenced by the photos here. And she really, really enjoys it. Every morning, it's "Mommy, can you tie my hair?" And of course, Norah cannot be left out. So my Norah insists on putting her hair up too. But she hardly has enough hair to cut, much less put up. But I try; as, once again, evidenced by the photos here.

It's real cute. I sit in our pseudo-recliner while Ella tries her darndest to stand still so I can do her hair. As soon as I'm done, Norah quickly squeezes in with her cries of "Me too! Me too! Me too!" and tries her darndest to stand still so I can do her hair. I'm thinking: "Is this how it's going to be getting ready for school each morning?" as I get flashbacks of my mom ruthlessly pulling and tying mine and my sisters' hair into tight (and I mean super tight) ponytails.

But it's been real fun because it feels like something that only moms and daughters can share -- I soooo cannot imagine The Husband tying the girls' hair (or attempting to tie). Picturing it makes me laugh!

Another girly-girl moment: Having the girls dig out my shoes and walk around the house with them on. They love shoes, especially my Norah. She's the one who I suspect will be the more girly-girl of the two. They just absolutely love my heels, especially the click-clack they make on the kitchen floor. They just get a kick out of it, and I get a kick out of watching them.

One more event of note: Norah got her first real timeout this past weekend. She's a biter, and she tried to bite Ella unprovoked. Usually she apologizes right away when told to, but she wouldn't. She was being stubborn, so I put her in the corner. And, surprisingly, she didn't try to get out of the timeout. She stood facing the corner until I brought her to Ella and made her apologize. But she was sooooo darn cute serving her time that I absolutely had to document it. She's so engulfed by the sheer size of the foyer. Poor thing looks so small standing there like that!

Like Daddy?

2007-08-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

Three more short Ian stories:

1 - He's been sleeping through the night for at least a week now. I think it's time for him to move up to the crib, meaning Norah will join Ella in her queen bed.

Those two sleep all right together, but if it's not one waking up in the middle of the night crying for "Mommy! Daddy!", then it's the other. Ella was on a streak of at least a month of this middle-of-the-night crying. She's been slowly getting over it ... only for Norah to start up now. And it was so cute in a sorta sad way the other night: Norah slept in her crib but woke up crying. But instead of crying for me or her dad, she cried out "Eh-yah! Eh-yah! Eh-yah! Eh-yah!" I think the little Chubster was so used to sleeping with big sister that when she woke up alone, she immediately looked for Ella.

But back to Ian -- I don't know how I will take it when we move him. He's still so YOUNG. And, amazing as it is, he kicks off his blankets -- just like his sisters. There's no way he can be THAT hot, right? Our room's usually at a comfortable temperature, so for him to be kicking off his blankets, it's gotta be in the genes somewhere and totally independent of body temperature.

2 - My friend Janet at the office said it's remarkable how much Ian looks like his dad. There's definitely a resemblance. Let's hope he has his mom's genes though! I've been talking up Ian already -- he's going to be an intelligent, tough guy but with amazing sensitivity toward women, what they need, what they want and an uncanny understanding of them!

3 - Ian's never had a real preference for the breast or bottle. But lately, he's been wanting breast only. And I'm like, "Uh oh!" I feel so bad when I'm at work and he's fussing because he has to settle for the bottle. And I think it won't be long before my supply runs low and he won't have a choice anymore. Poor guy.

Ian stories

2007-08-15T23:49:00.001-05:00

Been a long time since the last post. Super busy at work. Super busy at home.

And, it's now the post-partum time that I may dread the most ... my hair falls out from the time Ian's 3 months until about 6 months. Some women get this, some don't. I'm one of the unlucky ones.

Speaking of Ian ... the little man can sorta sit up (with the help of Ella, as the photos below show). So yay! That means we can vary our poses more when we play Photo Shoot.

More Ian stories: He's sleeping through the night now. I think it's a little early for him to do that? Dunno. I just remember that when Ella first started sleeping through the night at an early age, I would wake her up just to feed her. And she took it. I'm sure Ian would too, but it may just be a blessing for him to sleep through the night already. I'm always afraid my kids aren't getting enough to eat. Should I wake him???

More Ian stories still: He can deliberately smile now! I was trying so hard to capture it on camera. Got a few smirks was all. And, I think he's discovered his hands. Check out the hand picture below: The Husband said he looked like a Nazi doing a Heil Hitler! As much as I hate those words, I think The Husband's right: Ian does look like he's doing something along those lines. Either that or Black power!

OK, great. Now Google searches by racists will turn up my blog because of that Hitler phrase. What a shock they'll get when they see a bunch of cute Asian kids!

No more parties

2007-08-09T01:55:00.000-05:00

After Ian's party this past Saturday, The Husband and I agree: No more large-scale parties.

The trash generated and mess left behind is a bit much. We're not neat freaks (sorta, but not obsessively), but with the number of wild kids present and all the foot traffic to and from outside coming in, not to mention the garbage generated from all the paper plates and food ...

I've always been more of an intimate-crowd-party type of person, especially in college. Get a group of close friends and/or family together, hang out, chill and pig out ... that's the ideal party.

For my non-Hmong readers, Ian's party was his Thov Vajtswv, which, translated, literally means "thank God." Basically, when Hmong Christians have a child or a significant event, they throw a Thov Vajtswv -- to thank God for the blessing(s) He's bestowed. Hence, we were publicly thanking God for the blessing that is our dear Ian.

Pictures from the my-side-of-the-family weekend at Dells. First photo is of Ella and her best friend and first cousin Gavin, who also affectionately goes by Aboo. Second is of all the kids (minus Ian, who stayed home with his paternal grandparents. The little guy probably wouldn't have gotten much out of the Dells!). It is nearly impossible to get them all to sit still for a single decent picture!

Beginning of the end

2007-08-08T00:31:00.000-05:00

Not sure how much longer I'll be able to keep this up.

Time doesn't always permit for a dedicated, updated blog. And sometimes I feel like I'm saying the same stuff over and over. And I don't want to come off as just bragging about my kids, which I may have a tendency to do because, well, because I love them so darn much.

But sometimes I think to myself: What's the point of this blog anyway? If I want to share stories about my kids, wouldn't I already doing that with friends and family? Why would strangers care about the daily doings and misadventures of my kids? The people who need to know and hear about the kids, they'll know and hear about them without this blog, right?

My sunshines

2007-08-03T02:45:00.000-05:00

As promised ...

Later today

2007-08-02T10:22:00.000-05:00

Coming later ... video of Ian and Norah (Ella was sleeping in -- bad habits start young).

Stay tuned!

Disturbing ...

2007-07-31T00:13:00.001-05:00

There are stories that are disturbing, and then there are stories that are disturbing. And what's even worse is when they happen right where you are.

In my shameless self-promotion of my paper's web site to generate more traffic and hits, check out the links below. To think that someone could be so heartless, cruel and sickening to such a young child.

I was at the press conference for our multimedia coverage. And after I was done editing and uploading the video, I called home just to say good-night to my kids. Unfortunately they were already asleep. But if anyone ever dares do anything like this to my family -- my kids, my nieces or nephews ...

10-month-old girl sexually assaulted:
Video
Story

Ree

2007-07-30T06:07:00.001-05:00

I was tending to Ian as Norah waddled over to somewhere out of my sight. The Husband was busy with Ella, getting her ready as we were prepping to head out somewhere. I realized Norah was gone and shouted, "Norah, where are you?"

Sometimes she likes to go into the downstairs powder room or coat closet and shut herself in there just for kicks (Ella's usually her partner in crime). So I expected to hear a "thud" as the door closed, or to see her waddling back around the corner. Instead, I get an "I ree. I ree."

And there, down at the bottom of the stairs was the little Chubster sitting, flipping through one of Ella's little Dora storybooks.

The Husband says, "Oh, you read?"

Norah simply replies, "Yeah."

Too cute! The Chubster's already into books. Sometimes she'll run at us with a book in hand shouting like an overanxious Chicken Little, "REE! REE! REE!"

Gabfest

2007-07-27T02:11:00.000-05:00

My gabfest partner at work, Katrina, has been on vacation for half of this week and all of next. We work nights together; and during that time, we always share a few stories and misadventures about our wonderful kids, as well as the all-too-natural insanity of motherhood -- we lean on each other to make sure the insanity we're experiencing really is normal! Katrina visited a few times while I was on maternity leave, and lemme tell ya: Having adult conversations every once in a while was just great! (and no, talking with The Husband does not count as adult conversation).

Since she's been gone, I haven't really had an outlet for the stuff that doesn't make it onto the blog, simply because the stories are too detailed or long for here. But I am bursting to share! Here are a few quick synopses:

-- Norah loves to sing. She sings everything she's ever heard, from the signature "I love you" Barney song to, most recently, "Happy Birthday." So I walk into the kitchen where she, Ella and The Husband are hanging out. And I am met with a "Happy bir-day to Mommy." It was so cute! It wasn't even my birthday; but if it was, her singing "Happy Birthday" to me would have been a wonderful birthday gift!

-- Norah and I have a routine of affection that we do daily (Ella and I did this when she was Norah's age). I say "Butt our heads together" (in Hmong); we butt heads semi-gently. That's followed by "Bunny nose"; we rub our noses together. And lastly, "cheek to cheek"; that's pretty self-explanatory. So the other day, we do the butt heads and bunny nose -- and I stop. I say to Norah, "What's next?" And the little chubster says, "chee choo chee, chee choo chee." I was soooo proud of her!

-- Ella never ceases to amaze me with her ever-expanding vocabulary. So many words she's using -- and using correctly. Too many to list here; and quite honestly, I can't remember the latest. But I am impressed by how well we can carry a real conversation together.

-- My Ian is such a good boy. He's so undemanding and laid back, I'm afraid he's going to get lost in the mix. And, as unfair as it is, nice people often get the short end of the stick. So because Ella's so demanding and controlling, she gets all the attention and all the goods. With nice ones like Ian and Norah, the prevalent attitude of those around (us!) seems to be one of They're so nice, they'll understand if we don't tend to them right away. I can see this in 15 years: They're so nice, they won't mind getting screwed over again and again. ... Yikes!

-- The girls fight SO MUCH. Never anything serious. But they really do say "Sorry" like half a dozen times a day. Norah's a little secret troublemaker. And Ella's queen of the world.

Gasp! They're not fighting! A moment of affection!

Back in the day of movie theaters

2007-07-25T02:02:00.000-05:00

While grabbing some fast food dinner Tuesday night, I drove past the packed movie theater ...

And I recalled days from long ago of how The Husband and I -- kidless -- often frequented the movies. Around Sheboygan here, there aren't too many entertainment options, so the movies had to suffice. Many times, I must admit, we went to the movies out of sheer boredom.

I remember how we ended up watching "Original Sin" with Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas. We had no movie in mind when we went to the theater; just went to see what was playing and ended up deciding to watch that even though we had NO IDEA what it was about. I loved it -- come on, can you blame me: Woman manipulates man, man falls in love with woman, discovers he was manipulated, hellbent on getting revenge yet STILL falls for her despite all her manipulation -- while John HATED it. :) ... Can you say GIRL POWER!?!?

Anyway, I haven't been to the movies in half of forever. I think the last one I saw was "Brokeback Mountain" with Lisa (The Husband, of course, wanted nothing to do with that movie!). And I can plan on my next movie being in, say, 2015 or so.

September 2001. We were still newlyweds (I'm in the traditional Hmong costume that precedes a wedding ceremony). Both still thin. And found Sheboygan-style entertainment by watching movies; lotsa movies.

That feeling

2007-07-24T01:45:00.001-05:00

It's a feeling I can't explain.

But when I think about my Ian and see his dark, intense little eyes, I just get this great, warm, overwhelming maternal feeling of such ... love. I can't really explain it and its effect on me. But the best way to describe it is to just say that when I'm at work and not exactly in a great mood, I just think of my Ian ... and I feel that much better.

Below is from when the little guy was just eight days old. It's one of my favorite pictures of him.

For the record: I felt the same about the girls too when they were his age. With them, it's a different but still great loving feeling now that they're older. Each kid has a special place in my heart.

Continuous. Sleep.

2007-07-20T01:22:00.000-05:00

Continuous sleep. Is hard to find. These days.

When I was pregnant, I was looking forward to being able to one day sleep on my back and stomach again -- all comfortably ... Now that I can finally sleep in any position I want, it's pretty much moot because it's not continuous sleep.

Next milestone to look forward to: When Ian finally sleeps through the night.

Then I will find. Continuous sleep. That I need so bad.

Bodily adjustments

2007-07-17T00:12:00.000-05:00

Returning to work was uneventful. And that's a good thing. It is good to see and talk with friends at work again; that was by far the highlight of my return.

But my body is having a hard time adjusting to the 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. night owl schedule again. Come 10 p.m., I'm tired. Of course it doesn't help that I played a single volleyball game (just one!) Saturday during our church picnic. Early Monday, my legs felt wobbly and I was achy all over. I just had a couple tips and digs and served only once ... I can't even imagine the pain had I played another game!

And I actually found myself thinking while I was playing (before the pain even remotely started to settle in): "I really miss athletics. I could see myself being active in tennis and biking again" ... YEAH RIGHT! It will be a while before my body can take on the grind of sports!

BUT I must boast: During our church picnic, I am proud to say I still had my arm. We had a dunk tank as a mini-fundraiser. Someone goes up there, you pay to have the chance to dunk them. When The Husband had his name selected to be a target, I was first in line. I hadn't thrown a softball in ages, but it all came back to me easily. I still had my rifle arm! I dunked him 3 times out of 10 balls. So much satisfaction in that! He admitted to me later that he didn't think I could do it. Whatever!

Returning ...

2007-07-16T06:43:00.000-05:00

This may be my last morning post. If you ever notice the timestamp below, most of my blogging is during the early morning. But that may come to an end because I return to work tonight, logging in the insane hours of 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. (which is usually more like 1:30 to 2 a.m.). It's not going to be exactly easy getting up before 6 a.m. anymore. But that's motherhood -- being asked and expected to do the near impossible.

Returning to work ... right now feels like nothing. I'm not getting emotional about it -- yet. Maybe it will hit me tonight as I leave and see my girls looking out the front door ... or when it gets to be around dinnertime and I'm seriously wondering if The Husband will feed them a healthy dinner ... or when it's time to tuck them in and I'm instead sifting through our story forums ... or when my breasts start to get engorged and hurt because I can't steal some minutes to go pump ...

Yes, it was a great summer ...

I'm going to miss these little boogers tonight.

Quick hits

2007-07-13T00:13:00.000-05:00

I must explain my lack of posts this week ... I'm enjoying sleeping in just a little bit (no more 5 a.m. posts -- I go straight back to bed) and I'm simply trying to make the most of my little time left with my kids before sadly heading back to work next week.

Lord knows there hasn't been a shortage of things to blog about ...

Norah can now piece together 3-word sentences: I fawry, Ehyah (I'm sorry, Ella); Ehyah diddit (Ella did it); Mommy, Daddy BAD! (Mommy, Daddy's BAD!) ...

Ella and Norah fight a minimum of 5 times a day, which means they apologize to each other 5 times a day. Norah knows to automatically say I fawry, Ehyah and then hug and kiss. Ella takes a little more convincing ...

Ian can actually fit clothes in his age range. He's been wearing 0-3 months instead of the newborn/preemie sizes for a few weeks now. I just remember the girls being in the newborn/preemies for so long. And I recall that they were always a size behind. With Ian, it seems like he's grown at a faster pace than they did. And the little man has definitely gotten heavier and longer. He's taking in 5 ozs. of breastmilk. He could probably take more if we let him. It's just that his little pot belly is getting so big. I think that's where all the milk goes, because his limbs are still so tiny ...

I really need to start watching what comes out of my mouth. Just this week, Ella told me "What ... ever" when I was trying to tell her why she shouldn't do what it was that she was doing (I have no idea what anymore). "Whatever" is my common response to some BS excuse
The Husband usually concocts on the spot ...

We've started letting Ella and Norah sleep together on Ella's queen-sized bed this week, in anticipation of moving Ian to Norah's crib. He's getting too big for his bassinette in our room. Problem is, for the past few weeks, Ella's woken up in the middle of the night crying for us. We either bring her down with us, or one of us ends up spending the rest of the night with her in her bed. We thought that if she woke up and saw Norah, realizing that she wasn't alone, she'd be fine. That premature conclusion has not reached fruition yet ...

Ella loves holding Ian. When she does under my watch, she's not allowed to move a muscle. When she does under The Husband's watch, he usually walks away or turns away to tend to other less important matters ...

Back to mommyhood

2007-07-09T07:13:00.000-05:00

After a long, hot, hard week covering the U.S. Senior Open, I have returned to full-time mommy status for just one more week. Which is just what I need, considering that I hardly saw my family while working 70-plus hours over 7 days, walking up and down treacherous terrain carrying camera gear in 90-degree weather while fighting through the galleries and surviving off of bottomless Gatorade.

My kids got another week older, and I missed it ...

In the meantime, check out the fruits of our labor, as we worked our butts off outputting 2, sometimes 3 videos a day.

Last days

2007-07-02T08:35:00.000-05:00

Tried to make the most of my time left at home by spending one of my last maternity-leave weekends with the family at the park. The girls absolutely love the swings and slides.

Unlike her mysterious fear of public water, Norah actually dares to venture on her own here ... climbing the slides and structures all on her own. And Ella is Ella -- totally independent. Both didn't care to wait for Mommy or Daddy to assist in their journeys up too-scary ladders or down too-tall slides. And they especially didn't care to wait for Mommy to get that perfect picture, barely looking at me when I tried to get them to look at the camera.

Today starts the 7-day marathon of Havoc at Home: Just Daddy and Three Kids ...

Work and a tan

2007-06-29T06:56:00.000-05:00

This may be my last post for a while.

I'm headed back to that distant land called WORK come Monday. But WORK will be at the renowned Whistling Straits golf course here. My return to help direct the paper's multimedia coverage of the Senior PGA Open will entail 10-hour days for seven straight days -- but at least it will be entirely at the course. Also, a nice tan is on the schedule, I believe.

But after that week, I return to the desired job as stay-at-home mom for just one more week. Then it's REALLY back to work.

In the meantime, pray for The Husband -- that he'll be able to handle three kids for 10 hours a day for seven straight days ...

I can still read!

2007-06-28T06:36:00.000-05:00

It's been a good 4-plus years since I last read -- and finished -- a novel.

But I am so proud of myself that I was able to accomplish this nearly-impossible feat this week. "Goodnight Nobody" by Jennifer Wiener was funny and quite the page-turner and could have easily been read in one sitting ... I must confess it took me much longer than that in between feedings, diaper changes, cooking and not neglecting my beautiful children. But a proud achievement, nonetheless!

I must reveal how I actually bought my first book in 4-plus years:

Back in the day (like, in the kidless days that seem sooooooo long ago), whenever The Husband would piss me off, my therapy and outlet for anger would be buying new CDs. Some of my best and favorite CDs made their way into my collection through this efficient method. But in the age of iTunes and digital music, CDs just seem so antiquated and inconvenient. Heck, I've got a couple boxes of CDs in our basement that are just collecting dust -- if it ain't on my iTunes, I probably ain't gonna listen to it.

So in my latest quest to release anger and indulge myself, I figured a book would do the trick. I've always loved reading. And I thought it would be nice to engross myself in another world for a while -- another world where everything makes sense and much-needed happy endings. A solo trip to Wal-Mart on a Sunday evening did the trick (it's not like we have a Barnes & Noble around here for real therapy). And, for a change, it felt real nice to be able to peruse books without worry.

Water

2007-06-26T07:23:00.001-05:00

Ella loves the water. Norah does not. At least not the public kind. She loves baths, but not Blue Harbor's indoor water park and not the beach.

Auntie Lisa and Uncle Kevin visited over the weekend and took the girls to the beach. Ella splashed around in the water while Norah sat on the shore with me and played with the unedible Teddy Grahams that Ella spilled all over the sand.

I'm not sure why Norah's got a fear of public water. Doesn't make sense at all. Maybe she's modest about being in a bathing suit, especially with that cute, very noticeable pot belly of hers!

Ella splashing in Lake Michigan with Auntie Lisa and Uncle Kevin ...

while wimpy Norah watches from the shore.

Compromise ...

2007-06-21T06:44:00.000-05:00

When my posts are rather short, it's because I've got a sleeping Ian against my chest -- and one can only type so fast and so much with one hand, no matter how efficient one has become at one-handed typing (in fact, I think I do more one-handed typing than real typing).

He loves sleeping against me, and I love holding him against me. He just looks so peaceful, I don't want to disturb him and don't mind compromising the length of my posts for a little more intimate time with the stud.

Favorite pasttime: sleeping, although it's much more peaceful doing so in the warmth of mommy's arms and chest ...

A little sadder

2007-06-20T06:08:00.000-05:00

As each day passes, it gets a little sadder, for that means my full days with the kids are coming to a close. No more spit-up on three different shirts in one day. No more playing playground supervisor between the girls. No more tucking the girls in bed. No more rising with the sun. No more spontaneous kidventure trips ...

My dream job: Stay-at-home mom.

Ella celebrated her third birthday this past weekend in the company of her cousins and church members. Her hair is wet because she and the kids had been playing in the sprinklers. We had to convince her to change out of her bathing suit and into real clothes!

Special moment

2007-06-18T06:49:00.000-05:00

A special moment during my early morning hours ...

Not only do I enjoy the beautiful morning sun and tranquility, when my Ian is in an early-bird mood and decides to join me, I also enjoy how he rests his head against my chest and drifts back to sleep while I sing to him.

That's usually in accompaniment with what I've got playing on iTunes ... usually awesome chick-music (Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, etc.). I guess I shouldn't be too surprised when he shows that rare-but-often-coveted male trait of sincere sensitivity and understanding toward females!

Singing -- even my attempts at it -- always seems to put him at ease as he relaxes his head against me and hears and feels the thumping of my heart. I love these intimate moments.

Has it really been 3 years?

2007-06-15T06:43:00.000-05:00

My Ella is getting so old. Yesterday was her 3rd birthday, and I still find it hard to believe how much she has grown. It's hard to believe how the years have flown. (I know, I know, it's only been three years, but really, it already feels like we've been through so much having watched her grow, learn and advance).

All my kids have a special place in my heart. Ian's my only son. Norah's my baby. And Ella, well, she's Ella -- first born and with an attitude that only makes her that much more lovable.

Her preliminary gift was this bubble-blowing lawnmower. She always loves watching Daddy cut the grass. Now she can join him. Her big gift is coming this weekend with Auntie Mai Kou, Unce Mike and cousin Charlotte ... a talking Dora kitchen.

What happened? ... ANSWERED!

2007-06-13T05:28:00.000-05:00

In a continutation from my last post (down below, right before this post):

I ended up

A) chickening out and doing nothing after some more serious thought about family planning.
B) making another appointment to see my OB/GYN again after wanting to discuss the issue further with The Husband.
C) feeling guilty and doing nothing after some more serious thought of how I'd be playing God with my own body -- hey, if it's going to happen again, it's going to happen again and I shouldn't interfere with nature.
D) on the pill.
E) with the Nuva Ring.
F) not having to think about any of this for another 5 years
G) All of the above
H) None of the above

Give me your guesses in the comments section, which will also be where the answer is revealed after so many guesses.

Daddy continues to get more landscaping help.

Norah got her first haircut over the weekend. The poor thing cried the entire time -- even before I put her down in the neat kiddie fire truck seat, so I had to hold her. After the traumatic ordeal, when there were no more tears and I could actually see how she looked, I couldn't help but proclaim again and again, "Norah, YOU'RE SO CUTE!" By the way: She's not mad in either picture; just in deep thought.

The Statement: Part II

2007-06-11T06:01:00.000-05:00

I see my doctor today for the six-week followup appointment (although it's only been 5 weeks), therefore ready and willing to boldly make Part II of the The Statement. I've been talking to a few different people since the late stages of pregnancy, and I think I have an idea of which birth control route to take. I wonder if I can take any of the stuff while I'm nursing, though? Hmmm...

Gasp! Warm Wisconsin weather!?!

2007-06-08T06:29:00.000-05:00

The weather has finally started to warm up!

Summer in Wisconsin always seems to be a month behind everyone else. So we get excited when it gets above 60 degrees. The Husband gets excited because he can then do some lawn work. The girls get excited because they can play outside. I just love warm weather, period.

Helping daddy plant trees.

Kickin' back with a few cold ones.

Toddler nightmares?

2007-06-07T06:29:00.001-05:00

I think Ella's experiencing a toddler version of having nightmares.

About two weeks ago, she was up in the loft watching SpongeBob while The Husband and I were having lunch. Suddenly, I hear a sort of whimpering cry followed by a cry of fear. Any mom can attest that we can differentiate our kids' cries starting from infanthood. And I knew this was a cry of fear.

From where I was sitting, I could see the TV. And what I saw was indeed rather frightening. Sometimes during SpongeBob, the producers will use pseudo-real characters with the animation. This episode had a rather realistic-looking gorilla antagonist. When I looked at the TV screen, it was an extreme closeup of an angry gorilla who was beating up SpongeBob. And it scared the daylights out of Ella.

I made The Husband run up there to get her and then told her the gorilla wasn't real. "SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward and Mr. Krab are real," we concluded, "but the 'guh-rih-yah' isn't real." That seemed to do the trick.

But lately she's been waking up in the middle of the night calling for me, and sometimes her daddy. She's occasionally done this. But this time, she's even admitted it's because "I share (scared) of the guh-rih-yah." It's heart-breaking to think that's she's waking up in the middle of the night with images of that gorilla in her head. Poor thing.

Another day of playing Photo Shoot. We were trying to keep Ian up to play. He's struggling to keep his eyes open.

Next challenge: Iron Chef

2007-06-06T05:27:00.000-05:00

One cool, neat thing I've been doing since on leave is trying out new recipes. With The Husband home most of the time, I can actually concentrate on cooking -- and experimenting.

I've dabbled in a little bit of Indian cuisine after my sister showed me how easy it was when she visited last month. I had always thought it'd be hard to do since the food is so damn good and it takes some time to get that unique Indian taste. But all it takes is a little time and patience and a little knowledge of the cuisine. Heck, I've already challenged my Food Network-crazy sister to an Iron Chef competition. That's how confident I am in my newfound abilities.

The hardest part may be giving this all up once I and The Husband (who has benefited greatly from my motivation to cook good food) return to work. Lord knows I will barely have time to do something easy like throw chicken into the oven; it will be nearly impossible to make Chicken Tikka Masala with the three rugrats running wild.

Survival tactic

2007-06-05T05:05:00.000-05:00

The Husband calls it a "survival tactic." I couldn't agree more (it's quite odd when we do agree):

This will be the second week of his summer classes where he teaches out of town in the evenings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So that means we learned a few lessons -- the hard way -- on temporary single parenthood with three kids ...

If you want to eat, cook in bulk.

In other words, I will cook a big lunch while he's still around to help contain the rugrats. That way, when he's gone for the evening, I will actually get a dinner by simply reheating that day's lunch instead of foolishly thinking I could cook another meal from scratch while Ella and Norah tear up the house, Ian refuses to let me put him down and I nearly go insane and hungry.

Yes, it is indeed a survival tactic.

With three kids now, it's nearly impossible to give each the attention she/he so dearly deserves. So during a rare moment when two are napping and one's up, I really try to make the most of the time I do have with the one who didn't succumb to a day's worth of energetic play. That was the case last week with my Norah. She's usually the napping one while the insomniac Ella continues full steam ahead. This day saw a role reversal, and my Chubs and I spent some time outside hanging out and playing Photo Shoot.

Scenes I'm glad social services didn't see

2007-06-04T07:36:00.000-05:00

Scenes from our backyard this weekend as The Husband worked on landscaping:

... Ella sitting on the wet grass trying to figure out the spray head on the water hose ...

... Ella falling in and trying to get out of a wide 1-foot hole The Husband had dug for tree planting ...

... Ella running from the back of the house to the front entrance with her lower half butt naked for the whole neighborhood to see just how cute her tush is; all this while The Husband is obliviously planting his trees.

.. All this as I was inside chatting on the phone with my sister while Norah and Ian napped.

Vows ...

2007-05-31T05:07:00.000-05:00

Surprise pit stop visit from my parents expected tonight.

As great as the movie and book are, may my daughters never have to watch "The Joy Luck Club" in order to understand their mother and their mother's good intentions. May my daughters never doubt their mother's love. May my daughters and I never have to experience a "Joy Luck Club moment."

Too tired for a real post

2007-05-30T07:03:00.001-05:00

The lack of sleep and super early morning hours is catching up to me. I don't know how I'll be able to re-adjust to a 4-1 a.m. shift when I return to work.

Just pictures today. A few relatively old shots (about a week old). More new ones to be taken soon.

Queens of multitasking

2007-05-29T04:46:00.001-05:00

Tonight will be a challenge.

The Husband's summer classes start tonight. And he'll also be teaching tomorrow night as well. Out of town. That means me being wholly outnumbered by two naughty toddler queens and one growing prince who's spending less and less time perfecting the art of sleeping.

But I think I'll be all right. There are the occasional stretches where it's just me and the kids. And in the process, I think I've grown a third arm in order to contain the almost-3-year-old who can unlock and bolt through the front door at any given moment, the 18-month-old who climbs the stairs with relative ease but first must tease and show off while climbing every other step, and the 3-week-old who has the heart-wrenching cry. Did I mention that the almost-3-year-old also went out and got the mail from the street by herself this past weekend?

But we women were born to multitask. But what I would give to see the dads in our roles for half a day ...

The almost-3-year-old who knows how to unlock the front door who is showing us mercy by not just bolting out on some toddler whim ... modeling a traditional Hmong costume her grandma just bought for her.

The 18-month-old ... with the mischievous smile.

The sleeping prince ... in a soon-to-be-dominant state of actually being awake and alert.

Today was supposed to be the day ... yeah right

2007-05-25T06:44:00.001-05:00

Today was Ian's actual due date. But I unabashedly laugh at anyone who thought I could have lasted this long. All my kids have come early; Ian was no exception. At least so far, he hasn't shown any of his dad's always-late habit.

The little guy has been absolutely wonderful. Granted, I'll say he's wonderful because he's my child; but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby. He eats and sleeps well, doesn't demand much and is perfectly happy with everything. Let's hope this state of contentment lasts until he's, say, 22 or so.

Oh yeah -- and he's a real cutie-pie stud!

Stud muffin Ian.

The Statement: Part I

2007-05-24T05:53:00.000-05:00

Donated my maternity clothes earlier this week. As I'm going through the stuff, I'm thinking, "Man, did I spend a lot of money on this stuff or what?!?" I was sorta sad to see it all go, because in fact, I think I did spend too much. But the stuff lasted me through three pregnancies, so for that I am grateful.

But I made The Statement: Part I to The Husband in the process, because I don't think he quite believes me when I say we're done at three kids (three beautiful kids, btw). The Statement: Part II will come in about four weeks, when I see my OB for the six-week, after-pregnancy checkup where we discuss (gasp!) birth control.

Another photo shoot day! Because Ian is quite limited in the number of ways he can pose, these pictures are eerily similar to previous pictures featuring the little stud. The little guy was also trying to go back to sleep, but we girls thought it would be more fun for him to play Photo Shoot with us ...

The return of my Norah

2007-05-23T08:45:00.001-05:00

Mere coincidence or pure instinct on the part of my Norah?

This week marked the second week since my darling Ian came into our world. And astonishingly, I magically feel 150% physically better. I've been able to do various things around the house without hardly any physical limitations, and my uterus has finally stopped acting up! I even took the girls out shopping last evening -- and I'm NOT paying for it this morning.

But it's not the decreased physical pain that's caught me off guard. It's the return of my Norah. Whereas before she knew to stop demanding for her dear mommy and dear mommy's attention because of the afterbirth pains, she has reverted to her former self -- as mommy's little girl. It's like she knew it was OK to suddenly want only mommy again.

I've missed my Norah. She's such an adorable, pudgy little girl. And that lost look with the large, dark eyes is enough to melt my heart.

Still lost, but she's mine again.

Two Ellas?

2007-05-22T06:40:00.000-05:00

After two weeks, Ian's about the same size as Ella when Ella was born: 5 lbs. 14.5 ozs. and 19.5 inches long. He had his 2-week appointment yesterday, with everything going fine. But really, with this being the third kid, all the answers to our questions were already answered with the first two.

I look at him, and even though his growth seems minimal, I can definitely see that he's gotten bigger. His face seems to have filled out more, as has his little belly. And then I start to see a little Ella in Ian. The beedy little dark eyes. The little intense gaze. The crusty eyes due to the plugged tear ducts ... I'll make a prediction here: Ian will resemble Ella more than Norah. That's a fun part of watching babies grow: Who will they look like?

A boy version of Ella is in store? Can we handle TWO Ellas????

The middle child

2007-05-21T06:16:00.000-05:00

The hardest part of having three kids (or multiple kids, for that matter) isn't so much trying to wrangle them. I think, so far, it may be trying to give them all the attention that they deserve.

The one who's probably been affected the most is -- no surprise -- Norah, the middle child. Ever since I've come home from the hospital, I've been limited in my ability to carry and hold her the way she's used to. She gets in those clingy modes where all she'll want is for mommy to carry her and spoil her. But that first week home was a little rough and I didn't want to overextend myself. The few times I did a bit, I dearly paid for them with achiness all over and a noncooperative, super-hurting uterus.

So after a week and a half or so, Norah finally got the point and almost totally stopped asking to be carried. Instead (and this breaks my heart), she's become a bit detached from me and has grown more attached to her daddy. She's started appealing to him for almost everything. Maybe because she's caught on like Ella and knows that she can always get her way with him. Maybe because she knows that mommy is too busy with Ian or that mommy simply can't carry her. Maybe a combination of all of this. I don't know.

All I do know is that I feel for my Norah and will try my hardest to not let her experience the dreaded middle child syndrome.

Forever my babies

2007-05-18T07:43:00.000-05:00

Finally got around to putting Ian's clothes in an orderly fashion -- like actually putting them in a dresser drawer. The delay was justified in that Norah had so much clothes (actually, so many of Ella's hand-me-downs), that she had to use two dresser drawers. I finally consolidated everything to make room for Ian's stuff.

As I'm putting his stuff away, many of which were gifts from my kind co-workers, I'm thinking, "Is Ian ever going to grow into these clothes?" He's just so small right now; it's hard to imagine him being any bigger.

Because he's the last child I'll ever bear, and because he's still a newborn, I think I'll always look at him like he's a baby -- my baby. He can share the "my baby" title with my Norah, who may now be the middle child, but when I look at her and those big, dark, lost eyes, she's still definitely momma's baby.

My babies.

Morning solitude

2007-05-17T05:31:00.000-05:00

There's a certain peaceful solitude to being up while the sun rises.

No endless din from the kids clamoring for fruit snacks, milk or my attention, or from The Husband working around the house.

It's just me, my chai tea, iTunes and blogging. It's the only time I have to try to compose any coherent thoughts. In a few hours, it will be a return to being a stay-at-home mom (which I'd give just about anything to be). Too bad the gig is only temporary. But I'm sure even real stay-at-home moms could use some me-time in the midst of trying to be the best parent they can be.

And in a few months, my biological clock will have to readjust itself to working night hours into the wee hours of the morning, where I won't be able to enjoy being up at 5 a.m. anymore. And that is why I will make the most of these quiet mornings, because Lord knows they won't last much longer -- and that I'm not a morning person by nature!

Three reasons why I love my job as a mom.

Unwanted free advice

2007-05-16T06:57:00.000-05:00

Never tell a woman -- especially a woman who just had a baby -- how many kids she should have.

As expected, all the OG parents at church are not at all shy about dishing out their advice on the number of kids we're "supposed" to have: You must have four -- 2 girls and 2 boys -- so they will have a partner growing up, otherwise the boy will be lonely ... Your boy will need a brother ... yada yada yada ... I know they mean well, but really, the decision is ours and ours alone.

The Husband likes to use this as rationale for having more: "Everyone else says we should have another one." I think he's half-joking; I hope he's totally joking.

My response: "Until everyone else is willing to help us with baby-sitting issues, do our midnight feedings, get little sleep in the process and put our dinner on the table, everyone else has no say in the number of kids I will bear."

Plus, by now most should know how I feel about the culture's view on gender. And the reason, I believe, in the free advice from the OGs, is to promote and encourage this sexist view even more so.

And for the record: We're done at 3 kids. Totally. Birth control, here I come.

I've taken so many pictures in the past week, I'd have enough to post one everyday for the next year or so. Here's one of them: The girls love their yiddle brudyer so much.

Veterans at parenthood

2007-05-15T06:19:00.000-05:00

It may be that Ian's just a really good baby. Or that he's too young to fuss. Or that he's Baby No. 3, therefore making us veterans at this parenthood thing. Or a combo of all these factors, for The Husband and I re-realized last night that we're not so stressed and worried about him the way we were with Ella and, to an extent, Norah.

I vividly remember the days when Ella was just a newborn. Every little sound she'd make during the night, I'd instantaneously become alert and jump up to make sure she was OK in her bassinette that just happened to be inches from my bedside: touching her to make sure she reacted and was still breathing, fixing the blankets so they wouldn't even come close to impeding her breathing, just looking at her sleep ... yes, those were the sleepless days and nights of being new parents -- full of such excitement and proud moments with its share of stress and anxiety.

And now with Ian, sometimes I have to remind myself to check up on the sleeping prince because he sleeps so well through all the noise and raucous of the girls. He doesn't ask for much except to be warm; he absolutely abhors baths and has just recently learned to tolerate diaper changes. His heart-wrenching cries during his sponge baths are enough to make you cry. During those few, precious moments of being awake, his little dark eyes look at you as if just simply appealing, "Just hold me and keep me warm."

Ella said the cutest thing yesterday. She just absolutely adores her "yiddle brudyer." And as we were getting ready to feed him, she says to me, "Mommy, I yuv Ian so much." She then turns to him and says, "I yuv you so much, Ian."

Another photo shoot day ...

Absolute truths

2007-05-14T03:22:00.000-05:00

Ian met his first cousin over the weekend in the infamous Theoden from Grand Rapids. Actually, "met" wouldn't be entirely accurate since he still slept for most of the weekend. But he did meet his first auntie in Theoden's mommy (who, btw, did a GREAT job with all FOUR kids while I continued my recovery!) The girls had a blast with Theoden, as the pictures bear witness. And with Auntie May, who did their hair. Both girls got little flips in the back (see pictures!), and they absolutely loved it.

And now, as I sit here and blog at 3:30 in the morning while holding my precious, sleeping Ian, a few truths come to mind and must be reiterated:
- A mother's love is endless. It doesn't matter how many kids you have; your love will never fall short for each of them.
- Friends are great and they definitely have a place in your life; but they come and go. For it truly is family who will be there regardless (despite all the adolescent fights and wars that were waged!).
- Breast is best. Hands down.
- Epidurals are a woman's best friend. Too bad there isn't a version that also takes care of all the afterbirth cramping and pain -- and emotional rollercoasters.
- "Godspeed" has to be one of the best songs ever written, as I continue to blog and have it on repeat on iTunes for my Ian to take in.
- All the kudoses in the world go to the single moms of the world, who have to be ranked near the top of the toughest, bravest people in the world.

All right. Enough impersonations of someone deep and philosophical. Here's the fun stuff. Enjoy ...

The sleeping Ian.

Norah's totally lost, Theoden's intrigued by the camera and Ella's trying to follow along with Auntie May as she entertains them with a Barney song.

Modeling on the lawn while showing off the flip in the back of her hair.

Lost, but maintaining that cute little flip.

Ian's lullaby

2007-05-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

It is a quiet night as I blog, listening to perhaps one of the most beautiful songs ever written, "Godspeed" by who else but the Dixie Chicks:

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

Ever since Ella, I've assigned a song for each of my kids.

Ella's was "Forever Young" by Joan Baez, as I sang that to her almost everyday while she was still in my womb and afterwards; Norah's was James Blunt's ballad, "You're Beautiful." Forget that it's a stalker song; instead, it holds significance because of, well, as my sisters and friends know, because of "the drive home from the hospital." But it's still a beautiful song, especially when I sang it to Norah with altered lyrics.

And now for Ian, the most beautiful modern lullaby ever written, "Godspeed." I fell in love with the song the first time I heard it some four years ago -- and parenthood was barely within our sights. So if it made me cry then, it especially touches me now, because the Chicks wrote it for their kids -- and at the time, they just had boys. How I wanted to be able to truly dedicate it to my kids. Now I can -- it's Ian's song.

OUR PHOTO SHOOT, MAY 10, 2007

The little guy opened his eyes for maybe 10 seconds during the whole shoot. I was lucky to just get this shot.

I couldn't get over how BIG the girls' heads had suddenly grown, especially Norah's. The little chubster is no longer the baby (sniff sniff)

Now Ella's always had a big head!

I called this picture, "Norah pondering"

As soon as I told Ella we were taking pictures, she immediately suggested that she hold him. She loves holding the little guy, absolutely loves it. For the record: I put Ella in focus while I held Ian, set the camera on timer, carefully put him in her arms, took the timed picture and then RUSHED back to the chair just in case.

Fun stories from the second day

2007-05-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

Still no pictures yet (just a few low-res ones off the cell phone). But Ian did open his eyes more today! He was probably up for a total of two hours. I don't think he likes the brightness. He had a hard time opening them when he was facing our huge window. But in dim lighting, he definitely showed a willingness to keep them open for our enjoyment.

The girls are just all over him. Ella wants to hold and feed him all the time; and I did let her -- with my help, of course. She's constantly kissing him. And on his first day home, she said to him before kissing him, "Hi Ian. I your big sister Eh-yah." Too cute. Totally warmed my heart. And Norah is constantly saying, "Baby. Baby. Baby," pointing to him as if she's revealing something new to us for the very first time. She'll touch and kiss him, but not on his face. She draws back every time we try to get her to kiss his cheek or head. And when Ella observed Norah's hesitance, she said, "Norah, Ian a baby, not a monster."

Ella heard me singing to Ian tonight as I rocked him to sleep. So I asked her if she wanted to sing to him. She climbed up onto the recliner with us, put her face next to his and started to sing in a loud voice, but I warned her that she had to do it in her whisper voice. So she sang the only songs she knew (and it was even cuter in her whisper voice): The alphabet song (she did this song like half a dozen times), Barney's "I love you, you love me" and "Ring around the rosie." And she counted to 20 for him.

New addition's here

2007-05-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

Before a pool even had the chance to materialize by my co-workers, Ian Choua Yang came into our world.

Born 11:40 p.m. Sunday, May 6. As expected, he was a peanut, weighing in at 5 lbs. 10 oz. and measuring 19 inches. The little guy was 19 days early; had he held on for another week, he probably would have broken that 6 lb. barrier!

I'd have pictures, but I think he's opened his eyes like three times. He's quite the sleeper, which, hopefully, translates into an adequate night's rest for me and The Husband. Tonight's his first night at home, and I think he likes his bassinette better than the hospital's.

And because he refuses to show us his beautiful eyes, it's hard to determine who he looks like. But one thing my sisters and I can all agree on: all babies start out looking like our brother Jeff!

Think you know me?

2007-05-04T01:56:00.000-05:00

Take my test to the right there, right underneath the baby tracker. See how well you know me. (Or, how transparent I really am!).

9 tenths of the way to go

2007-05-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

At 36-1/2 weeks, I have dilated 1 cm. The baby hasn't quite dropped yet, but he's "right above the birth canal," my OB tells me. And the effacing of the cervix will start soon.

I am hoping he can hang on until he's technically full term at 37 weeks. Then I won't worry so much about him being premature. But I do feel as if I can go any day now. The alleged Braxton-Hicks I've been experiencing have been so intense at times.

Actually, if he can just hold on until May 11 or so (I'll be 38 weeks), I'll be good. The earlier part of that week, I've got too many things going on at work that MUST be done. And my sisters will be in town that weekend of May 12, so the timing will be perfect ...

My Norah ... she'll no longer be my little baby. I just know she'll be jealous because she's always been treated as my baby. To not be in that role anymore, geez, I hope it's not too traumatizing for her.

E-moeshen-no

2007-04-29T23:06:00.000-05:00

My dear Ella has my "e-moeshen-no" genes.

I was reading her a book Sunday night about Zoe and Elmo. The plot was that Zoe was disappointed that Elmo wasn't interested in learning how to dance with her. Well, since we are all assigned characters for all the shows that Miss Ella loves, I am Zoe, and she is Elmo.

As I was reading to her, she just leapt from my sofa onto her dad's lap on the other sofa and started bawling into his shoulder. Not just any bawling, but that it-breaks-a-mom's-heart-to-hear-it bawling with a broken-up face, crocodile tears and choked up language.

Her words?

"Dover can dance with Mommy!"

Translation: Grover (Norah) can dance with Mommy (Zoe)!

She was upset at the plot, that was my conclusion. She must not have liked how the story had Zoe down and blue at the thought of not being friends with Elmo because their interests weren't the same. Maybe she thought of it too much, as friction between me and her, since we are Zoe and Elmo??? How sweet of my Ella.

She was mad at me for like half an hour and then, as always, came around again. I asked her if she was emotional like Mommy. "Yes, I e-moeshen-no."

(Pictures taken on a nice Sunday evening) The girls love showing their teeth in cheesy smiles for the camera!

Testament

2007-04-26T00:45:00.000-05:00

After delivering this last -- yes, last -- baby, I will make a strong statement that is beyond words: I will donate ALL my maternity clothes. Yes, the same maternity clothes that have lasted me through almost three pregnancies.

Anyone who's ever had to endure maternity clothes knows how valuable they are -- you don't want to spend more than you have to for a not-even-9-month wardrobe. And they are indeed pricey too.

So this strong statement is intended for who else but The Husband!

Perk of girls ...

2007-04-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

One of the most exciting things about warm weather and being a mom of girls ... cute spring clothes!

Now I'll be the first to admit I've never been the girly type to dress 'em up in frilly, lacey type outfits. But I believe you can still accomplish that girly-yet-tough look. And I haven't tried as hard in the past to do so. But I'm on a mission this year to buy more girly-yet-tough attire this year, which includes sundresses and the like.

We actually went shopping this past weekend for the girls. And although we didn't get as much as I would have liked (The Husband DID tag along, after all; he's like my living, talking, breathing spending-on-the-girls conscience), it's a start for the now-warming weather.

Ella modeling her new Dora dress that we bought without The Husband, prior to our shopping expedition. Like he would have approved of us getting this dress; like I would have needed his approval. Check out the SpongeBob crocs!

Far from home?

2007-04-18T01:03:00.000-05:00

After this week's horrific shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech, The Husband asks me: "So you still want to send the girls far away to school?"

My answer: Let me preface it with my rationale first ...

I am a total believer in letting people learn how to be responsible for themselves -- without Mommy and Daddy there to solve their problems while giving them a bottomless bank account. That, I believe, is part of a crucial foundation for growth and maturity.

Heck, I went to school as far away from home as possible within the state border (going beyond the Indiana state line was just not a possibility for me with my strict parents; I would have gone farther if I could!). But I can't even begin to explain the pros of living far from home. Of course there's the absence of parental supervision -- but that's how you become a wise decision-maker and learn to be accountable for your actions. You earn everything you need. Your sense of appreciation for things -- especially the little things that count -- grows exponentially. You simply mature into a true adult.

And that's why I always semi-jokingly say that the girls (and soon their brother) will be required to go to school out of state.

So back to my answer to The Husband: "Of course."