Language Explosion!

My favorite part of parenting is watching language development in my kids. For me, parenting is so much more enjoyable when my kids are talking. I love to hear their reactions to the world around them. I love to hear their observations, even if it is just someone yelling "Dog" from the back seat of the van. Sure, the sass and occasional humiliation I could do without, but I just love the interaction speech allows me with my daughters.

It should come as no surprise, then, how exciting it is for me to hear Maggie start talking. This week has been the beginning of Maggie's language explosion. She has added new words and phrases everyday. Her words are getting clearer and she is using words more and more to make requests and control her environment. I catch her repeating words she hears, experimenting with the pronounciation and then using the words in context. I just marvel at how quickly speech comes together for her.

Most amazing is that Maggie is already adding phrases. To hear Maggie say a phrase is wild. Today, I know she said, "I want more." Nana heard Maggie say, "I put it in". The phases sound fairly garbled, almost like a multi-syllable word, but she is clear enough to be understood.

We have been so lucky with speech development. Speech delays happen sometimes with kids who need to learn new languages after their first birthdays. The fact that both of our girls have been normal on speech development is something for which we are grateful.

Of course, the word Maggie says best is "No", but I suppose that is to be expected at this age.

Reality Show Mania

Ok, I just finished watching Idol and I just have to vent. What is wrong with that show? First, my beloved Anwar gets booted and this week, it is Constantine. While I always knew Anwar had his limitations, I thought Constantine could win the whole thing. Even more outrageous is that dweeb Scott is still in it and was in the top 3.

People must be voting sarcastically. Why would anyone vote for Scott? He doesn't have a great voice, he isn't attractive AND he is a wife-beater. Literally. I am not buying the "every-man" title they are giving him. I swear I am not watching that show anymore. Two of the top 5 are just plain bad, and I don't care about the other 3.

This isn't supposed to be a reality show blog, but now that I am on the topic, was that great last night on the Amazing Race when Rob/Amber and Ron/Kelly thought they were in first place and the other teams were beating them? I love Rob for his pure villianous qualities, but I had to laugh when the two nice teams beat him at his own game. And I have to hand it to Gretchen making it up that rope ladder at 67 years old. The fact she and Meredith are still in this race is amazing.

I really need a 12-step program to get over my reality TV addiction. It is bad. I have so much to do and yet, I can't miss an episode (except Idol--I am done for the season). May be next season I will be strong and give one up.

My Husband was Supportive!!!!

It was pointed out to me this morning over breakfast that I failed to mention in my last post, my decision to stay home and pursue a writing career would not be possible without an extremely supportive spouse. Throughout the time I was deciding, my spouse consistently said that the decision was mine and that all he wanted was for me to be happy. I am extremely lucky to have such a sensitive, supportive spouse.

Scoop For Blog Readers!

Well, I thought my blog readers should hear it from me: I have officially quit my job to stay home with the girls full-time and write.

It is ironic that today was the day I resigned as the girls were exhausted, cranky and uncooperative all day. For my own sanity and to insure I didn't lose my nerve, I made the call fairly early this morning. During the call, (I mean literally during the call) La Nina had an accident while sleeping in the stroller. As I wrapped up the call, she woke up wet, kicked her sister and both kids simultaneously started wailing. And that was the high point of my day--because it was the only time they were both asleep. By day's end, I wanted to call back and beg my boss to forget the earlier conversation, but I didn't.

This is not a decision that I made lightly or that came easily to me. I have always had a job outside the home and frankly, a great deal of my identity is wrapped up in the success I have had working. Most importantly, I am a person who really enjoys working. It is nice that I am decent financial contributor to the family, but I can't ignore the fact that after day care and taxes, I am working for minimum wage. Ok, a little more than that, but not enough for me to want to deal with getting out of the house by 8AM every morning with a 3 year old and an 18 month old in tow.

Also, I really enjoy spending time with the girls. I miss my girls when I am working. I want a Summer with them. I want to take them to the pool, make sure they get swim lessons and maybe get La Nina into a gymnastics class. It is tough to do all this when you are working 40+ hours a week.

Just as important in my decision, I want to write. All my life I have wanted to write. And somehow in pursuing a career I forgot about what I really enjoy: writing. This blog has reminded me of a long forgotten passion and I don't think I can turn it off again. With a big birthday looming this Summer, I am forced to realize I am not getting any younger AND let's face it, my kids are excellent muses for me.

So, I am officially a stay at home Mom and a struggling free lance writer. I really want to write a book and I really want to enjoy a Summer with my girls. I am not sure how this is all going to work, but I am going to give it a try. I will try to include my own journey in the blog, as I have been told that once you quit your "real" job, it is quite an adjustment.

Maggie's parents, grandparents and godparents

Happy Baptism Day!

I love Baptisms. They are such a nice way to welcome babies into the Christian Community. So today we baptized the Magster. We had a fun day, even if it was a little hectic. The challenge with the baptism is the organization of the day. For me, I have to dress a toddler in white, then go to church for an hour or so, keeping the child clean the entire time, and then come home for a party. It is hard to get the kids dressed, myself dressed, the house ready for a party, then host a party, but we made it work.

While Maggie did great overall, she had a couple minor complaints on the day. You see, Maggie isn't wild about dresses. Therefore, Maggie wasn't thrilled about wearing her long, white baptismal dress. It was the same lovely dress we baptized La Nina in two years ago and fit the Magster perfectly. Unfortunately, when I tried to put it on her, she shrieked and curled herself into a little ball. Getting a dress on her was impossible. So, we left for the church with Maggie in her slip, tights and tennis shoes. It took a team effort with Nana and I, but we finally got the dress on her in the church. Maggie looked so cute in her dress, but you could tell she just wanted to roll in the mud.

Next, Maggie also wasn't wild about getting water poured on her head. In fact, she hated it. When the water hit her forehead, she shrieked and shot a deadly look at the Deacon. (Maggie gives the best dirty looks.) When the deed was done, she grabbed her blanket, wiped off her head and glared at the Deacon for a second time. It is safe to say she was unimpressed with the holy water. After a few quick pictures in the church, it was back to the house for a light dinner and cake with family and god parents.

After everyone left, both girls were exhausted. I expected some drama out of La Nina as I think this was the first time she ever went for a day without a nap. However, when the the last group left, she walked straight to her bedroom, laid down on her bed and told me, "Now this is more comfortable." She changed into her PJs without a fight and was in bed by 7:15. The Magster was down at the same time. All in all it was a very nice day and a quiet evening for Mom and Dad.

'Nuff said...

Fruit Salad Yummy, Yummy

Well, it was a Wiggle extravaganza tonight with the girls as we took in the 6:30 show at the HP Pavillion.

We left home about 4pm armed with roses for Dorothy, signs proclaiming our love for the Wiggles and Dad dressed in a Murray Wiggle shirt. Wiggles Live, "Hot Potatos" was playing in the car the whole way to San Jose and the girls were fired up. After a quick dinner at the Tied House, where both girls were too excited to eat, it was off the to big show.

Since La Nina remembers seeing them last year, she was quite clear on the concept of Wiggle Concert. She was even calling for the Wiggles before the show. The Magster, a little unclear on the concert concept, happily munched Gold Fish while we waited in our seats. However, once the Wiggles came out in their Big Red Car, Maggie tossed the food bag aside and started squealing like a Beatles fan from the 60s. Both girls danced and boogied through most of the show. Maggie lost some steam about 7:30, her usual bedtime, but she never lost interest in the show.

Both girls absolutely loved seeing the Wiggles Live. Some memorable moments: Maggie pointing at the real Murray Wiggle as he ran by and posed for a picture with Dad, La Nina dancing to "Monkeys, Elephants and Tigers" song, Maggie refusing to hand over her rose to the Wiggle Dancer as she came by, La Nina calling for Jeff when he was lost.

You never know how these sort of concerts are going to go with two little kids, but I am happy to report the evening went off without a hitch and we had a delightful time.

Maggie's 18 Month Exam & Stuff

Maggie passed her 18 month exam with flying colors. She is still long and lean! That is going to work out nicely for her as she gets older. She had to get a couple of shots, but otherwise our visit was uneventful.

It is a good thing I am happy with our pediatrician as I have seen a lot of him lately. It seems I see him at least once a month with a well-baby exams, illnesses and illness follow up visits. At this point, we aren't scheduled to see him again until next fall, but with our household you just never know.
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Lost and Found

I don't know if I ever reported that we found the missing monkeys. All 24 monkeys had taken up residence in the Dora backpack, but were recoverd by the Magster about a week ago. I am happy to note that I now have monkeys all over the house again.

The last household mystery, the missing rolls of toilet paper, remains unsolved. I still have no idea what happened to those 5 rolls. However, I do have a theory. I think La Nina might have flushed the rolls down the toilet. I caught her unfurling a roll the other day and it made me wonder if she wasn't my culprit.
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Reality Show Run Down

Survivor- Stephanie rocks. Seems unlikely that she will win, but stranger things have happened.
Idol- Why is that Scott guy still around? May be tonight will be the night he goes away FOREVER. Anwar can't dance. I love him, but he is not a showman. It will be Vonzell, Carrie and Constantine in the finals.
Amazing Race- As annoying as I find Gretchen, go Meredith and Gretchen. They are tough. Joyce looks lovely bald and Auntie, I know you are sad about the team eliminated last night. My money is still on Rob and Amber.
Apprentice- Tough to call at this point. Alex is sinking and Kendra is rising fast.

"I Dress All By Myself"

La Nina has moved into the phase in her life where she likes to pick out her own clothes. Some of her outfits are quite inspired, but it is shoe selection that typically puts the ensemble over the top. Today, La Nina was in rare form. She had on a purple striped skort, a blue Cinderella shirt and her "Red Shiny Shoes" without socks. Not wanting to damage her self esteem and frankly, not having time to change her again, we headed out for a few errands, including some grocery shopping at Raley's.

La Nina loves "helping" me. At the grocery store, she is the person who picks out our food. If I need yogurt, she hands me the containers, if I need bananas she hands me the bunch, if I need bread, she hands me the loaves. You get the picture. Anyway, she loves this chore, but all this handing requires a lot of conversation, most of which is quite amusing. "No honey, we only need 1 bunch of bananas, not 3. " "Oh honey, let Mommy put the eggs in the cart." "Carly, we don't eat fruit loops at our house." All this talk, typically has other shoppers laughing in the aisle, but today, the conversation and the outfit made us a spectacle.

Most of the people thought she was very cute and several Moms commented on how wonderful her age is. Ha! Many shoppers pointed out her shoes were on the wrong feet, and one grandpa offered to help her fix them. She looked up at him and chirped, "No way, Jose." (Where does she get this smart mouth?) Shocked by her cheekiness, he asked me what she said, and I covered for her by saying, "Oh she said, 'No thanks, not today'." By the twinkling in his eye, I am pretty sure he heard it right the first time.

Five Months Ago

Hard to believe that it was only five months ago when a frightened baby was handed to us in a crowded conference room in China. To think back, it is even harder to believe that scared little girl would grow so quickly into the Maggie we know and love today. She has come so far so fast it is just incredible. A few updates for my long time readers:

Project Daddy Love has been successfully completed. I can now leave for the evening and Daddy can change Maggie, give her a bottle and put her down with no drama. Five months ago, she wouldn't let me leave her alone with him under any conditions. Now, when Daddy comes home, she squeals with delight, jumps for joy and runs to him with her arms out.

Separation Anxiety: Much, much better. In fact, Maggie can now stay with family members at their house for several hours and is fine. She even waved good bye and blew me a kiss that last time I left her with NanaPapa. No tears. She still doesn't like strangers much. She won't let others touch her and will run to me if a stranger approaches her, but that is normal at this age.

Eating. For the most part, Maggie's eating issues are gone. Five months ago she had never seen solid food. Today she will eat anything that isn't a fruit or vegetable. She still takes one bottle a day before she goes to bed and I am in no hurry to change that. I think it is important for bonding. (OK, I might stop when she turns two if she is still wanting her bottle.)

Language: Maggie understands everything we say to her these days and she selectively listens like any normal child. She also is saying more and more words everyday. She still babbles in a language that only she understands most of the time, but she never ceases to amaze me with how much that babble sounds like sentences. The inflection is perfect and she looks me in the eye as if she is trying to say something. It is quite uncanny. A couple of my favorite words: "bu-bu" (bubbles), "stay" (telling the dogs to stay including the hand gesture) and "che" (cheese whenever we are taking a picture). I am pretty sure she is completely on track for an 18-month.

Motor Skills: Unfortunately, Maggie excels in this area. Oh..I mean fortunately. Maggie excels in this area. Maggie is very coordinated and thus, very active. She runs (mostly away from me), she jumps (off of furniture), she climbs anything (loves getting on those counters) and she can keep up with her big sister 85% of the time. My hair is getting grayer by the day thanks to this kid's motor skills. I have to remind myself this is a good thing, especially when she is climbing the rock wall at the park. (I am not kidding.)

So, five months later, we have a second beautiful, spirited, mischievous little girl sharing our lives. We aren't quite sure how we got so lucky two times in a row, but we enjoying it.

Spring At Last

Finally, the girls and I celebrated our first real Spring day. We went to the park for over 3 hours. We played in the sand, climbed on the playground and slid down the slides. La Nina was distraught over the lack of swings, but I was not. We ended our park morning with a picnic of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grapes, juice and cheese. Even better was when the girls chose to take concurrent naps on the way home.

After they woke up from naps, we went in front of the house and painted the sidewalks with water, colored with chalk and blew bubbles. The neighbor across the street joined in the fun and brought popsicles. We didn't come in the house until it was time to make dinner.

It felt so good to spend the day outdoors. All of us were tired tonight, but it was a good kind of tired. Happy Spring! Let's hope it is here to stay.

Making an Impression

Well, today was quite a day. We had a visit from the social worker to complete our court report for the Alameda County Re-Adopt and our first post-placement visit for China. In case you are new to the adoption process, we readopt our kids in the State of California in order to get them a US birth certificate. With this, School and Sports registration is a much easier process. Addionally, the Chinese government requires two post-placement visits, the first at about 6 months after you get home, the second at about 12 months after you get home. Basically, we were trying to use today's visit to kill two birds with one stone.

I am always a little on edge when the social worker comes-a-calling. While we have been working with her for over 4 years, 'visits' feel a bit like a job interview and I always want to make a good impression. In preparation, the house gets a good cleaning, the kids are dressed appropriately and the wild dogs are safely hidden. This visit, however, was different. While I did get the house picked up, the kitchen floor mopped and the family room vaccuumed, this was the least prepared I have ever been for a visit. I was secretly hoping our social worker would forget the appointment. I am just so tired of paperwork and answering questions. But, she showed up on time, as I was lecturing the girls to be on their best behavior.

The visits from our social worker are fairly short and the questions are standard. She asked about Maggie's development, her transition to our family and our transition to her. All went well. The girls were patient. Maggie had one of her full conversations with the social worker. The poor woman kept asking if I had any idea what she was saying and I said that I didn't. Of course, I think Maggie was trying to disclose the house was unusually neat, the kitchen floor is never that clean and that she buffaloed me into allowing her not to eat her vegetables. I had no proof that is what she was trying to say so I kept quiet.

The visit was a non-event until the last 5 minutes. As the social worker shut down her laptop and started to put away her files, Maggie sensed an opening to make the visit unforgettable. Charging from across the room, Maggie adeptly knocked the social worker's coffee cup spilling it into her brief case, while making sure the mug hit the social worker and the couch on its way down. There was a puddle of coffee in the poor woman's brief case and the bag actually dripped when she picked it up. Sadly, the loaded lap top compartment took the brunt of the spill. After a few moments of stunned silence, the adults sprung into action wiping up coffee, while Maggie stood back and smiled. The social worker said that it was normal for a toddler to have such an accident, but we're pretty sure it was an intentional act of aggression on Maggie's part.

After such a memorable ending to a home visit, the poor woman had to drive an hour to her home with her coffee soaked clothes and dripping briefcase. The lap top did fire up before she left, I hope it survives. As she was walking out, the social worker jokingly commented she thought she should include something about 'mischievous' in her report. Well, with that comment, I know she saw the real Maggie. And I can guarantee you, Maggie made quite an impression.

The Adventure Continues

I was fortunate enough 16 years ago yesterday to marry the right man. And that makes the fact we did a very poor job celebrating our anniversary this year, just fine by me. To celebrate 16 years of marital bliss we had dinner with the kids and watched our wedding video. I don't think we had seen that video in at least 10 years and it was a blast to watch it.

Most obviously, it was fun to see all the people we have lost since our wedding come to life. Three of our grandparents, my brother and an Aunt were all in the video, but are no longer with us. Through the video, we were able to introduce La Nina to all these people. For the first time, she really saw that she had two Uncle Mike's: there is a scene in the video when they are standing next to each other. We showed her that her big girl name comes from someone else: she saw Gram walking into the church. We showed her where Maggie's big girl name came from too: We have a great shot of Grams waiting for the ceremony to begin. I think she loved seeing me in my wedding dress and it was fun telling her when she will wear a white dress someday or a red dress if she chooses the traditional Chinese wedding attire.

It was also fun to see our friends and family so much younger, with so much less life experience. We saw people with ex-spouses, kids now in college as pre-schoolers, friends just having fun during a very care-free time in our life. We saw wild dancing, a beer shimmy, and a ball and chain spotlight dance. We saw a few things I am sure others would like to forget, but it was so fun to remember. We were able to challenge each other's memories of the event with trivia...and for the record, I won.

So, while we didn't take a trip, go out to a fancy dinner or even have much time alone yesterday where we were both conscious, we did stroll hand in hand down memory lane with our girls in tow, and had a delightful time doing it.

And to that dear Spouse of mine: The adventure continues and gets better all the time.

French Women and Me

I just finished the book, French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure. My book club picked the book and it was a short, fairly easy read. In fact, I was excited to read the book when I heard the selection, because I love France and let's face it, French women do look terrific.

The book basically touts the French lifestyle as a way to stay thin. In and of itself, I give the book a C--interesting but slow in parts. As for the lifestyle changes suggested to live like a French Woman, I have decided motherhood is going to get in the way of my conversion to the French life. Here are just a few reasons why this book isn't going to work for me:

According to the book, French women shun supermarkets and prefer to shop every other day for their food at small, high-quality food vendors. (Think Farmer's Market.) I love going to Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings after hiking. And ok, sure, I may occasionally go into a grocery store more than once a week, but it is only under duress. Otherwise, being skinny isn't worth taking my two sweet angels shopping every other day and I am not driving 10 miles to the nearest Whole Foods for freshness! Any store experience is an adventure usually requiring a glass of wine to recover. I cannot imagine enduring the store every other day in the name of being thin.

Next, the book says you should sit, eat and enjoy your food to be like a French woman. I think the last time I sat through an entire meal at home was in early December 2002 before traveling to adopt La Nina. Sure, I can see not having the TV on during dinner in order to enjoy the family conversation, but just sitting and eating is out of the question these days. Bathroom runs, spills, missing forks, dropped napkins, all conspire against me getting a hot meal, so sitting and simply enjoying is a remote concept for me. And I just don't think I could eat breakfast without reading the obituaries.

Another tip to be more French-like: Eat only what you can savor. In other words, if it isn't high-quality, don't bother with the meal. Oh yeah, I am just savoring those PB&J's wolfed down between pre-school pick up and Maggie's nap time. Or what about that just fabulous frozen burrito? Protein bar? Somehow, these days, my food isn't always worth savoring! I do agree that you should always really love the food you eat, but I am lucky to get a lunch, forget the quality.

My favorite irony of the whole book is that the writer leads off by claiming she isn't writing a diet book, yet the book reads remarkably like a diet book. The writer, who is French, also claims French women never discuss weight issues in public, yet she wrote this book. So-while French women look great, I am not sure this book captures why.

Ok, I could go on and on about this book and its impracticality in my life at the moment, but there is one tip that I am ready and willing to follow immediately. Apparently, French women enjoy a piece of high quality chocolate everyday. Dark, bittersweet, high-quality chocolate that is savored in the afternoon. That is one diet tip that I am ready to test out.

More Medical Issues

As unbelievable as this is, I spent yet another afternoon seeking medical assistance. We have two more family members on antibiotics. We have officially had someone on antibiotics since March 18 and now, we have another week of antibiotics. The illness this time is in the dogs.

Yep, both of our dogs are sick. Can you believe it? I won't go into details, but suffice to say I have scrubbed enough carpets over the past two days to seek intervention. Now both of my dogs are on a special diet until their tummies improve, they are taking antibiotics and we are waiting to hear it is not something more serious than indiscriminant eating.

I don't know what is worse, giving a kid antibiotics or giving a dog antibiotics. Neither task is pleasurable. While it is most likely nothing serious in our younger dog, during the exam, the vet found something unrelated to the current symptoms, yet potentially serious in our older dog. At 12.5 years old, she is considered geriatric, so it could be anything.

For now, it is rice and cottage cheese meal for both dogs and more pills to dispense for me.

This has to be a World Record...

As I was driving to my hike this morning, I was reflecting on the first 3 months of the year. I realized a very scary fact. I have been to Kaiser 12 times since January 1! No wonder the receptionist in pediatrics greets me like an old friend and asks about the girls.

Here is a short run down of my visits:

Maggie:

• 3 trips to the lab blood work.
• 1 trip 15 month well baby visit.
• 1 trip when she had RSV.

La Nina:

• 4 trips for pnuemonia diagnosis and rechecks.
• 1 trip for 3 year old well-child visit.

Me:

• 1 trip for ear infection/broncitis.
  

Total 12 visits between January 11 and April 1.

I think I should get some sort of special award for 12 visits in 12 weeks. The amazing thing to me about this number is my girls are basically healthy. There are no serious illnesses, this is just normal kid stuff.

Slightly off topic, but a funny La Nina story from her Friday visit. La Nina is really tough when it comes to physical pain. Actually, she is unbelievable. Friday, she had to get a shot. So, after she had her pnuemonia rechecked, I took her to the injection clinic without explaining what a shot meant. Why scare her by saying "this is going to hurt"? So, she walked into the clinic, sat on the table, completely unphased. When the shot happened, a shocked look came across her face and to the nurse she angrily said, "Hey girl, you're hurting me." Then she turned to me, completely mad, and said, "Mom, this girl is hurting me." By the time she had both sentences out, the shot was over. Not a tear shed, but she was absolutely furious with the nurse and refused to take her sticker. After she recovered from her amazement, the poor nurse joined me in a hearty laugh. La Nina got an ice cream treat for her bravery, and I was quite proud of her backbone~standing up to a strange adult! And this was my mellow child. Oy-Vey! We could be in for some interesting teen years with our two little spit fires!