What's cooking?

When it comes to cooking, I'm certainly no Iron Chef but I wouldn't relegate myself to the ranks of a canned-food cook either. Though my repertoire is limited, I have so far managed to turn out decent meals that are nutritious and somewhat edible. While figuring out what to prepare for dinner can sometimes be a pain, figuring out what to feed an 18-month-old is an even bigger challenge.

For a long time, we relied on the convenience of jar foods. But now that she actually has more than four teeth, it's hard coming up with healthy, yet fun meals for her. Dinner's pretty straightforward: porridge, spinach, carrots, sometimes sweet potatoes, and whatever the protein of the day is (fish, beef, turkey or chicken). Sometimes we change it up and feed her whatever we're having if we eat out, but most of the time, she loves her chok. It's lunch that's been trying. She's been getting sandwiches for the most part (PBJ, cheese and tomato, margarine and kaya, egg mayo) and occasionally mac n cheese. It's too much trouble preparing an entire warm meal for her, but at the same time, I feel bad giving her sandwiches everyday. She doesn't complain (let's hope she won't start), but I'm sure I could try a little harder to make her meals more interesting.

Thankfully, there are moms far more creative than me in the kitchen department and who have been extremely generous with their secrets. Check out these sites:

http://www.diylife.com/photos/creating-toddler-friendly-bento-boxes/812702/

http://www.markbattypublisher.com/servlet/book_view?number=58

But my favorite has to be The Wokking Mum from where else? Singapore. :)

http://wokkingmum.blogspot.com/search/label/%3A%3A%20For%20Kids%20%3A%3A

Now who wouldn't eat Mr. Happy Rice Ball?

Say Cheese...

A collage of random shots, some more recent than others.

All dressed up for baby dedication

Strawberry picking in Watsonville.

Bubbles in the backyard...from a bubble gun.
I'm No. 1.

Couch potato in the making

Look like....

That's one of Kayla's favorite phrases these days. "Look like rabbit", "look like owl"; everything looks like something even when it's a picture of her "Look like Kayla" It's hard to explain to her that it's actually a picture of her (sometimes she gets it, sometimes she doesn't). But it never fails to crack me up.

And her mimicking has reached new levels of sophistication. "Don't touch that," she told me today, pointing at the fan we pulled out to fight the heatwave. "Don't do it," she added--all without prompting. She surprised me (can't say too pleasantly) And it's left me wondering what else she's absorbed that I'm completely clueless about. It's amazing what these little munchkins pick up.

One thing, we noticed lately, is her fear of the universal "be quiet" sign (*putting your finger to your lip, like you'd at the library). It makes her sad and makes her say "scared," almost on the verge of tears. I don't know what or who might have traumatized her and we're still trying to figure out why she reacts that way. Hopefully, time will undo the damage... and she'll realize it's ok to say "sshh."

What else have I missed? In the short two weeks with my plants, I think I've learned more about nature than I ever did in my years at school combined. I found out what sow bugs are (or roly polys as most people know them; real ugly looking things that curl up into balls when u touch them), stared down at least 20 millipedes, and realized my poor satsuma tree is infected with citrus leave miners (yes, even I'm impressed). On a happier note, Kayla and I are really excited about the little green tomatoes on the plant, and the peppers.... Now I'm motivated to plant even more... only if the first batch survives me. :) For those who don't know yet, everything I've ever attempted to grow has died on me at some point. So wish them luck! :)

Feeling the Heat

I'd like to take back what I said about welcoming the heat wave. It's been 95 and above and it ain't fun anymore. Kayla's soaking wet after being in the car seat for less than 10 minutes. My back's burnt just by being in the sun for probably less than five minutes. We've had to turn the A/C on a couple of times and my laptop shut down on its own (I'm assuming it's due to overheating) a couple of times. It scared me enough to get a new one (way overdue anyway).

The new laptop is still being prepped and I've come to realize that transferring data from one comp to another is almost like moving house--a nightmare. You've got to spring clean the folders, sort through the junk and then organize everything neatly so you can have a crisp clean start on the new machine. A whole lot of work and I'm hoping we'll get it done by this weekend.

In other happier news, we finally visited the Morgan Hill Farmer's market this morning (yes, in the scorching heat). It isn't too big but the spread of produce is great. We got a huge box really sweet and juicy strawberries, some baby bak choy and green beans--fresh from the farms just the way I like it. Since we're in the area, we took Kayla to storytime at the library. Same lady, same songs, same rhymes, but she loved it all the same. We got a couple of Dr. Seuss books for Kayla at the library and I must say, I'm a fan. They're way more interesting (and well-written) than some of the other books we've been reading. Check out "Wings on Things". :)

And our little chatterbox is getting chattier by the day. She can now string phrases and sentences the likes of "Kayla's holding the chip clip," "I want mommy to carry" and "Mommy, read this one." And you know she really loves talking because she talks herself to sleep, literally. "Mom, Dad...mumble mumble...blah blah blah blah zzzz..."

Turn Up the Heat

A heat wave's sweeping through the region and I can't be happier. Yes, at times it feels like you're living in an oven, but it sure beats walking around bundled like a burrito. And hotter days equals less laundry. I like.

Kayla's been enjoying the sun and like all babies, she loves playing with water. She tells me all day she wants to do water painting, when in fact, all she wants is for me to turn on the faucet, fill her baby bucket with water so she can pour it all over herself with a shovel. I probably should just stick her in a bathing suit all day.

She's already started pulling out my plants.. my poor chives and parsley. I'm training her not to rip out the tomato flowers or my blooming dwarf satsuma, so we'll see. But other than that, she's been her pesky self, terrorizing me in the day and Daddy at night.

Oh, and she's learned how to sing "Jesus loves me" pretty well. I'll try to catch that on my Flip when she's in the mood.

I apologize if this post sounds totally disjointed. My brains are fried (not from the heat, but from the magazine going to print this week. Deadline weeks are killer weeks).

Baby Dedication

Today marks a very special day for our family, not just because it's Mothers' Day (tho everyday should be declared mommy's day). We dedicated Kayla to the Lord today. For those unfamiliar with baby dedication, here's a quick summary:

Baby Dedication is…
An opportunity to thank God for the precious gift of your child.
An opportunity to publicly declare your intentions to raise your child in a Christian home.
A benchmark you can return to time and time again.
A family dedication, where the parents commit themselves to abide by biblical principles and to raise their children according to God’s standards.

It was a simple ceremony at church this morning with 8 other families and a total of 14 little ones being presented before God. Grandma and Grandpa were there and it'd have been complete if Gong Gong and Po Po who are far away in Singapore were there too (but I know they're here in spirit!). Kayla behaved very well throughout the entire ceremony and didn't flinch when Pastor Eric anointed her forehead and prayed for her and us.

It might just be any other day for litte Kayla, but for us, it's a commitment to God that we'll raise her according to His Word and ways, and that we'll do our best as parents to help her become the unique person God intended her to be. :) It's a huge responsiblity and we'll need a lot of help and prayers along the way, but it's also going to be, I'm sure, an exciting journey.

On a lighter note, Kayla had a great time with her cousin, Emily who visited over the weekend. She got a new rocking horse and a wagon she loves to bits. Emily (who is all of 5 years old) was so loving, holding Kayla by her hand and asking her if she was hungry or thirsty every now and then. They played with the bubble gun, did some water painting on the concrete slab in the backyard and read books together -- really sweet. :) I had a great time watching them.

Grandma and Grandpa, too, helped us plant our first tomato plant (yay!), and how to condition the soil and such. Hopefully we'll find our green thumb soon, but Kayla's already having a ball with her baby watering can. Pictures (dependent on Mikey's schedule) to come.

And it struck me just the other day that I've never written anything about how Mikayla got her name. We originally decided on "Victoria" but Mikey decided sometime towards the due date that he wanted to name the baby after him. (Mikayla is a feminine form of Michael..) Rae-Ann, her middle name, is also her Chinese name. In Hanyu Pinyin, it's Rui-En. In the process of deciding on her Chinese name, we also found out that Mikey's last name "Hong" isn't really "Hong". It's Tang ( as in soup) in Mandarin, but pronounced "Hong" according to his dialect group.

Yes, it's complicated and if you're lost, it's okay... just rem this. Mikayla means "gift from God" and I really can't think of another name that could be more perfect than this.

Anger Management

Kayla may just be 16 going on 17 months but I am almost certain we've hit the "Terrible Twos."

As Dr Greene of drgreen.com aptly explains it,
"Newborns and infants are quite happy as long as their basic physical needs are met. Children in the developmental stage known as the "Terrible Twos," or "First Adolescence," become aware of the choices available to them and as a result become angry or frustrated when they are powerless over those choices. The result is often 'Temper Tantrums' or what I like to call 'Emotional Storms.'"

Make that "Emotional Typhoons." This past week has been extremely trying with meltdown after meltdown over the most innocuous of things -- Daddy walking out of the room, Mommy saying she needs a diaper change. At times, at the mere mention of the word "No," she breaks out her deafening screams and promptly dissolves into tears.

We've tried everything to calm her down--from hugging tightly and telling her everything's okay to asking her to "use her words" and "baby voice." But nothing's working really very well. She knows what she wants and she's determined to get it. Good for her, but not so pleasant for us. Cry and scream as she might, we've done our darndest best not to give in and I think we deserve a pat on our back for standing our ground (you'll understand when you witness firsthand how she screams, yells and cries). Hopefully, Kayla will realize soon enough that screaming isn't the solution or the shortcut to getting attention or whatever it is she needs. She may be strong-willed, but so are we. :)

Again from Dr Greene,
"Whatever you do, if your child had a temper tantrum to try to get something, don't give it to him, even if you would have ordinarily done so. Giving in to tantrums is what spoils a child. Giving in is the easiest, quickest solution in the short run, but it damages your child, prolongs this phase, and ultimately creates far more discomfort for you. Choosing your child's long-term gain over such dramatic short-term relief is part of what makes properly handling temper tantrums so heroic.

Instead you might say, "Sorry, I would love to give you what you want, but because you had a temper tantrum, I can't right now. Next time, let's do that." Stand by your child during this difficult time for both of you. When you feel yourself getting tense, again say to yourself: temper tantrums are a beautiful, albeit painful, part of growing up, so take a deep breath, relax, and remember, "Dr. Greene thinks you are beautiful, courageous, and worthy of high praise!"

Berry Good

From the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose (http://www.cdm.org/) to Gilroy Gardens (http://www.gilroygardens.org/), we finally found the time (and energy) to explore a couple of kid-friendly spots in the neighborhood the past couple of weekends. I'm not sure Kayla remembers all these places, but it really doesn't matter so long as she had as much fun as we did while we were there:


Taking a Spin in a Strawberry at Gilroy Gardens








Checking out some "produce" in Children's Discovery Musem





Revving up the possibly the world's slowest racer in Gilroy Gardens.


Today, we decided to take her strawberry picking and at a friend's recommendation, we headed to Gizdich Ranch (http://www.gizdich-ranch.com/) in Watsonville, about half an hour away. The strawberry harvesting didn't last long. After yanking close to 10 strawberries, Kayla decided pulling out weeds and sticking dirt in her mouth--to my horror--was just as enjoyable. It took probably us less than half an hour to fill our box with a little over four pounds of some the juiciest and sweetest (and biggest) strawberries I've ever seen. And I think, there's only about half of that left in the fridge. (I must have heard Kayla say "Strawberry good" and "more" a dozen times today; she ate at least 10 of them.)

But the highlight of the day (for her and us) had to the good, old-fashioned slice of apple pie with vanilla ice-cream and an equally tasty strawberry shortcake. No better way to end a morning than on a sugar high. :)