Sunshine, Trouble and Naughty all rolled into one. Kayla had a not-so-good day today, possibly because she's sprouting some huge teeth on the bottom (finally). She still has the same pathetic two central incisors (see http://www.tpub.com/content/medical/14274/css/14274_57.htm). When I last checked this evening, her first molars were just about to erupt, causing her (and in the process, us) to be in utter misery. :( Strangely, she skipped her canines on the top row and her canines on the bottom are missing too. It's amazing how these teeth pop out in such a random fashion and it's near impossible to find order in this tooth-popping chaos, if you ask me.
But like they say, there are always rays of sunshine on a gloomy day. And Kayla continues to amuse with her never-ending antics. She complained that "Mommy, too slow" when it was time to go to the playground today. She calls Jumping Jacks "Jumping Giants" because she associates Jack with the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk". And she's developed an exhibitionist streak of late. She likes running around with nothing but a diaper and has recently started protesting each time we try to dress her. It's frustrating, yet at the same time, hilarious, when you watch her admire herself in the mirror going "Kayla naked" with chuckles, giggles and the cutest grin.
She's also started displaying a nurturing and caring side of her lately, putting blankies on her teddy bears, Ernie, Elmo. Today, she tried changing their pretend diapers and reading them a story before telling them good night. In the afternoon, I caught her carrying Elmo and Cookie Monster to the beanbag, before instructing them to sit still. Gasp! She's fast morphing into a mini-me!
On the singing front, her repertoire has grown to include Baa Baa Black Sheep, Give me Oil in My Lamp and London Bridge is Falling Down. We managed to record (at long last) her singing Jesus Loves Me in full and I promise to post the video sooooooon. So stay tuned.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Photo Shoot
We've just returned from a short getaway to Tahoe and a very last minute one-day stopover at Reno. While I recover (vacations are never really vacations with a super active 18-month-old) and collect my thoughts about the trip, here are some more photos of the chatterbox at the Fremont Kite Festival and at home.
Nope, she didn't cry.
Should I go, Mommy?
Hmm... he wants a hug.
Sorry, changed my mind.
Check out my bedhead.
Her favorite activity of late: playing with water in the yard.
Cute shot of her, but check out my even cuter plants in the background. That's the satsuma in still in its plastic container and the tomato plants that are now out of control.
Oh my! (Alamak!)
Nope, she didn't cry.
Should I go, Mommy?
Hmm... he wants a hug.
Sorry, changed my mind.
Check out my bedhead.
Her favorite activity of late: playing with water in the yard.
Cute shot of her, but check out my even cuter plants in the background. That's the satsuma in still in its plastic container and the tomato plants that are now out of control.
Oh my! (Alamak!)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Care and Share
In the past couple of weeks, Kayla has become pretty popular in the church nursery. Each time we pick her up after service, the kind ladies start singing her praises, telling us what a good girl she's been. One week it was "As always, she's the calm among the storm;" another week, it was "She talks. And she can count to 20." The middle-schoolers who help out at the nursery are clearly thrilled. And so I am.
It's been great watching her progress from crying each time when we drop her off to smiling and saying "bye" to her caregivers when we pick her up. And she's even made friends. In fact, one of the moms of another 2-year-old in the nursery asked me if I was open to a playdate. Her daughter, Sienna was born just six days after Kayla and apparently, these two get along pretty well. :) One thing I've noticed about Kayla is that she's been really good with sharing her toys. I'm not sure if it's because she hasn't reached that "Mine" stage or if it's just her personality. Either way, it always plants a smile on my face when I see her walk up and offer a toy to someone else.
And with summer round the corner, we've signed her up for 10 sessions of music and art classes in Mountain View. It's been a while since I've done anything fun with her in a structured environment. She still talks about Gymboree very fondly (I'm surprised at how much she remembers) so I thought she'll probably enjoy it.
Another thing: We finally took her to Chuck E Cheese the other day, after weeks of driving by the restaurant and Kayla exclaiming excitedly "Chuck E Cheese!". If you ask her, Kayla will tell you they serve "terrible pizzas" but boy has she fallen in love with Chuck E. Cheese. The arcade games were fun (i'm not sure who had a better time, me or her) and I think we'll be back. And if her infatuation with Chuck E Cheese persists, we might just have to spend her second birthday there.
It's been great watching her progress from crying each time when we drop her off to smiling and saying "bye" to her caregivers when we pick her up. And she's even made friends. In fact, one of the moms of another 2-year-old in the nursery asked me if I was open to a playdate. Her daughter, Sienna was born just six days after Kayla and apparently, these two get along pretty well. :) One thing I've noticed about Kayla is that she's been really good with sharing her toys. I'm not sure if it's because she hasn't reached that "Mine" stage or if it's just her personality. Either way, it always plants a smile on my face when I see her walk up and offer a toy to someone else.
And with summer round the corner, we've signed her up for 10 sessions of music and art classes in Mountain View. It's been a while since I've done anything fun with her in a structured environment. She still talks about Gymboree very fondly (I'm surprised at how much she remembers) so I thought she'll probably enjoy it.
Another thing: We finally took her to Chuck E Cheese the other day, after weeks of driving by the restaurant and Kayla exclaiming excitedly "Chuck E Cheese!". If you ask her, Kayla will tell you they serve "terrible pizzas" but boy has she fallen in love with Chuck E. Cheese. The arcade games were fun (i'm not sure who had a better time, me or her) and I think we'll be back. And if her infatuation with Chuck E Cheese persists, we might just have to spend her second birthday there.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
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?
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?
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Say Cheese...
A collage of random shots, some more recent than others.
All dressed up for baby dedication
Strawberry picking in Watsonville.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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! :)
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! :)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
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..."
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..."
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