Time: Today, before bedtime
Place: In the nursery.
Mama walks into the room and sees a pile of books scattered all over the floor. Papa is sprawled out too, obviously spent after reading the numerous books to Zoe.
Mama (in a determined voice): Alright, it's bedtime now.
Zoe (buying time): Mama? Mama read!
(Mama sighs)
Mama: Ok, but just one.
Zoe (pronounces with great emphasis and gestures with her fingers): Two!
Zoe prances off to pick her selection off the shelf. Mama wonders if it was such a good thing to teach Zoe how to count so early on.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
China
We returned from China on Friday, having thoroughly enjoyed two weeks of spectacular sights, delicious food, and the lovely and loving company of family. Overall, Zoe did pretty well on this trip; by now she was familiar with airplanes (indeed, whenever she sees or hears a plane overhead, she points and says the Mandarin word for "plane"), so she was reasonably well behaved on the flight. It helped that we had an extra seat on the flight from Los Angeles to Beijing, so Zoe could stretch out and sleep properly. Unfortunately Jackie and I weren't so lucky, and neither of us slept well. But our spirits were revived upon arriving in Beijing and reuniting with Mom, Dad, Ben, and Jackie's cousin Derrick.
For most of the first week, we were all understandably jetlagged -- I think I was hit particularly hard, and I felt like I was in a fog during the day. Zoe's routines were disrupted too, but we did our best to reset her with regular meals and naps, and she eventually settled down. In the meantime, we had a fairly free-form agenda, consisting of seeing the sights, dining at nice restaurants around the city, and taking naps when we couldn't go on any further. Fortunately, we had drivers to take us where we wanted to go, a maid to prepare meals for Zoe, and masseuses to make the aches and pains go away at the end of the day.
I won't go into a blow-by-blow account of all the things we saw and did, but I'll share the highlights. Of course, we visited the Great Wall (we chose the section of the wall at Simatai, in order to avoid crowds), the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Lama Temple. We met friends for meals and drinks, and got to see the "new" Beijing that has resulted from the fast-paced development of recent years (and that accelerated, obviously, with the Olympics). Whether seeing the old or new, I was impressed and a little overwhelmed by Beijing -- its size, pace, and energy.
One of the highlights of our stay was a side trip that we took to the ancient capital of Xi'an, about a 90-minute flight to the southwest from Beijing. We were joined by Jackie's brother Ben and his girlfriend Anna, and they were fine travelling companions indeed. In Xi'an we saw the famed Terra-Cotta Warriors, and explored the old Muslim Quarter of the city. Best of all, Ben took some amazing photos of our activities, which I've posted here.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Happy Mother's Day
I think Zoe is weaned. About two weeks ago, she stopped asking for me before bedtime. Then, a few days ago, she decreased the time she spent nursing in the morning. Finally, over the weekend, she didn't even ask for me in the morning. Perhaps as a gift to me, as an easy way to remember, the last time was on Mother's Day. I am so happy, proud and yet not without a tinge of sadness that our nursing days are over. This is the first step amongst the many she will take towards independence and self sufficiency. I am just so glad that she did it on her terms, without any hurried pushing from me. And I am glad that I was able to oblige her and that we shared this special period of intimacy.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
A Place of Our Own
"A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life... Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home." - A Nepalese good luck mantra.
Dennis and I have been looking to buy a place. And yesterday, we signed the papers to put a bid in for a house diagonally across the street from us now, only to decide last minute against submitting it. Dennis and I both developed cold feet because it is at the higher end of what we can afford, which means we would have to live with a lot of the cosmetic flaws of the house for a while. More importantly, it doesn't call out to Dennis. It is a nice house with, in my opinion, good bones, good location and phenomenal views - the south facing part of the house has a view of Lake Hodges and Bernardo Mountain. I really liked the lovely breeze that wafts into the south side of the house. I can imagine it being a fantastic house after a fresh coat of paint, a change of flooring, and an update to the kitchen. But in the end, it is yet another false start.
I am disappointed. But even in my moments of despair and frustration, the voice of reason says this is after all a search for our nest and it should unite us in excitement and hope rather than render us apart.
Funny thing is, this endeavor was at first guided only by the barest of parameters - at least 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, "nice and bright," and no more driving time to work than what Dennis has to do currently, within budget (obviously). And obviously, it has become clear to us, after tromping through more properties than we can place, all of which fit the simple rules we set out but none of which called out to us in a way that made us say (in unison) "ah, this is it, this is home," that what we want is a lot more than just the right square footage, rooms, affordability and proximity.
But what do we want? The place I want will not only be a shelter for our physical selves, but for our dreams and ambitions too. It will be the mise en scene of our daily lives and it should reflect our values, our personalities, the lifestyle we live and desire (and this begs yet the question of what is the lifestyle that we want?). It should be comfortable, appealing, not too big but sufficient for our needs. If I were to put adjectives to it, I would say warm, clean and clean lines, bright, cheerful with charming details. Soulful. Nothing overly generic. There should be a garden. This ideal home we envision would have 3 bedrooms, a great room which sits the kitchen, living room and dinning room, all of which are minimally separated by walls. There would be a library or quiet space. But this space shouldn't be too big. We don't want space that will only draw us apart; rather, though we don't want to cram, we want a space where we can daily practice the act of accommodating one another's need for quiet reflection or rowdy union at the end of the day. This means, concretely, no less than 1900 square feet and no more than 2400 square feet. Actually, there is already a house that encapsulates all that, but we would have to build it from scratch. see http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/breezehouse/
There was a "this is it, I would be home" moment during our hunt. But it was with a piece of land eighth-tenth of an acre large on a hill with expansive views of a golf course, a vineyard, and the mountains beyond San Pasqual Valley. I loved it the moment I saw it. There, Zoe would have days watching clouds on high, chasing bunnies and hearing birds chirp. Together, we can watch the egrets take off from their perch (there was one on the property when I first came upon it). And its location, just down the road from where we are now, couldn't be more perfect. Sadly, this love proved to be short-lived. The property was bought even before we can say "bid." I suppose the impossibly low price - a bank owned, foreclosed property - was indeed too good to be true and someone knew to snatch at it. As disappointing an episode as that was, it whetted our appetite and imagination, as well as made clear to us that, even though we keep saying to ourselves that no one buys the perfect first home, or that the first home is usually just a stepping stone, we pretty much want the ideal right now.
But perhaps there is no ideal. It dawned on me the other day that this entire enterprise is not unlike the dating scene. We were out there like a 20 something seeking love: we kept going out on dates, and we go out there with a supremely open mind. Thus, minus the obviously wrong or out of reach, we flirt with all types, even the ones that need major renovation. We believed that if we see enough houses, we will finally meet the one and all will somehow fall into place.
I hope so.
Dennis and I have been looking to buy a place. And yesterday, we signed the papers to put a bid in for a house diagonally across the street from us now, only to decide last minute against submitting it. Dennis and I both developed cold feet because it is at the higher end of what we can afford, which means we would have to live with a lot of the cosmetic flaws of the house for a while. More importantly, it doesn't call out to Dennis. It is a nice house with, in my opinion, good bones, good location and phenomenal views - the south facing part of the house has a view of Lake Hodges and Bernardo Mountain. I really liked the lovely breeze that wafts into the south side of the house. I can imagine it being a fantastic house after a fresh coat of paint, a change of flooring, and an update to the kitchen. But in the end, it is yet another false start.
I am disappointed. But even in my moments of despair and frustration, the voice of reason says this is after all a search for our nest and it should unite us in excitement and hope rather than render us apart.
Funny thing is, this endeavor was at first guided only by the barest of parameters - at least 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, "nice and bright," and no more driving time to work than what Dennis has to do currently, within budget (obviously). And obviously, it has become clear to us, after tromping through more properties than we can place, all of which fit the simple rules we set out but none of which called out to us in a way that made us say (in unison) "ah, this is it, this is home," that what we want is a lot more than just the right square footage, rooms, affordability and proximity.
But what do we want? The place I want will not only be a shelter for our physical selves, but for our dreams and ambitions too. It will be the mise en scene of our daily lives and it should reflect our values, our personalities, the lifestyle we live and desire (and this begs yet the question of what is the lifestyle that we want?). It should be comfortable, appealing, not too big but sufficient for our needs. If I were to put adjectives to it, I would say warm, clean and clean lines, bright, cheerful with charming details. Soulful. Nothing overly generic. There should be a garden. This ideal home we envision would have 3 bedrooms, a great room which sits the kitchen, living room and dinning room, all of which are minimally separated by walls. There would be a library or quiet space. But this space shouldn't be too big. We don't want space that will only draw us apart; rather, though we don't want to cram, we want a space where we can daily practice the act of accommodating one another's need for quiet reflection or rowdy union at the end of the day. This means, concretely, no less than 1900 square feet and no more than 2400 square feet. Actually, there is already a house that encapsulates all that, but we would have to build it from scratch. see http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/breezehouse/
There was a "this is it, I would be home" moment during our hunt. But it was with a piece of land eighth-tenth of an acre large on a hill with expansive views of a golf course, a vineyard, and the mountains beyond San Pasqual Valley. I loved it the moment I saw it. There, Zoe would have days watching clouds on high, chasing bunnies and hearing birds chirp. Together, we can watch the egrets take off from their perch (there was one on the property when I first came upon it). And its location, just down the road from where we are now, couldn't be more perfect. Sadly, this love proved to be short-lived. The property was bought even before we can say "bid." I suppose the impossibly low price - a bank owned, foreclosed property - was indeed too good to be true and someone knew to snatch at it. As disappointing an episode as that was, it whetted our appetite and imagination, as well as made clear to us that, even though we keep saying to ourselves that no one buys the perfect first home, or that the first home is usually just a stepping stone, we pretty much want the ideal right now.
But perhaps there is no ideal. It dawned on me the other day that this entire enterprise is not unlike the dating scene. We were out there like a 20 something seeking love: we kept going out on dates, and we go out there with a supremely open mind. Thus, minus the obviously wrong or out of reach, we flirt with all types, even the ones that need major renovation. We believed that if we see enough houses, we will finally meet the one and all will somehow fall into place.
I hope so.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Choo Choo!
Zoe is really into trains these days, so this afternoon we took her to the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris. She was so amazed at the size of the actual trains, and the impressive sound of their horns and bells, that for a while after we arrived, she looked more shocked than pleased by the outing. But eventually she warmed up to it, and we all had a good time riding the trains.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Sunshine again
As I am typing this, Zoe is in her crib. She is not napping however. Instead, she is sitting up and playing phone with her rabbit. By that I mean the bunny (Peter Rabbit to be exact) is put up to her ears and she is going "Hello? Oh? OH! Bye Bye." It is extraordinarily cute and reminds me of how much Zoe has come along in her development and how nice it is that the nasty week we just had is over (or probably over... not to jinx it). We are not quite sure what it is, but it is probably teething cum heat rash (for we had a heat wave that brought the temperatures to 102 F). Zoe was cranky, fragile, demanding. Who could blame her? She was in obvious discomfort and had great difficulty sleeping because of the ailment. I was quite flustered because I didn't have nerves of steel and did not know what to do. Is it eczema or is it heat rash? They look alike but the treatment plan is completely different (Aloe Vera Gel versus Aquaphore). In the end, I figured out that it is heat rash and slathered on the aloe vera. What a week!
Still, in spite of it all - lack of appetite, sore gums, angry rashes everywhere, a nasty fall - Zoe managed to string three words together two days ago. She said "Ernie and Bert." I'm glad the sun came back out again.
Still, in spite of it all - lack of appetite, sore gums, angry rashes everywhere, a nasty fall - Zoe managed to string three words together two days ago. She said "Ernie and Bert." I'm glad the sun came back out again.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Customer in Training
A new Henry's grocery store opened up recently, and they have these cute toddler-sized shopping carts. In this video, Zoe was a little groggy from having napped in the car, but she did pretty well pushing our cart around for us. This baby thing is already starting to pay dividends!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tea time
One of Zoe's favorite games is tea time. It's a highly ritualized endeavor, and her rules of engagement are strict: Elmo, teddy bear, and at least one parent must be present.
Shapes
As we've already mentioned here, Zoe seems to be accelerating in her development these days. Here's an example: as recently as a few weeks ago, Zoe still hadn't figured out how to sort shapes. Now she can.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thrill of the Hunt
After Easter service this morning, Zoe participated in the egg hunt. She had been expertly coached by me the day before, when we staged a "practice egg hunt" during her playgroup at our house. As you can see in this video, she did pretty well.
Some photos from the morning:
Jackie, Zoe, and our friends' daughter Caroline, waiting for the egg hunt to begin.
Zoe and Caroline after the egg hunt.
Zoe and Mommy at the coast in La Jolla. It was a picture-perfect day!
Zoe, completely spent. It was a busy morning.
Some photos from the morning:
Jackie, Zoe, and our friends' daughter Caroline, waiting for the egg hunt to begin.
Zoe and Caroline after the egg hunt.
Zoe and Mommy at the coast in La Jolla. It was a picture-perfect day!
Zoe, completely spent. It was a busy morning.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
PB
On Sunday we drove to Pacific Beach to spend the afternoon with the Scholz family, in celebration of Karen's birthday. Zoe had a lot of fun digging in the sand, but she was initially a bit reluctant to dip her toes in the surf.
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