November 30, 2009 at 10:13 pm (Blogs)
About two weeks ago, our next door neighbor’s seven month-old son died during his afternoon nap. This was a complete shock to everyone and this has caused Jason and I to think what if this happened to one of our kids. Unimaginable. As a parent, I don’t think you ever “get over” the fact that your child has died. I think you just cope. Some of you may know that my brother died six years ago. My parents have never recovered.
This is a picture of me and my two older brothers. 
November 28, 2009 at 3:59 pm (348270, Blogs)
“I want a burt-day pawty!” Miles exclaims.
Planning Miles birthday party this year was a lot fun. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that Miles was part of the party planning and this made it even more special for him, and fun for us to go shopping together and pick out stuff. We have been quite surprised with Miles these past few months. All of his words and thoughts about life are connecting so quickly; he often surprises us with his latest discoveries. Ask him when is his birthday, he confidently states, “Novemboh 22nd.” Ask him what kind of party his wants, well, he had a hard time deciding. Miles informed us that he wanted a Thomas the Tank Engine and a Lightening McQueen party. Then, a couple of days later, settled with a Thomas party. So the planning started. We went on several party websites to find the perfect Thomas pull pinata. What’s a pull pinata? Well, it’s the kind you don’t beat with a bat. Strings hang from the pinata (about 20 of them) and each string is pulled one at a time by each child. At the end, when all the strings are pulled, the pocket comes loose and all the treats and candies fall from the bottom of the pinata. Tons of chaos and tons of fun for the kids…and parents too! Miles and I went to a party store to get all the fixings for a Thomas party. It’s incredible the amount of party paraphernalia one can purchase. We decided to make the party as simple as possible. No crazy decorations but 20 helium Thomas balloons, plates, napkins, and cups. It was a perfect party for 30+people. The adults left full (we made brunch for kids and parents, but parents all know that kids don’t eat at parties except for the cake) and the kids left full with sugar. I’m sure every parent says this, but I can’t believe our son is three years old. It seems like it was yesterday he was jumping up and down in my belly and today he is doing somersaults across the floor. We are so blessed to have a healthy and rambunctious little guy.
November 25, 2009 at 9:57 pm (Blogs)
Do you remember the “look” your parents gave you when you were doing something out of line? You know, the look that meant you were in deep doo-doo but they couldn’t yell at you right then and there because they were in front of other people, but once you got home they we’re gonna scream at you!?! Yeah, that look. I remember very clearly that look from my mom and dad, and it was not good either. But now that I am a parent, I can totally see why they had the look. I, myself, have started that same look with my children. I’ll have to take a picture of what that look is, but it’s something like this: chin and face pointed down and head slightly titled to the right, eyebrows raised, and sharp beady eyes targeted right at your child. Miles knows this look pretty well and shapes up after I throw him this look. I don’t use it that often, but when I do, I mean business. As for Lila, she’ll take a second look at me, and then laughs at my face. I don’t think Lila really gets it yet. It’s one of those nonverbal language gestures you start to learn at around the terrible 2 age.
Sometimes I get this look back from Miles.
November 15, 2009 at 9:55 pm (Blogs)
“Baby!” Lila exclaims when she sees a dolly or a baby in a stroller.
“TRUCK!” Miles shouts when he sees a dump truck or a cement truck on the road.
“CHASE!” Jason calls out and both Miles and Lila are off chasing daddy.
“Let’s bake cookies!” I’ll say with Miles and Lila sitting next to their toy kitchen.
If you give Miles a doll, he’ll hold it awkwardly. Almost as if he doesn’t know what it is or what to do with it. Give Lila a truck and she’ll put a dolly in the driver seat. It’s amazing the difference between boys and girls and mommies and daddies.
November 4, 2009 at 4:14 pm (Blogs, Videos)
While driving to a friend’s house today, Miles looks out the car window at a field and points. He says very innocently, “Mama, where’s the bong?” Screeeech, uh, say whuuut?! He asks again, “Mama, where’s the bong?” I scratch my head. Hmm, maybe Jason and I had a conversation once about a bong. Not sure when we ever had that conversation, but it could have occurred and I just forgot. This is how our conversation goes:
Me: The bong?
Miles: The bomb
Me: The bomb?
Miles: The BOMB!
Me: Say it again, Miles. The bomb or The bong?
Miles: He is now frustrated and irate with me b/c I can’t understand him. THE BOMB!!!!!!
Me: Miles, I am having such a hard time understanding you. I’m sorry! Say it again, but say it slow this time.
Miles: THE BARN!!!!!
Me: Ohhhh, THE BARN! You are asking me WHERE IS THE BARN on the field? Yes, okay, I understand you now.
Miles: BIG smile on his face.
Most parents are able to decode approximately 70 percent of what their child says. The other 30 percent is “Yeah, sure, whatever you said kid.” Miles started saying his first words at around 10 months. We remember clearly: light, duck, and dog. By two years old, he was speaking 4 word sentences and had around 250 words, and by three, there is actually some social reciprocity. Most of the time we understand what Miles is trying to say, but there are just some words, mostly words with an “R” in it, we have the most difficulty understanding. Is it “party” or “potty”? Is it a “clapper” or a “crapper”?
http://www.facebook.com/v/90940343388
At 18 months old, Lila has only a few words. Here is Lila humming her favorite song:
October 28, 2009 at 9:55 am (Blogs)
I’ve diagnosed myself with a psychiatric condition. What better person to diagnose than a clinical psychologist and a person who is a clinical psychologist? Okay, did that make any sense? Though it’s not recognized in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual or approved by the American Psychological Association, it is a true condition that affects most people who live in the rainy region of the United States.
Hello, my name is Mina and I have RAD, Rain Affected Disorder.
Symptoms- Experiencing too much Rain.
Prevalence- 1:1 (100%) of Californians who move to the Pacific Northwest. There are no gender differences.
Treatment- Take at least 2 vacations during the fall and winter. The 2 vacations must consist of sunny and warm climate. Tomorrow, I head to the Bay Area for a conference. Perhaps I can soak up some sunshine while there!
October 19, 2009 at 6:25 pm (Blogs)
Miss Lila bean is now 17 months old and life with Lila and Miles has been a challenge, but certainly a lot of fun. When we see both kids playing and laughing with one another, we think having two kids back-to-back wasn’t so bad afterall.
It’s weird to think that when Miles was 17 months old, we were bringing Lila home from the hospital. At the time, Miles seemed so much like a big boy. He was using 3-4 word sentences, he was very charming and determined, and he just seemed older. It’s funny what your mind can tell you because Lila, at 17 months, still seems like a baby to us. She has these pudgy cheeks, a buddha belly, and marshmallow arms. Interestingly, Lila is not talking yet, but she is very clear about what she wants with her facial expressions and pointing.
Below is a picture of Miles meeting Lila at the hospital. As you can see, Miles is not liking his new sister.
October 6, 2009 at 7:27 am (Blogs)
I don’t understand why parents make such a big deal out of the ”Terrible Two’s.” I find it so special when my two year old decides to throw a temper tantrum in the middle of Target and then I become that mom that everyone is looking at. I often get the sympathetic look from other moms like: I’ve been there, done that, hang in there mama. I also get the ones like: Hey lady, get a hold of your kid! In that situation, I wished that a little devil would jump out of Miles so that I could prove to others that indeed, I do have a devil child! Or how about when he decides to take a bite out of his sister’s arm for no reason other than “She looked at me funny!”? I especially love it when my son looks at me right in the eye and does the exact opposite of what I want him to do.
“Please do not pull the toilet paper off its roll!!!!”
Translation to a two year old:
“Yes, please pull all the toilet paper off its roll so that the entire bathroom is t-peed with tiny bits and pieces of toilet paper!”
Sometimes Jason and I think WE are the crazy one! How can anyone not go out of their mind with a roommate that defies everything you say, talks back, screams at your face, writes on the walls, pees on the floor, wakes up at 5am and expects you to play, but still gives you lots of wet, blubbery kisses. The other night, Miles held my face and said, “Mama, you look so cute!” My son fills my heart with so much love…and craziness. I guess that’s why hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent each year on parenting and child-rearing books. It’s to teach you to keep your cool, stay firm, don’t go postal on your child because this will all pass until they reach adolescents (that’s another story), and the cutest things they say will melt your heart and you’ll fall in love with your child all over again.
Look at this precious face! Sometimes we feel like selling him to the zoo so that he can be with his own kind…where the wild things are…
September 24, 2009 at 9:58 pm (Blogs)
Since Jason and I are 99 percent sure that we are done makin’ babies, we decided to clean out the garage with all of Miles and Lila’s baby gear. We decided to have an impromptu garage sale and sold, well… nothing. I mean, we tried for an hour to have a garage sale, but the weather was cloudy/sprinkling and we weren’t very organized…which in code means, we had zero signs leading to our sale…
We sold a few things on Craigslist and donated majority of the items to Goodwill.
Miles and Lila found their long lost bouncy chair. Each of them took turns sitting in it. It was hilarious watching them because it seemed like it was yesterday that they were in it and today they were spilling over the sides.
September 24, 2009 at 9:39 pm (Blogs, Videos)
Nature is funny in that deer and cats can be such good friends. We often have deer and ferrell cats roaming right outside our house. These two silly animals came right up to each other and touched/kissed each other on the nose (unfortunately, we were unable to catch it in this video or photo). That’s love.
