We're one of those parents... those parents who are adament about not letting our kid (singular) watch TV. For many reasons. The easy ones to explain are TV only shows garbage these days. There's the theory that kids under 2 shouldn't watch TV cuz the motion actually hurts their frontal lobes. I personally think that parents who let their kids watch TV are too lazy (or busy) and need a means to keep them occupied.
So Nui-nui has been fairly protected from TV and the likes. With the few exceptions of the Giants World Series run, the Niners and Sharks...and occasional Elmo Youtube videos, we've been consistent with
our principles. Recently.. we purchased a set of Children Worship DVD's and Nui-nui's been enamored. And now I find myself stuck in my own accusations.
I do want to emerse her in praise and worship at a young age... but how often have I put on the DVD... just so I can check my email or go start dinner?
Parenting is full of compromise and decision making. Did I take the high road or the easy road in the name of raising a "Christian family?"
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
What is Happy?
I once heard...people who go around and say "I'm happy" aren't really happy. Truly happy people don't need to say they're happy.. their mere existence oozes happiness. Hence the question..."What is Happy?"
I have this friend who grew up wanting to go to the Maldives island. And she eventually did. Now... she gets to accomplish another dream and go on an African Safari.
To me... that is being happy. As the song goes... "Because happy is what happens...when all of your dreaaaaaaaaaaaaaams come truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue."
I have this friend who grew up wanting to go to the Maldives island. And she eventually did. Now... she gets to accomplish another dream and go on an African Safari.
To me... that is being happy. As the song goes... "Because happy is what happens...when all of your dreaaaaaaaaaaaaaams come truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue."
Monday, June 20, 2011
My Girl - Part IV
Was shopping at the Pruneyard the other day with Nui-nui....and we happen to walk past Trudy's, a famous evening gown store that sells wedding gowns. Nui-nui's eyes lit up when we walked by some of the mannequinns. She couldn't stop pointing at the dress and saying "Pretty!" or "Princess!"
My first time going wedding gown shopping with my baby.... a preview of what's to come?
My first time going wedding gown shopping with my baby.... a preview of what's to come?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Another playground bully
Ran into another bully today at the park.
And this time, the boy's dad and I were standing no more than 3 feet away from our kids. The first time, he started throwing those little pieces of bark at Nui-nui. He then walked around and pointed his finger on Nui-nui's cheeks.
Perspective A: He was being friendly and those were signs of platonic engagement
Perspective B: He was being hostile and was showing signs of dominance
Like last time, I didn't want to deal with this.... so we went of to play something else. Moments later... the little twerp came trotting over; he removes his hat... and flings it at Nui-nui. I had enough... I simply said, "Ok...we're outta here." Grabbed Nui-nui and left.
The little runt's dad apologized and said, "we're out of here too."
Next time this happens.... I won't be so kind. Nui-nui needs to learn that her dad will defend her and she will find protection with me.
And this time, the boy's dad and I were standing no more than 3 feet away from our kids. The first time, he started throwing those little pieces of bark at Nui-nui. He then walked around and pointed his finger on Nui-nui's cheeks.
Perspective A: He was being friendly and those were signs of platonic engagement
Perspective B: He was being hostile and was showing signs of dominance
Like last time, I didn't want to deal with this.... so we went of to play something else. Moments later... the little twerp came trotting over; he removes his hat... and flings it at Nui-nui. I had enough... I simply said, "Ok...we're outta here." Grabbed Nui-nui and left.
The little runt's dad apologized and said, "we're out of here too."
Next time this happens.... I won't be so kind. Nui-nui needs to learn that her dad will defend her and she will find protection with me.
Friday, June 17, 2011
My Girl - Part III
Normally when a child hurts themselves....trip-n-fall, run-into-wall, smoosh-a-finger... they'll run to the person they can find comfort in. In my case.... Nui-nui always runs to me. =D
Ahhh.... Be proud in victory. Be humble in defeat.
Ahhh.... Be proud in victory. Be humble in defeat.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Measuring up....
I always thought it was an old-wives tale that a height of a person can be determined by their length when they're 2 years old. It was an old wives tale because I believed in all the other old-wives tale. Playing basketball or swimming helps you grow taller. Running a lot or playing soccer will make you shorter. Lifting weights or drinking coffee too early stunts your growth.
Turns out...those are all lies. Our pediatrician told us that as unscientific as it may sound... two times a girl's length at 18 months and a two times boy's length at 2 years old really is the height they'll grow into.
So how tall will Nui-nui be....? Well...let's just say she won't be taller than daddy when he walks her down the aisle. There goes my dream of having a star volleyball player. Well...she might still qualify to be a setter or defensive specialist.
Turns out...those are all lies. Our pediatrician told us that as unscientific as it may sound... two times a girl's length at 18 months and a two times boy's length at 2 years old really is the height they'll grow into.
So how tall will Nui-nui be....? Well...let's just say she won't be taller than daddy when he walks her down the aisle. There goes my dream of having a star volleyball player. Well...she might still qualify to be a setter or defensive specialist.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
My Girl
Joyce is sharing her sausage and mushroom omelette with Nui-nui this morning. In summary:
"Chern-chern." Joyce gives her some sausage. Nui-nui smiles.
"Don don." Joyce gives her some eggs. Nui-nui smiles.
"Moooore." Joyce gives her some mushrooms. Nui-nui frowns and says, "No. No gu gu."
Undoubtedly...she's my daughter. My girl...........
"Chern-chern." Joyce gives her some sausage. Nui-nui smiles.
"Don don." Joyce gives her some eggs. Nui-nui smiles.
"Moooore." Joyce gives her some mushrooms. Nui-nui frowns and says, "No. No gu gu."
Undoubtedly...she's my daughter. My girl...........
Monday, June 06, 2011
Playground Bully
Poor Nui nui ran into a proverbial playground bully yesterday. She was climbing up a playground structure when a boy standing there points at her and mumbles something in Mandarin. I quickly tell Nui-nui to say "Hi" and veer off another direction. But the boy chases us down and this time tries to push Nui-Nui away. Deep down, I guess I want to slap that little jerk. But instead, I grab Nui-nui's hand and leave for another structure.
Nui-nui is having a good time on the slides, and here comes that little monster again. He speeds pass Nui-Nui, almost tackling her. I immediately tell Nui-Nui to get out of the way. Then off the boy goes and terrorizes other kids.. Even a baby sitting on a dolphin.
I give his mom a cold stare and walk away. How sad... my little angel is already exposed to the terrors of the world. And of all places... a children's playground.
Nui-nui is having a good time on the slides, and here comes that little monster again. He speeds pass Nui-Nui, almost tackling her. I immediately tell Nui-Nui to get out of the way. Then off the boy goes and terrorizes other kids.. Even a baby sitting on a dolphin.
I give his mom a cold stare and walk away. How sad... my little angel is already exposed to the terrors of the world. And of all places... a children's playground.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Birth of My 2nd Child - Running Diary
In Leung Family Tradition (tradition of one), I decided to keep a running blog of the birth of our 2nd child. (Birth of My 1st Child - Running Diary) Once again, there's no way I could've summarized the events in a paragraph or two. And it wouldn't be fair to Bebe if Nui-nui has one and he doesn't.
Saturday - April 30 (the unofficial due date)
930PM - We're watching "The King's Speech." Joyce unassumingly gets on the sofa and starts flipping through the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting." I don't know about her... but I'm expecting to finish this movie tonight so I can return it tomorrow and not have to incur a late fee.
1000PM About the 5th time she's been to the bathroom in the past half hour. Thinks she just lost her mucous plug. (If you don't know what that is... don't ask. Just wait till it's your turn).
1010PM Decide to take a shower since contractions are not 5 minutes apart. We call and wake up Mother-in-Law (MIL) to have her start coming down from SF.
1011PM Just in case we can't wait... we text Angela to have her be ready to come over
1045PM Too late. Contractions are now 3 minutes apart. People say the 2nd one comes quick!! Call Angela to have her come over now!! We call the on-call doctor - just like last time. Why does it have to be another midnight run to the hospital...why?!?!?!
1112PM Waiting for a nurse to wheel us upstairs. Shoulda walked ourselves.
1115PM We get to Labor and Delivery and start checking in. Immediately recognize the nurse who helped delivered Nui-nui. She said we look familiar - I think she's just seen too many Chinese.
1120PM Started examine process. Tried to be charming with nurse she wouldn't gimme the tine of the day. Couldn't even get her to smile. Either my charm has worn off throughout the years... or she's just tired. Yeah... the latter. Still at three cm? "That's it?!"
Sunday - May 1st (unofficially one day overdue)
1205AM Finally checked in and realized we are staying the night. Contractions have naturally slowed down. Naturally. I could be home on my own bed but instead... good ol' Medival Torturing Device (aka Pull-out Futon). We meet again.
430AM Joyce finally gets epidrual. It works within minutes. First words to come out from her mouth... "I love it." and finally falls asleep. Greatest invention for men.... remote control. Great invention for women...
700AM Nurse suggests we think about using medicine to induce but Joyce rathers not having any medicinal assistance if it's not truly needed. So we continue to wait....and wait...and wait.
730AM Joyce doing fine. I decide to go home and check on Nui nui. Open the garage door and see Nui nui smiling and eating her cereal. She greets me with a "Hi Ba Bi!" Realized that yesterday was last day we'll get to spend with Nui-nui alone. Life as we know it...will never be the same. Sigh.... two of the best years of my life. I love my daughter so much.
930AM Nurse breaks water bag finds out Bebe pooped inside. Warns us that a NICU doctor and nurse will be here for the delivery in case things go awry. Awry?! Nurse tries to down play the situation. The same thing happened to my friend's son. His baby inhaled poop on the way out and he ended up in the NICU for a week to suck out the poop from his lungs. Makes me worried naturally - but I choose not to share this with Joyce. No point in worrying her.
1045AM Finish watching Kings Speech. Not bad! Love Geoffrey Rush - he's now one of my favorite actors.
1100AM Nurse comes in agian - says we're "doing fine" again. Getting a few texts from people DURING worship. Hrm....
1105AM Again... nothing to do but quickly wait. And alas...we find GIANTS game on TV. WOOHOO!!! Rock and roll!!
1PM - Joyce is starting to feel some discomfort... want some more medication in the epidural. Afraid it might hurt during pushing. Did the anastesiologist not do it right?
200PM - The folks next door just had a baby. They're very loud. in a good way.
300PM - Sharks win! Up 2-0. Nurse walks in and says, "Ok, Sharks game is over. We're ready to work now."
315PM - Nurse finally persuades Joyce into getting patocin. Says labor has taken longer than expected. I have a
feeling they're hiding something from us.
430PM - We meet the doctor for the first time. Hrm.... a bit early for the doctor to show up. Last time, our doctor came when we started pushing. By now, Joyce is running a slight fever and Bebe's heart rate is outside the "normal" range. Need to get him out soon.
440PM - They finally told us BB is angled the wrong way. They need Joyce to be on hands and knees to try to get Bebe to rotate. Sigh... nothing is ever trouble free.
510PM - Joyce is sweating a cold sweat by now. Epidural isn't working quite well. She's feeling the contractions - very much unlike when Rachel was born. Nurse says it's time to push.
515PM - No help from the nurse this time. The nurse just says - "Ok puuuuush" and assumes we know what we're doing. I don't even know if I'm suppose to coach Joyce and count to 10 for her. This is happening too fast.
520PM - The room is suddenly full of people. The delivery doctor. Couple of nurses. Folks from the NICU.
And I didn't even get my camera ready yet. Thank goodness for the iPhone.
525PM - Joyce's lips are turning white. Why is she in so much pain...?
"You're doing great Joyce!"
"Keep pushing, honey."
"2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10... BREATHE!"
She barely whispers, "I can't do this..."
"C'mon Joyce!! C'mon!"
"We're almost there."
"We see the head. C'mon Joyce!! Push!"
535PM - And after 18 hours of labor.... with one final, push, the head does a corkscrew and spins out from the womb. Joshua is born. And the action really begins....
7PM - Grandma brings Rachel to see her little brother. She naturally reaches out for mom, "Ma-ma!" We let her jump into bed with mom...and for the first time, older sister gets to hold little brother in her hands.
730PM - Everybody came!! Elder J and Cat. Then the rest of the gang. I guess everyone was expecting to come after lunch. Turned out they came after dinner. So wonderful to have enveryone here at the same time, so they can all leave at the same time. Sorry to be rude, but I think they undersand, we need to rest.
9:00PM Transferred to Maternity Ward and the nurse tells us Bin Laden is dead.
10:00PM We decide to be those typical parents and send our second child to the nursery. Rachel stayed with us and we got no rest. This time, we're smarter. And after 18 hours of labor and 5 hours of becoming newly crowned parents.... Joyce finally crashes.
10:01PM - Forgot to return "King's Speech." Will incur a stinken late fee.
Saturday - April 30 (the unofficial due date)
930PM - We're watching "The King's Speech." Joyce unassumingly gets on the sofa and starts flipping through the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting." I don't know about her... but I'm expecting to finish this movie tonight so I can return it tomorrow and not have to incur a late fee.
1000PM About the 5th time she's been to the bathroom in the past half hour. Thinks she just lost her mucous plug. (If you don't know what that is... don't ask. Just wait till it's your turn).
1010PM Decide to take a shower since contractions are not 5 minutes apart. We call and wake up Mother-in-Law (MIL) to have her start coming down from SF.
1011PM Just in case we can't wait... we text Angela to have her be ready to come over
1045PM Too late. Contractions are now 3 minutes apart. People say the 2nd one comes quick!! Call Angela to have her come over now!! We call the on-call doctor - just like last time. Why does it have to be another midnight run to the hospital...why?!?!?!
1112PM Waiting for a nurse to wheel us upstairs. Shoulda walked ourselves.
1115PM We get to Labor and Delivery and start checking in. Immediately recognize the nurse who helped delivered Nui-nui. She said we look familiar - I think she's just seen too many Chinese.
1120PM Started examine process. Tried to be charming with nurse she wouldn't gimme the tine of the day. Couldn't even get her to smile. Either my charm has worn off throughout the years... or she's just tired. Yeah... the latter. Still at three cm? "That's it?!"
Sunday - May 1st (unofficially one day overdue)
1205AM Finally checked in and realized we are staying the night. Contractions have naturally slowed down. Naturally. I could be home on my own bed but instead... good ol' Medival Torturing Device (aka Pull-out Futon). We meet again.
So I have this theory... just like all the leaders of the free world got together and contrived that women pants should have no pockets, thereby making them buy purses and handbags... I think the wives of the leaders got together and created this chair/bed. I think my theory can stand on it's own.1220AM Nothing to do but sleep now. It's not like I can help the baby come out... tho I've heard of some theories that are not my own. I opt not to share here - you can use your own imagination.
430AM Joyce finally gets epidrual. It works within minutes. First words to come out from her mouth... "I love it." and finally falls asleep. Greatest invention for men.... remote control. Great invention for women...
700AM Nurse suggests we think about using medicine to induce but Joyce rathers not having any medicinal assistance if it's not truly needed. So we continue to wait....and wait...and wait.
730AM Joyce doing fine. I decide to go home and check on Nui nui. Open the garage door and see Nui nui smiling and eating her cereal. She greets me with a "Hi Ba Bi!" Realized that yesterday was last day we'll get to spend with Nui-nui alone. Life as we know it...will never be the same. Sigh.... two of the best years of my life. I love my daughter so much.
930AM Nurse breaks water bag finds out Bebe pooped inside. Warns us that a NICU doctor and nurse will be here for the delivery in case things go awry. Awry?! Nurse tries to down play the situation. The same thing happened to my friend's son. His baby inhaled poop on the way out and he ended up in the NICU for a week to suck out the poop from his lungs. Makes me worried naturally - but I choose not to share this with Joyce. No point in worrying her.
1045AM Finish watching Kings Speech. Not bad! Love Geoffrey Rush - he's now one of my favorite actors.
1100AM Nurse comes in agian - says we're "doing fine" again. Getting a few texts from people DURING worship. Hrm....
1105AM Again... nothing to do but quickly wait. And alas...we find GIANTS game on TV. WOOHOO!!! Rock and roll!!
1PM - Joyce is starting to feel some discomfort... want some more medication in the epidural. Afraid it might hurt during pushing. Did the anastesiologist not do it right?
200PM - The folks next door just had a baby. They're very loud. in a good way.
300PM - Sharks win! Up 2-0. Nurse walks in and says, "Ok, Sharks game is over. We're ready to work now."
315PM - Nurse finally persuades Joyce into getting patocin. Says labor has taken longer than expected. I have a
feeling they're hiding something from us.
430PM - We meet the doctor for the first time. Hrm.... a bit early for the doctor to show up. Last time, our doctor came when we started pushing. By now, Joyce is running a slight fever and Bebe's heart rate is outside the "normal" range. Need to get him out soon.
440PM - They finally told us BB is angled the wrong way. They need Joyce to be on hands and knees to try to get Bebe to rotate. Sigh... nothing is ever trouble free.
510PM - Joyce is sweating a cold sweat by now. Epidural isn't working quite well. She's feeling the contractions - very much unlike when Rachel was born. Nurse says it's time to push.
515PM - No help from the nurse this time. The nurse just says - "Ok puuuuush" and assumes we know what we're doing. I don't even know if I'm suppose to coach Joyce and count to 10 for her. This is happening too fast.
520PM - The room is suddenly full of people. The delivery doctor. Couple of nurses. Folks from the NICU.
And I didn't even get my camera ready yet. Thank goodness for the iPhone.
525PM - Joyce's lips are turning white. Why is she in so much pain...?
"You're doing great Joyce!"
"Keep pushing, honey."
"2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10... BREATHE!"
She barely whispers, "I can't do this..."
"C'mon Joyce!! C'mon!"
"We're almost there."
"We see the head. C'mon Joyce!! Push!"
535PM - And after 18 hours of labor.... with one final, push, the head does a corkscrew and spins out from the womb. Joshua is born. And the action really begins....
- Doctor unwraps the umbilical cord from his neck!
- They quickly let me cut the cord.
- Doctor tries to suck everything out from nostrils and mouth.
- Off he went... over to the NICU table. Didn't even get to make a detour for mommy to look at.
- Baby is out.. now trying to get the placenta out. (Yup...normally, TV shows don't talk about this, huh?)
- I can run over to look at our son... but I choose to stay with Joyce. This was not a normal pregnancy... I need to be with my wife right to give her the one thing I can give her... my support.
7PM - Grandma brings Rachel to see her little brother. She naturally reaches out for mom, "Ma-ma!" We let her jump into bed with mom...and for the first time, older sister gets to hold little brother in her hands.
730PM - Everybody came!! Elder J and Cat. Then the rest of the gang. I guess everyone was expecting to come after lunch. Turned out they came after dinner. So wonderful to have enveryone here at the same time, so they can all leave at the same time. Sorry to be rude, but I think they undersand, we need to rest.
9:00PM Transferred to Maternity Ward and the nurse tells us Bin Laden is dead.
10:00PM We decide to be those typical parents and send our second child to the nursery. Rachel stayed with us and we got no rest. This time, we're smarter. And after 18 hours of labor and 5 hours of becoming newly crowned parents.... Joyce finally crashes.
10:01PM - Forgot to return "King's Speech." Will incur a stinken late fee.
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