Happy Halloween!

BT didn't get to change into his monkey costume or go trick or treating this year!  A late trip to the pediatrician and time spent waiting in the pharmacy for two new meds meant NO TRICK OR TREATING!  Poor guy!  I think he was looking forward to it!  He did get to greet all of the trick or treaters until it got close to his bed time.  Here he is in his lil' penguin outfit he wore during the day.  It's not a costume.  It's just a cute penguin outfit from Gymboree that I snagged at the after Christmas sale last year (yeah, when BT was just 1 month old. Hahaha!)

And here's a really great pic of his two tiny (fully erupted) teef!

Here's the infamous STINK EYE pose!

And of course, the birthday boy at his party!  Check out the jack-o-lanterns on his outfit!  AND the HAT!  How can you not LOOOOVE the HAT?!?!  

(The shame... where did his shoes and socks go anyway?  Who took them off?!)

Happy 11 months to BT!

WOW!!  We've managed to keep a human being alive for ELEVEN WHOLE MONTHS!!  What an accomplishment (well, every day actually feels like an accomplishment)!

At 11 months, BT is up to all sorts of stuff!

Things he likes to do now:
- Fight and scream when it's bed time
- Stand up in the tub
- Splash water higher and higher and... all over the darn place!
- Make his "ugly" face (which is actually quite cute!)
- Zoom around in his walker
- Eat everything in sight - even if it's SPICY!  He just wipes his nose and tries to go for more.
- Throwing TEMPER TANTRUMS - ALL THE TIME
- Reading books upside down and backwards (I used to think this was weird, but am told that a lot of babies do it)
- Waking up for night feedings to the tune of 5 oz. each time... WHOA!!  Amazing considering the little guy barely drinks 3 oz. at each feeding during the day time!!

Things he recently learned:
- To do "ET" (you stick out your index finger, he touches it with his index finger - SO CUTE!)
- He likes to grunt and make a fist when he's doing his "MUSCLE!" impression
- Crawl up the stairs
- Jump in his crib while holding onto the crib rails (note to self - need to get some swim noodles!)
- Sporadically saying, "Buh-baa" instead of "bye bye"
- Bouncing his head to the radio - he looooves music!
- Talking out loud when the Church choir is singing!
- How to open the door to my study at home (so he can peek in on me when I'm working!)

Some odd behavior:
- When he sits in his high chair, he has to stick his left leg up or put his feet on this tray table.  WTH?!
- He has to take off his right shoe and hang his left leg over the stroller.  I have no idea why.
- Extreme fear of hats
- Extreme fear of going to sleep?
- Prefers to potty only when I am home
- Has major freak outs after hearing the toilet flush (then he holds his bladder until he literally cannot take it anymore)... I actually have to flush when BT is in the other room so he doesn't get freaked out.

In other news, little man has two fully erupted teef and three at the top that have broken the surface and three more that will break through the gums within the next day or two.  I get ZERO sleep.  BT is by far the worst teether I have ever seen in my life.  He screams then wimpers then screams again and then sobs heavily.  It makes me cry because it's so painful!  The infant Advil only gives very, very minor relief.  He won't use any standard teethers but will chomp on my (clean) fingers occassionally, but it hurts me!  We occassionally try the cold spoons, wet cloths, cold pacifier...  He's just straight up uncomfortable.

With regard to his HIGHLY irregular sleep pattern (he started nine-month sleep regression two weeks early) when he started teething and hasn't been a normal sleeper except the first week after the first two teeth erupted.  After that, he was back to being his intolerable self, but progressively worse.  I feel so badly for him.  All that pain...

He had his first birthday party this past weekend and it was a BLAST to say the least!  I'll have to post pictures up.

Until then, here's a sweet pic of my cutie pie in a penguin outfit.  (Sorry for the fuzzy cell phone pic!)

The desire to look more "Western"

Plastic surgery boom as Asians seek to look more Western

Practically my entire life, I've always known that I did NOT look like the majority of the Asian people I had encountered.  I grew up in a 100% Caucasian town (we were literally the only minority there).  My interaction with other Asians was limited to one day out of the week, twice a month, for a few hours.  It wasn't until I was in HS that I was really exposed to other Asians as my HS was bussing them in from a different city.  Don't even get me started on that whole non-sense.

Anyway, it was always quite clear that people knew I was Asian (usually Chinese or Korean) and thought perhaps I must have been mixed European as well.  "Eurasian" if you will.  Now, I don't deny that many generations ago, when the French occupied Vietnam, there could have been a bit of dabbling in the blood line.  As far as I am concerned, there has been none.  My parents' families all look like the same with the double eyelids, higher nose profiles, softer cheek bones (albeit, still large and not as chiseled), and very fair not-quite-olive skin.

What I don't get is why they keep on saying Asians try to look more "Western".  Why would you call it Western when the desire is really to just look a little bit better?  To look more MAINSTREAM?  Is it because in America, we have this insane belief that we are all the best and everything about us is just bigger or better?  Because if you asked me, if I were to have plastic surgery, it would not be to look more "Western", it'd be to look more beautiful or "mainstream".  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the way I look, but I often wonder if that has something to do with the fact that I was already born looking more "mainstream"?

Why not say we're trying to look more Swedish?  So many Asians dye their hair blonde and wear blue contacts.  Why not say we're trying to look more Singaporean?  Many women there have large, round-ish eyes with high noses and more fair (less olive) skin.  Why not just say we want to look a little better than we do now?

When Americans get plastic surgery, we don't immediately label them as trying to look more like someone else.  It's just them making themselves look "better".  Personally, I am often annoyed with the whole "trying to look more Western" categorization.  I wish people would just call it like it is - they're insecure with their looks and a different look makes them feel better.

Freaky Toys that Sing in the NIGHT!

Please, God, tell me I am not the ONLY mother in this universe that has experienced the freakishly weird "OMG THE TOYS ARE PLAYING MUSIC AND NO ONE IS TOUCHING THEM!" moments?  Anyone else out there have this happen to them?

When my nephew was little, he had an activity table that would make noise when you touched the various buttons.  It wasn't a fancy schmancy machine with sensitive buttons.  You really had to PRESS DOWN on the button in order for it to make music.  One day, whilst eating dinner, the activity table started to make noise as though someone were touching it and pressing random buttons.  I was scared, but everyone heard it and dismissed it.  A few nights later, my sister woke in the middle of the night and saw her son playing in the middle of the floor instead of sleeping in bed.  When asked what he was doing, my nephew replied that he was, "playing toys with my friend."

I know this sounds crazy, but I believe him!  There are spirits all around us and the pure of mind can see the good ones while tormented ones will see tormented souls.

Fast forward eight years and my Little Monster has this singing lion that he loves so much.  It plays music that magically gets him to drink his bottle (I have no idea why).  Well, it would randomly play music.  It only ever did it when I was the only one around.  I even got a video of it.

CLICK TO VIEW FREAKY TOY VIDEO.

I swear, I hate this doll.  One time, I got mad at it and all the sudden, it started singing as if it was broken.  FREAKY!

Peek-A-Boo!!

BT's reaction to opening a very special birthday gift (a wooden rocking horse with guard rail from theEspeys!) was beyond amazing/amusing!  He loved the packaging paper just as much as the gift himself.  He loved to crinkle the paper and do his own version of "peek-a-boo"!

Missing You, Missing Me.

I absolutely HATE being away from BT (aka "Baby Thug" as dubbed by theEspeys!).  Don't get me wrong, I hate being away from theHubs, too, but gosh, to be away from BT... to miss his smell... to miss the cute way his lips try to reach for his bottle or pacifier... to miss bathing him before going to bed... I really hate to miss all of those moments.

What's probably worse is that I'm missing out on some quality time spent with my husband.  All the ups and downs we have had of late, I really feel like RIGHT NOW is the time to be by his side and supporting him and his career.  I also know that the challenges he is currently facing is NOTHING compared to what I face on a daily basis.  I need to remind myself that while I'm missing my BT, I need to remember that there IS someone else who is missing me, too, and that there is another relationship that I must continue to nurture and develop outside of the one that I have as "Mother".  Note to self - GIVE theHUBS A BREAK!

That being said, theHubs has been an absolute angel!  He drove home a full 4.5 hours with BT without so much as a PEEP to complain to me about how bad BT was being!  Can you imagine?  I would have gone bonkers and pulled over for several hours.  theHubs was a complete champion and shouldered the burden... even bringing BT home past his bed time and forcing him to bed (not that it was difficult considering he was exhausted from screaming for practically the whole drive home).

Here are some pretty awesome photos of BT while he was in San Antonio!

ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?!



Where's the car again?

Are you serious?  I have to ride in the back seat... BY MYSELF?!  FOR HOW LONG?!

Well, as long as there is ICE CREAM along the way... I guess I can deal with it!

I guess that's all for now, folks!  This All Employee Meeting wraps up on Tuesday, but I'll be cutting out a little early for a school event where my company is being honored for our commitment to the TX economy AND to the ISD.  How AWESOME is that?!



Not-So-Super-Baby to the rescue!

There's a big stink going around town and it's not BabyTran's cloth nappy!

(Check out this article in the NY Times about SUPER PEOPLE)

As of late, I've seen more and more of theAuthorities lashing out at the cyberworld about pushing your kids too far or the pressure to send children to "ivy league" pre-kindergarden.  My view on it all?  To each, his own!  I will say that I disagree with parents who sue schools over their child's failed chance at an ivy league because of something that happened in a pre-k3 class, but I honestly see nothing wrong with sending your kids to a private school.

I was in private school nearly my entire life (third grade through college).  It was a direct factor of living in an area that was NOTORIOUS for the sub-standard level of education.  My parents skimped and saved to send the five of us the private school route and I promise you, it was never easy.  Back then, my parents were paying $4,000/year/kid (not including before and after school care, books, uniforms, lunches, etc.).  Nowadays, I would consider $8,000/year/kid as cheap!

Even before BT was born, I wanted to send him to R.O.B.S. or the Kincaid school.  It's not because I don't think public schools are good enough, it's because BT has a bleeding disorder and needs constant supervision (i.e. I prefer the class size to be one teacher to 15 students or less).  Over time, I started to open my mind up to more schools, but every school I chose (after reviewing the curriculum for 2 and 3 year olds) ended up having $18,000/year/kid tuition (not including the extras!).  It's a big pill to swallow, but I've been squirreling away funds to help prepare for this huge cost.  Now as more time progresses, I'm starting to wonder if I've made the right choice at all.

I'm starting to question if any of this at all will make a difference in whether or not BT ends up being a brain surgeon or your local manager at McDonald's.  You see, in life, you give your children everything you can and you hope the best for them, but at the end of the day, their life will at some point be out of your hands.  While I would still prefer BT to be at a school that is smaller in size so that there is more adult supervision, I just want him to get a good grasp on life.  School is only one part of the education he will receive.  The rest happens in the home and maybe, if the situation presented itself, his schooling would come from home as well.

My niece and nephew both went to public school and were tutored year round by a young boy who was home schooled and absolutely brilliant.  Both my niece and nephew are at the top of their class, but was it because the school had taught them?  Or was it because the home schooled tutor and taught them everything during the summer and taught them all of their lessons one week in advance?  That being said, I've seen MANY children go through the private school route and still end up jobless.  Does it mean that their school wasn't any good?  NO!  Heck, I went to the schools!  It again comes down to the individual's decision.  You have to make the decision to be smart in life just like you have to make the decision to be HAPPY with your life.

I'm making the decision that I will do whatever it takes to make BT happy (when it comes to his education). Whether it be a small charter public school, a pricey "ivy league"-esque private institution, or home schooling him (i.e. hiring someone to home school him or sending him to a home school), I will do what will keep him safe, healthy, and happy.  Let's hope it all works out in the end!

From rocking it out to completely knocked out!

*PINCH*

I often can't believe how lucky I am to have such a wonderful baby boy.  Sure, he has his moments and lives up to the moniker "Little Monster", but most of the time, he's just the sweetest angel.

BabyTran started sleeping through the night early on (four weeks old!).  I credit much of that to putting him on a schedule.  I know many of theAuthorities (other parents, pediatricians, websites, etc.) discourage putting infants on a schedule of any sort until they are something like 4-10 months old, but I didn't care.  BabyTran clearly had day/night confusion because he slept all day inside of me and partied like a rock star all night when I was trying to sleep.  Once he was on the outside, he was doing the same thing!  I had to break that habit fast!

Here's how I sleep trained BT (this is just my experience - I'm not recommending anyone to follow this method at all):

1) I kept a schedule the first week of the frequency and amount that he fed, I nursed, and I pumped.  It gave me an idea that he was pretty much satisfied drinking nearly every two hours.

2) I'd keep to the two hour feeding schedule (+/- 15minutes), even if he was asleep.  If he was asleep, I'd simply pick him up and let him nurse.  It didn't take much convincing for him to start drinking.  He'd slowly wake up and about 20 minutes later, once he was full, he'd fall back to sleep.  I did this all day.

3) By the time he was three weeks old, I'd started to feed him a lot more and when it got closer to his bed time (back then, it was 9pm, nowadays, he goes down at 7pm), I'd give him his bath and then I'd feed him every HOUR until 9pm (so basically, I fed him starting at 6pm and then every hour after that until 9pm).  

4) I'd swaddle him and put him to sleep with sleep positioners on either side so he wouldn't accidentally roll over.

5) At 5:30am, he'd start to wake again, so I would stop pumping and let him nurse.  Then the day repeats itself.

I know many others have done this same methods and been successful while far more have been less successful.  I don't see the need to rush to get little ones to sleep through the night.  If they do, God bless you.  If they don't, NO WORRIES.  Most kids don't for a very, very, VERY long time.  To this day, BT is still on a schedule, but he's just a baby that loves being on a schedule.  

BabyTran at one day old.

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? HUH????

Here's the quick and dirty:


1) I'm a part-time mommy, part-time hero.  I slang megawatts by day and sing lullabys at night.
2) I blog because I enjoy it.  I love sharing my little piece of the world with those willing to listen.
3) Baby-dom is a gazillion dollar industry and I can definitely see that!  I will try to save you a gazillion dollars by telling you what's good, bad, and plain ol' useless.
4) I used to Facebook a lot, but found that it was tiresome and meaningless.  I hope this blog will be different.
5) This blog isn't going to be for everyone.  I love a great bargain, but sometimes, I splurge.  You'll see a little bit of everything here.


And last but certainly not least, this little blog is about BabyTran (BT).  He's my little monster who just made 10 months old not too long ago.  I want to use this blog to help me remember what happened in the days, months, and years that followed his glorious arrival!

theHubs with BabyTran (and King Julian and one of his minions)