We know Mckayla gets up in the middle in the night to use the bathroom because she leaves a trail of evidence. The lights are left on in the bathroom, toilet is not flushed (she probably didn’t wash her hands either), and her bedroom door is left open. But the funny thing is that she always looks nicely tugged back in bed. With her stuffed animal in one hand and the blanket nicely wrapped around her. But that’s only for the first few minutes before she does her 360 turn and kick in her sleep.
3 May
My favorite time of the day
My favorite time of the day is right after the kids are bathed and ready for bed. If we’re early, we usually wind down in one of their rooms and just hanging out. On tight schedule days, kids are sent to bed right after bath. When both of us are home, I usually read to Mckayla and Ted reads Marcus. But the last couple weeks, Marcus has been requesting me to put him to bed. His favorite books are “Blue Hat, Green Hat” and “The Very Hungry Cartepillar” (in Chinese). He’s learning his colors with the hat book. And can’t stop giggling when we get to “oops”. He also loves to pretend to eat like the cartepillar, especially the strawberries. He’s usually very tired after raeding the books and just wants to cuddle. Then, we go through our nightly conversation. I ask him “who is your favorite” and he answers “mommy”. I ask him who do you love the most. He answer “mommy”. Then, I say “Marcus is Mommy’s…”. He smiles and tells me “precious”. Then, he would wrap his tiny arm around my neck and give me lots of kisses before he says I love you and goodnight. Once he’s tugged in bed with his stuffed dogs, pillow, and blanket, he requests for the “two” pats on his back before I leave. Wish these moments would last forever.
2 May
Potty Update
Marcus is doing very well with potty training. He had kept his underwear dry since Sunday. Today, he’s starting to tell us that he has to pee without us prompting him. We were eating dinner and he told us to take him to the bathroom. But I was reminded by Marcus that I need to be gentle when pulling up his underwear and pants. I’m still learning how to raise a boy and forgetting that now there isn’t any padding where the diaper used to be. He even told nanny that I pulled up his pants too fast and his privates were hurting. Maybe by this weekend, we can start going out without diaper or pull-up when we can trust this little guy to tell us before he has to go.
1 May
Zoo, dinner at the Tsao’s
Mcakyla’s been asking us to take Marcus to Oakland Zoo since he didnt’ go last time on her fieldtrip. We got ready in the morning and headed out the door by nine thirty. We had to time our departure since Marcus still being potty trained. When we were about five minutes away from the zoo, Marcus informed us he had to pee. We couldn’t pull over so we asked him to wait and hoped for the best. He listened and kept his pull-up dry until we parked. We put him on the portable potty and he did his business. We had to bribe him with a piece of gummy bunny to get him to cooperate since his strike on Saturday. We had brought the single stroller in the car, but decided the kids should walk on their own. It was a nice day and starting to warm up. The zoo was packed with lots of families. We saw lots of animals, including giraffes, tigers (actively playing), elephants, bears, giant tortoise, baboons, camels, and chimpanzees. We took a break for snacks and was able to catch the lion walking around looking for a spot for his nap. Marcus was fascianted by the elephant especiallly since he saw the elephant pooping. He couldn’t stop talking about it the rest of the day. It was almost one when we stopped for lunch. The cafes were packed with lots of people. After lunch, we went outside for the train ride which both kids loved. We got extra tickets and they were able to enjoy couple more other carousel type rides before we headed out. Marcus did very well with his potty and kept his pull-up dry the entire day! Before we got on the freeway, Ted had already fallen asleep followed by Marcus, then Mckayla. When we were almost home, Ted checked his phone and got the text from Dave’s invitation. Since we had no plans for dinner yet, we were happy to join them. We went home first to drop off a few things in the car and get ready for tomorrow. Kids ate their cherry tomatoes while I cleaned up. Then, we dropped off my car for service before we head over to the Tsaos. The three older kids spent their time in Peyton’s room before dinner while Marcus climbed up and down the stairs. Then, we sat down for yummy dinner Dave prepared for us. After they finished their dinner, the three kids resumed playing on their own while Marcus watched Chugginton and Mickey Mouse. Then, we went outside for a bit playing with the tennis balls in their backyard. We had lots of fun and didn’t realize how late it was until I looked at my watch. It was already seven forty, already passed all the kids’ bedtime. We quickly said bye and rushed the kids home with a quick shower. We got the kids in bed by eight fifteen. Ted and I both went to bed shortly after too since we were all exhausted.
29 Apr
Saturday, Kinder Playdate
This morning, Mckayla came in our room as Ted was heading out for his bike ride with Dave. She got kicked out and went back to her room. I woke up shortly after seven and got in the shower to get ready. I heard noise through the monitor and this is what I captured on my phone.
After I got dressed, I went to Marcus’ room and this is what I found. Two happy kids squeezed into a baby crib way too small for them.
I got them out and we ate breakfast together. Mckayla must have been hungry and finished her breakfast in record time. She looked for Ted to tell him how fast she finished, then realized he wasn’t home. She even ate food off Marcus’ plate since he didn’t finish. They each polished off a bowl of strawberries before I sent them to potty and changed. Ted got home shortly after. Mckayla and I headed out first for her ballet class. Marcus was very upset to see us leave since he wanted to join us. We wanted to keep him home since it was easier to continue potty training. He’s making some progress, only pee in his underwear once on Friday afternoon. Mckayla did pretty well in class today and they did their final in-class rehearsal before their performance next weekend. After class, we went to Costco to pick up a few things and dropped everything off at home before meeting up with Ted and Marcus. They had gone to Marcus’ soccer practice this morning. Marcus was very happy to see us and showed me his soccer stance when I asked him what they did. After lunch, Ted took Marcus home while Mckayla and I went to the store to pick up a few things before heading to her first kinder playdate. WE arrived fifteen minutes after the start time and there were quite many kids there with their parents. After signing in, she immediately spotted the treats on the picnic table. She ignored the cookies and juice, and went straight for the watermelon. After she finished eating once slice, she ran to the big play structure. She went up and down the slide a few times and played on the monkey bar, then she found the kitchen play set on the side. She went inside and I prompted her to say hi to the girl who was already in there. The girl, Cami, was a bit shy in the beginning. But they played nicely together and few more kids joined in. I chatted with their parents and found out the mom of the twin boys and I work in the same office. Mckayla ran back and forth between the different play structures and met a few different kids. We also said hi to Sunny and her daughter, Emily, who came a bit later. Mckayla had so much fun and didn’t want to leave. She took a short break for snacks before she went back to play again. We ended up staying until the end of the playdate and were the last few people to leave the campus. I was exhausted by then from being in the sun for two hours. On our way home, she told me she had lots of fun but couldn’t recall any names of the kids she met. The next playdate will be in June, and hopefully these activities will help her get acclimated to the new school in August. We went home to join Marcus and Ted. Marcus didn’t do too well with his potty this afternoon according to Ted. He refused to use the potty when asked and wet his underwear twice. We went out for early dinner. Mckayla was finally out of fuel and fell asleep during the short ten minute drive there. Ted waited in the car with her to let her sleep for another ten minutes before waking her up to join me and Marcus at the restaurant. Kids quickly ate up their food since they were hungry (especially Mckayla). We walked around a bit, picking up food for the fish and stopped for gelato as requested by Mcakyla, before heading home to shower and sleep.
29 Apr
Friday
Ted left on Friday morning as soon as I got back from the gym. Marcus was up early and we had to make an exception to let them watch cartoon while eating breakfast since I still had to shower. After I got out, I got them cleaned up before we headed out. It’s Marcus’ third day without diapers at home but I couldn’t trust him without one in the car. So, the plan was to use the pull-ups when we’re out as we did before but taking multiple potty breaks as we have done at home. We dropped off Mckayla first before heading to farmer’s market. After shopping, we went home to drop off grocery. I continued to ask Marcus every fifteen minutes or so if he had to use the potty but he kept telling me no. Finally, as we were pulling into the garage, he told me he to go. Good timing! I was able to rush him into the bathroom and kept his pull up dry. He played with his train while I unpacked grocery. He’s quite obsessed with Chuggington at the moment. He’s signing “Chuggington” in the video.
Then, we headed out for gymnastics. He was so excited and kept talking about “donkey kick” and the pirate game that they played at last week’s class. He did very well in class again. Teacher Joy didn’t see Marcus for two weeks and was impressed with his progress. He’s getting stronger and starting to do the front roll with just a bit of assistance. I just need to tip him over now after he bends down as instructed. He’s so fast when he does the bear crawl that I couldn’t even catch it on the video. His energy ran out two minutes before the class ended. He collapsed on the mat and told me he was done and wanted to go home. We drove over to meet up with Ted for lunch before our dental appointments. Ted kept him occupied during my check up, then we headed home right after. Marcus fell asleep on the way home and refused to go in his crib after we got back. He fell asleep on me while I laid on the couch. But then, Ted came home twenty minutes later talking loudly on the phone, and woke him up again. I tried to get him down to sleep again but didn’t work out. Since Ted was done with work by then, so we decided to go to the store to get Marcus a pillow (since he’s been asking for one) and size appropriate blanket (he’s been using the giant McQueen blanket in his tiny crib). We picked up Mckayla early from school, stopped at another store to exchange an item, then went to dinner. We got there early enough before the crowd. Ted and I were craving the humus we had the last weekend. Due to the kitchen order mix up, it took a while to get our food. Our waiter was apologetic and brought us an order of fries as treat. We were able to keep them away from the kids until they finished their food and they got to enjoy it as a post-dinner treat. We walked around for a bit before headed home. Ted had to bring in the garbage cans and we were able to play in the backyard for a bit before it got too dark and cold. Marcus the thrill seeker can’t get the swing high enough while Mckayla stopped me from pushing her higher. We enjoyed the nice weather outside for a while before getting them back inside for shower and sleep.
27 Apr
No diaper!
I got a call from nanny yesterday while I was at work. She was all excited to tell me that Marcus didn’t wear diaper or pull up all day. He wet his underwear twice in the morning, but has remained dry since. He was quite proud to tell us when we came back. Unfortunately, his parents didn’t keep up with his bathroom breaks (he had a bowl of soup and a cup of mil during dinner), and he wet his pants twice in the evening. Once was in the brand new pants he was trying out.
Today, nanny reported he remained dry all day! She took him to potty every fifteen minutes when he’s awake. He kept telling us that pee goes into the potty, not in his underwear. We kept up the bathroom breaks in the evening and kept encouraging him to tell us before he has to pee. He said, “I tell Baba, Mama, and Ayi when I need to pee”. Right before bedtime, I was changing him into the night diaper. He stopped me and told me that he had to pee. I was so excited and immediately rushed him to the potty. I stripped him down and placed him on the potty. He immediately pee and gave me a big smile. He ended his second day completely dry and told us that he had to pee!
26 Apr
The outfit
Our little handsome tried in his new outfit for Andre’s wedding next month.
Oops! Mommy was too busy taking picture and our little man peed in his new pants.
25 Apr
Don’t pull my head!
There’s a Chinese nursery rhyme that’s called “pull the carrot”. Basically, it goes like “pull the carrot, pull the carrot, mommy come help me pull the carrot!”. Mckayla changes the word up all the time. She fills in with different names and other vegetables. But tonight, she was singing with Marcus and decided to change the carrot to “Marcus’ head”. After she finished singing, Marcus started crying. He called me over and told me JieJie pull off his head. Then, he turned around and told Mckayla, “don’t pull off my head”.
25 Apr
Flipped
We always joked around that Mckayla is the Taiwanese dog. Because in Chinese, dogs say “won won”. And that’s how she used to say, too. But the last few weeks, she started telling us dogs say “woof, woof”. She has became the American dog.
Marcus also flipped, but physically. He used to sleep on his belly like a little turtle. Now, he still goes to bed on his belly. But by the time we go check on him before we go to sleep ourselves, he’s already flipped to his back and using one of the dogs as a pillow.
