Thevy Talks

It's been a couple weeks since I blogged. What's new? Thevy is 14-months-old today. She's become more adept at walking. Actually, she still stumbles like a drunkard... but she's better than she was a month ago! :)

She's also more vocal. She's always been "talkative", but she's able to utter a few recognizable words, as well as other semblances of speech. She'll take a phone to her ear - albeit backwards, lol - and start blabbering some unintelligible syllables. But clearly, she's imitating having a telephone conversation. She also points and sorta grunts to let it be known that she wants something. When we tease and chase her, calling out, "I'm gonna get you!", she runs and giggles, and sometimes it sounds as if she's repeating the same phrase.

Her vocabulary isn't as extensive as I think it could be. But apparently, it's good for someone her age. At least that's what some say. She says "Hi" and "Bye" to people. She even waves and seems to know to use them in their proper contexts. There was some study that said that babies that were able to perform certain oral and hand gestures were more advanced speakers than their counterparts who couldn't. The study cited being able to lick one's lips and to wave were signs of better language skills, as well as the ability to pretend. Thevy can do all those things. But I still feel like we're cheating her of even better language opportunities.

I wish Peter would speak to her in Cambodian, but he usually doesn't. I wish I was even more fluent in Spanish so I could be more consistent in speaking to her in that language. But she's still young enough and I hope we don't let many more windows of opportunity pass us by. I want Thevy to be a true polyglot.

Her lexicon consists of:

baby - her most overused word. Every kid is a baby to her.

dog - I don't know how to explain it, but she says it in a somewhat explosive manner. Actually, it sorta sounds like (and probably sometimes is pronounced) 'duck'. Sometimes she says 'dog-gee'. I don't want to write "doggy" cuz that seems more fluid. There's a bit of a pause in her pronunciation. And the second syllable has a slightly higher pitch. Also, sometimes it seems that 'dog' refers to some other animals. Or she pronounces a word resembling 'duck'. But I'm not sure if the finally consonant is dropped and all that remains is a glottal stop. Also, I think she may say "frog". But I'm not sure since I don't really know how she'd know this word. But she seems to accurately label the frog figures in my mom's garden "frog-gee".

mom - Funny thing is, this doesn't necessarily refer to me. It's more of Thevy's way of calling for attention. I once left her in a room and she began to call out "Mom! Mo-o-om!". I rushed back to the room, thinking how touching; she's calling out for me. Much to my dismay, on another occasion, her father left the room, closing the door behind him. She ran to the door, trying to open it and - what did say? Yep: "Mom! Mom!" Hmph. :-P She calls it out as an attention-getter, to let you know she's looking for you or something.

ow - She has heard be utter "Ow!" when feeding her in her highchair, she reaches underneath the tray and scratches my knee/leg. Her sharp claws always take me by surprise. So now, she knows all she has to do is scratch or pinch me and I'll say, "Ow." She did so while we were at the store - she kept saying "Ow. Ow. Ow..." And I'd say, "Shhh" and she'd only get louder, trying to embarass me! She was also simultaneously pinching/scratching me. lol. Also humorous, if she falls while walking, she'll exclaim, "Ow", as if it really hurt to fall. What an actress, this one!

book - She recently started being able to say this word. She sorta says "book-kee". Like "bookk" - since she places an extra emphasis on the final consonant in order to pronounce it.

em-mee/ahm-mee - Translation: Elmo. hehe

eye - This is an improvement from when she'd always refer to the "nose" as such. She'd touch your nose going "aye".

noh - Meaning "nose"

heh' - Translation: "head"

no - Unfortunately, Grandma uses this word way more than I'd prefer with Thevy. Thevy will repeat it. She'll even shake her head vigorously. But that's okay when she's telling me she doesn't want something. As long as she's not telling me know when I want her to do something. She'll also shove an object away if she really doesn't want it!

baah! - That's her way of saying/playing peek-a-boo. :)

Baba - Sometimes refers to Dad (sorta the way you say it in Cambodian), sometime it's Grandpa

Daddy

baw - That would be "ball"

wah - "water"

shoe -

And I can't remember what else, if anything, she can say. Oh, she says her own version of 'tree'. And she tries to say Boppy, saying "bobby" or something. She cries out for it when she wants to nurse because she's tired. She also says "Dora" (the Explorer). But she pronounces it her own way. Something like "Daw". She also understands words that she can't yet say, like 'television', or 'mirror'. I cannot wait until this girl is able to have full-blown conversations. It's gonna be fun!

Angel Kisses

Thevy (Cambodian; var. Tevy, Devi) - Angel

Thevy is kissing a lot lately. She puckers her lips up and makes the "kissing noise". Know what I'm talkin' about? The "Mmmmmmm".

She even puts her hand to her mouth and kisses, sorta like blowing a kiss, but there's no blowing. lol

Sometimes she'll come for several kisses in a row. Sometimes she wants to kiss other people; strangers even. In fact, when we were in The Children's Place yesterday, she was ready to kiss this little boy.

She's also more of a pro at walking. I don't always like walking with her though. You don't get very far since she likes to stop and look at things you don't wanna look at. :-P Oh, and she's attracted to bubble gum/candy machines. Why, since she doesn't really know what candy is? Clearly, it's the purty colors she's attracted to. She likes to walk where you don't want her to walk. And then when you pick her up to try and get from point A to B, she has a little fit. What a brat!

No, she's not a brat. She's a diva. :)
I made this onesie for her. That is, I created the stencil and painted the lettering on the shirt. I gotta work on my technique, though...

Thevy the Toddler

It's pretty much official: Thevy walks. She's still learning to get the hang of her new mobility, but she can get around. Her ability to walk greater distances is just amazing Last night, her father and I had a bit trouble locating her, she's so fast! She went a circle around the house and I couldn't find her right away. Part scary, part amusing. :)

It's funny when babies learn to walk and don't yet have the dexterity of a well-seasoned walker. Thevy wanders around with her arms to her sides and bent upwards (sort of forming a 'w', if you will). Or sometimes she comes at me with her arms straight up in the air, with objects in them. Other times, she's a little Frankenbaby, with her arms outstretched to me, wanting me to pick her up.

It makes you smile to see her extract such joy from a simple action most of us take for granted. And it makes me smile to see her patter around in small circles, going fast because if she slows down, she might fall; going in circles because she's decided to change directions or because she doesn't want to hit something. Oh, but she has! The other night she suffered a knot on her head due to a failed walking endeavor. She was walking and turned to close to the wall. Then, bonk! Her forehead hit the wall.

She cried and cried and I tried to comfort her. Once she finally stopped, I put her back on the ground and let her do her own thing. I hadn't noticed until a few minutes later that that collision had cause a bump to grow on her head! I think I gasped and grabbed her, took her down to the kitchen to get some ice. I pretty much futilely tried to ice her head. She moved too much. I even called up a friend for advice as I semi-panicked (thanks, Jeneen!).

Basically, I had to deal with the bluish-greenish spot on her head and feelings of being a bad mother. And if that wasn't bad enough, the next day when I had Thevy in the bath, since she doesn't like to be still, she kept moving from one end of the tub to the other. And of course, I let her. But because I did, she slipped at one point trying to stand up while pulling herself up. She hit her face on the side of the tub where she acquired a new bruise. This one was purplish-red at the lower corner of her eye. Great! Now as I was about to take her into public, I could look like the neglectful or abusive parent! :-P

Anyway, but the bumps and bruises are all a part of this new milestone. I'll have to deal with such things while Thevy perfects her stride. In the meantime, my little drunk (she does walk around like someone has spiked her sippy cup!) will be keeping me on my toes!

Thevy Has Teeth!

I don't know how many have heard me 'lament' on the topic of Thevy's lack of "bony appendages". I often complained because, though this should never be done seriously, I was comparing my daughter to other children her age. So many of Thevy's peers had their teeth come around the age of 6-months and up, and here Thevy was still sportin' the toothless grin!

Well, much to my surprised delight, I discovered Thevy, too, was part of the teething set! I found out by accident, a couple days after she turned 1, that she had two teeth coming in. How by accident? Well, I do believe that typically, babies first get their two lower incisors (the bottom middle teeth), followed by the upper ones.

While waiting for Peter to get off from work and playing with T, she started to fuss and since I was in public, I didn't want her crying. I turned her upside down to distract her. As I held her by her legs, she began to laugh. I looked down at her to make sure she was indeed laughing and not crying. Sure enough laughter caused her to open her mouth when, lo and behold!, I detected two pearly whites! Thevy, crazy girl, has her two front teeth coming in! Still no signs of the bottom ones.

And that is why I never knew she had teeth; because I expected to first spot them on the bottom. I've already made her first dental appointment. I think pediatricians/dentists differ on when a child ought first visit a dentist. I think Thevy's own pediatrician said she need not go until around 3-years of age. But the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends when the child gets his/her first tooth.

(I tried to "photoshop" most of the nasty boogies from her nose, lol. She's been snotty the past few days due to allergies.)

Given that Thevy still nurses for comfort and to sleep, I know she has a higher risk of getting baby cavities. A child should never be put to sleep with juice or milk in the cups or bottles because the sugars in the liquid can pool in their mouth and ruin their teeth over time. So, if your kid needs a bottle or whatever to sleep, it is recommended it be filled with nothing but water. Until I successfully wean Thevy off the breast, I wanna get her to a dentist sooner than later.

Losing the Baby Fat

Thevy and I have been losing weight. Thevy, who was once a 90th-percentile baby, has gone down in the ranks. During her first several months of life, she was in the 90-95th percentile for both height and weight, meaning, she was bigger than most baby girls her age. Then at her nine-month well-baby check-up, while her height remained in the ninetieth percentile, her weight was somewhere in the 80% range. Three-months later, at the age of 12 months, her height moved down to the eightieth percentile, and, get this, her weight is in the 50th percentile! Though some may still see her as a chubby baby, her weight is considered to be average for her age. In fact, she weighs the same as she did three months ago.

I had noticed that Thevy appeared to be slimming down. I thought she was getting skinnier. Then in the last month, her appetite had also decreased. I attribute part of that to her being sick, where the doctor says she could have even lost a pound from that, and I also think she hasn't been eating simply because she did not want the foods I would feed her. I also joke about her being a "baby bulemic". Yeah, you may not find that funny, but we all know I'm not PC! Anyhoo, I call her this because more than once I have caught her with her index finger in her mouth, shoving it far enough it that it causes the gag reflex. Ha! :-P

Where Thevy was once a chunky baby, right now it appears she's evening out. Her pediatrician said that many babies triple their birth weight by the age of one. Thevy hasn't yet reached that. Triple would be over 24 pounds. A couple weeks ago, she was at twenty.

As for me... I've steadily been losing weight over the past year. I never knew for sure what my usual weight was since I never really owned a scale. I always would place my weight at somewhere between 140 and 150 pounds, expecting fluctuations just because I've never had a constant way of life in terms of eating or exercising.

During pregnancy, I've heard the average amount of weight gain should be 25-35 lbs. Well, good grief, I was above average! I had my prenatal care at a practice, with several doctors to choose from. At this particular OB-GYN office, you are required to meet with all the doctors at least once, before getting to choose the one(s) you'd like to see regularly. I had one doctor tell me I was gaining too much weight during my pregnancy. And then I had another, Dr. D, who basically said everyone was different. Don't you know, Dr. D was my favorite. :-P But not just because of that; she was actually a really nice person.

So... towards the end of my pregnancy, wouldn't ya know! I broke two hundred! Basically, I gained about 60 pounds during pregnancy. Who knows how much of it was my weight gain, the baby's weight gain, or simple fluids? There was one time I visited Costco where I stepped on the scale and it read 212. Hehe. There were people who saw me pregnant that said, you don't look that big. Then there were some others who said I was huge. Bastards. lol.

After giving birth, you still look pregnant and you don't automatically go back down to your "normal" weight. I think I was still around 180 a few months after Thevy was born. I did no (still don't) exercise. But I have been breastfeeding, which supposedly contributes to weight loss, not to mention, I don't eat very well. Often times, I don't even eat! I know that's not good or healthy, but that's the way it is.

And right after giving birth, you still wear your maternity pants. A month post-partum, I did squeeze into a pair of pants I wore while pregnant, but not full-term. Every now and again I would try to put on my pre-pregnancy clothes and to my dismay, they didn't fit! I couldn't get them past my thighs! That's when I would turn to Peter and say, "I hate you!" :)

But now, I can say I can rock my pre-pregnancy jeans. I've still got flabby skin on my belly and avoid many of the tighter-fitting tops I used to wear. But for the most part, I'm back to my old wardrobe and that's just great. And as for the recent weigh-in: 150 lbs. Try that on for size! :-)

Below are a couple pregnancy pics for those who never saw me "with child". (You can click on the photos to see them larger.)

This picture was a month before my due date:


And this photo was taken a couple weeks before giving birth:

Thevy Turns One

It's pretty amazing to think that Thevy has already turned one! She was born only yesterday! She was this helpless little thing we brought home from the hospital... Now she's almost walking and, in her own little way, talking!

BEFORE

AFTER

Thevy is Tech-Savvy

It's clear that kids today understand technology better than previous generations simply because they're born in more advanced societies. Kids these days have their own cellular phones and iPods. I recall seeing a girl, probably around 8 or 9 years of age, at the public library typing furiously on the computer keyboard as she conducted a search. And I was amazed at how fast she was typing because I just knew she actually was typing something and not just playing around! Thevy is no exception.

This girl watches TV (a controversial practice for babies, but I don't care!). She knows that when I go to the DVD player to change the disc or turn it on, she quiets down (that is, if she's fussing at the moment), awaiting what will appear on the TV screen. She will take a remote control and point it at the screen, knowing that that's what you do with the remote. She'll walk up to the TV, reach up with her little fingers, and press buttons. She especially enjoys turning the set off and on, off and on. Repeat.

She picks up telephone handsets and places it to her ear. She knows that flip-phone mobile phones are to be opened and closed, and the buttons are to be pressed. Sometimes, she manages to call Aunt Regina. She also knows to put the cell phone to her ear as well.

Well, as I smile when Thevy imitates our actions and am proud that she is learning every day, I was simply amazed the other day to see what new "feat" she had undertaken. Thevy often witnesses me using the computer. The other day I was holding her while sitting at the computer. I allowed her to play on the computer. She began pounding on the keys, obviously at random. Smack smack smack. Then she reached for the mouse. I'm thinking, okay, here she goes. She's gonna try and pick it up and she'll end up tossing it. Nope. I was wrong. She merely touches the mouse with one hand, then returns it to the keyboard and continues "typing". She repeats the gesture: reaches for the mouse, touches and even slightly moves it around a bit, then goes back to tapping at the keys.

I couldn't believe it! Thevy was copying my computer usage of typing and using the mouse. She did this a few more times before she actually did knock the mouse off the desk. I'm so proud of her. I can't wait to buy her her own computer so she can take it apart and put it back together. hehe. =)

My Future Model

I think a lot of parents entertain the idea, if for just a fleeting moment, the idea of having their kids in "the business". Well, that happens to be the case for Peter and me. We took Thevy to an open-call model search earlier this month. A lotta hopeful parents and their kids showed up. They broke the candidates up in groups. Unfortunately, we happened to get there just "late" enough that we weren't part of the first group, meaning, we had to wait.

When we first got there, Thevy was happy and smiling and social, "talking" to people, expressing herself. By the time they called the next group up, Thevy began to get a little fussy. She was getting tired! And so, by the time we arrived at the table to present her to the evaluator, Thevy was no longer smiling or talking. She just stared at the lady who told us we need to work on getting Thevy to smile on cue.

Then we proceeded to the guy with a camera so they'd have a record of each candidate. We stated her name and tried to get her to smile. Nope. She wasn't havin' it. No luck in that arena - until, of course, we walked away. Peter said that's when she started to smile. But she did clap for the camera. lol

Anyway, at this model search, we were all informed that we would not be hearing back from them UNLESS the child was deemed marketable. And so, if we were to hear from them, it would be within two-weeks' time. Guess what? I heard back from them! I got my letter in the mail today. It's no guarantee of work or anything, as "they" are "not a school; not an agency", but "a scouting service". And Thevy has been deemed a "favorable evaluation". That means I get to attend another meeting, but I gotta sans child. I just need to find someone to watch her...

They Grow So Fast!

Look how involved she is in her little world. She's interested in so many things and she's unstoppable. Last weekend she went to her little friend Mason's birthday party and she was all over the place. For five hours, she played and played. She bullied a 17-month-old, stealing every balloon he had in his hands. And she harassed Mason, grabbing and pulling on him. :) That's my girl! And when they're older, they'll be chasing after her and she won't even know who they are. =P Besides, I'm sending her to an all-girls private school. In the mountains. On a secluded island. ;-)

She doesn't say any really intelligible words right now. I mean, she says sounds that sometimes sound like Mama and Dada. But she uses them to express different things. Sometimes she says a Baba kinda sound. And that could be like the word for "Dad" in Cambodian, which is more like "Pa" where the P is very close to a B sound. But it's not. :-P Yesterday at Costco I gave her this sauce and pointed to it and said "bottle". She said, "Ba!" And she repeated it. She also imitates the word "baby".

When I talk to the dog and say Rocco, she sometimes waves her fist or pointer finger at him and does a whole lotta "Ra-rarara-rara!" And I think she says "belly button". I can't replicate how she says it in word or print. But I'm pretty sure she says it. And I guess if I were to tell you what her first words were, I think they might be "teh-dai". (I probably screwed up the phonetic spelling of it big time, but I have yet to study Cambodian...) It means "clap" in Cambodian. And she's clapped while saying something similiar.

Beyond the words she says, Thevy does understand a lot. She performs many actions on command. Like if I say "beso" (which means the noun "kiss" in Spanish), she brings her mouth to minShe's just so cute. (Except when she's crying. :))

My Baby Doll

Thevy is just growing up right before our eyes. It's hard to believe that soon, she'll be one-year-old! I'm still waiting for her to walk. I think she'll get there soon. I read somewhere that it runs in the family how early or late a child walks. According to what's written in my baby book, I took my first step on my first birthday.

I'm a little confused as what constitutes a first step. In a way it seems pretty self-explanatory. But then sometimes I have a tendency to over-analyze. Is a first step a first step even if the child immediately falls? Or is a first step when the child sustains his self upright for several steps? If it's the former, then Thevy has had her first step. She's even gone maybe a couple at one go. But as for full-fledged walking, I anxiously await it!

And it looks like Thevy will be going to her 12-month wellness check-up with no teeth! All the other babies seem to have a full mouth already and T doesn't even seem to be cutting a tooth in the least bit. I've heard from a couple people that the later a child's teeth take to come in, the stronger the teeth. I wonder if there's any truth in that?

I'm still nursing her, so maybe that's a good thing. =P And I have no idea when I'll wean her off the breast. She's so reliant on nursing for comfort, I think she'll be sleeping in the parental bed for a while. Ha!

I'm still giving her baby foods. Stage 3. Those are the taller jars, some of which of bits of food, rather than be totally pureed. I occasionally give her "regular" food. But that depends on how soft it is or how "natural". I don't want Thevy ingesting all the junk that we may eat. I don't come from a household where nutrition was given even a second thought. My parents to this day eat unhealthfully, regardless of any diet-induced health conditions (e.g. high cholesterol, acid reflux, high blood pressure). So, I don't want Thevy picking up on any bad habits. Basically, I've got a lot of changes to make to my diet. Supposedly, a child learns how to eat from very early on. Not how to eat. More like what to eat. So I try to make sure to give Thevy a good sampling of fruits and vegetables. I usually read ingredients before I let her sample stuff. When I went to Costco yesterday, I wanted to buy her some canned or jarred fruits. But I didn't end up getting any because the darned things had "high fructose" or some other sugar added. It's gonna take some getting used to, but I've got some work to do when it comes to the food we eat and buy. I wanna be a good example to Thevy. I don't want her to become a fat- or even worse - an unhealthy American!

Note: After writing this blog, I think I can say that Thevy truly did have her first step today. A few hours ago, she pulled herself to a stand, relinquished her hands from the stationary device she was using as a prop, then proceeded to take a few steps toward me. And THEN, I was just outside with her, letting her play in the driveway. I let go of her while she was standing and she quickly took several steps. Granted, she had sneakers on, which assists her ability to stand and I almost feel like it's "cheating". But still - she walked. :)

Racially Motivated

You know how I'm very much interested in issues of race and ethnicity. Where some people may find such topics irrelevant on a day-to-day basis, I'm constantly fascinated by it. And interracial mixing seems to be such a common occurrence these days, you just can't avoid it! But it's also a very big part of history, I know. And in this country, the subject of Blacks, whites, and Indians (my bad - "Native American") mixing has created many sub-groups.


I'd heard of the "one drop" rule, where they say having just a drop of African blood makes you Black. These Black individuals have appeared on talk shows like Oprah. When it comes to race mixing, there are so many terms that have been coined: mulatto, mestizo, etc... When it came to the Blacks in this country, some funny terms have come about, such as octoroon, which is a person who is one-eight Black. I was amused when I came to the realization that my daughter, Thevy, is a quadroon. :)

Hains Point

We (Peter, my mom, the baby, and I) took a brief trip to Hains Point last week. Its in East Potomac Park in DC. I'd been there a long time ago when I was younger. A famous landmark there is "The Awakening" - a statue(s) that gives the illusion of a man emerging from the ground. I think it's out of proportion (See the following image. There's also another leg, foot, and hand that's not visible in this shot.)

Although it was a bright and sunny day, it definitely was not ideal weather. It was very windy, making it quite chilly. We ended up putting a coat on Thevy, on top of her jacket, it was so cold. And then, a big ole bus full of kids came and that ruined it. Then it just became too crowded and noisey. But we got to see the cherry blossoms and take in the sights. We'll have to go back on a nicer day. And maybe with more people.

Thoughts on Immigration

I don't get it. I'm also not really following the news and legislation. But it doesn't make sense to me. How is it that ILLEGAL immigrants are demanding rights? I mean, I could understand if they were maybe, I dunno, LEGALLY here. But, being that that's not the case, why are immigrants and supporters requesting special treatment?

As the daughter and wife of immigrants, I say, illegals need to go through the process just like everyone else who decided to make this country their home. And how ludicrous is it that some have the audacity to use as an argument that illegals take the jobs "we" or "nobody" wants as a legitimate reason for being allowed to stay here?

I'm not saying they all need to be deported. I'm just sayin'! If you ain't supposed to be here in the first place, why should you be entitled to rights of CITIZENS? And some are saying illegals shouldn't be treated as terrorists cuz they're not... Hey - we don't know that! I don't think that most illegals have even anything to do with terrorism. However, I know there's a link between al-Qaeda and Latin America! Anyway...

And I'm not sayin' that there aren't any mitigating circumstances that make some people's situations... "different", but I suppose all that needs to be looked at case-by-case. But, shoot - that's a lotta cases!

To say "We're not criminals"... Hmm, let's think about that. How did you get here? Was it legally? Um, then I think it's safe to say, you're a criminal. What? You pay taxes? So the f*** what? I seriously don't understand how that makes a valid point?

Then some businesses are talkin' about how they depend on the immigrants and what a negative impact it would have on 'em if they lost their illegal immigrant employers or consumers. Another moot point, if you ask me. See, drugs are illegal and measures are being taken to eradicate them (sorta). And due to illegal drug trafficking, there's a lotta money in the hands of certain individuals. Well, if we were ever to successfully rid the streets of drugs, guess what? Many companies would lose quite a bit of business! But the fact remains, drugs are illegal. Or should we legalize 'em so that the businesses can continue to get their share?

AND... I don't know much about economics, but someone once pointed out that immigrants, because they work and send money home to their countries of origins, that's money that's not going back into our economy. Like I said, I don't fully understand economics, but I hear that's not a good thing.

ELEVEN MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS?!?! That sho is a lotta people! (And a lotta money!)

Thevy's Funny

I am enjoying watching Thevy learn and grow as she approaches her first birthday. She's starting to do more things that remind you that she's not just a passive observer, but an active particiapnt in this world. She's imitating things we do. It makes you laugh.

Like if you cough or sneeze, she'll bust out with a fake little *cough cough*. Certain sounds you utter, she tries to utter them to. For instance, I exclaimed "Awww" (as in, "Awww, you dropped it!" - not "Aww, how cute") and what does Thevy do? She goes "Awww!" right back!

It's very amusing that sometimes you just wanna make sounds at her just to hear her repeat it, back and forth. She mimics actions, too. She smacks her face, trying to play peek-a-boo. Sometimes she covers her one eye and her forehead. She's gotta work on the coordination. hehe. Or once, I was holding her and my hair was down. She took my hair and placed it over her forehead. That was her way of being like, well, Mommy's got it on her head, I will, too!

Or sometimes, she snatches my glasses from my face and puts it to her face or atop her head. She looks at you and smiles. If you're not quite looking at her, she'll make sure to lean so that she can see your face and she's cheesin', waiting for you to do the same. It's great.

And one of the silly things she does is to stick her tongue out. She either does it on her own or in response to some prodding from us. She'll either stick it out and up so that she's covering her top lip, or down, covering her bottom lip. And she's got a rather pointy tongue. Peter said she has a pointy tongue... like me? And I suppose this is figurative and literal... The figurative implying that I'm a bit snappy or, that I have a "sharp" tongue. [Merriam-Webster's fourth definition of sharp: SEVERE, HARSH: as a : inclined to or marked by irritability or anger (a sharp temper) b : causing intense mental or physical distress (a sharp pain) c : cutting in language or import (a sharp rebuke)] Whatever. =Þ

Someone's in the Kitchen...

As little T gets older and is sleeping less and moving about more, I have to figure out more ways to keep her entertained. Especially if I want a minute to myself and have my hands free. I neglect myself the most in terms of eating. Correction - not eating. Thus, in order for me to grab a bite to eat when I'm at home by myself, that is, with no other self-sufficient individuals, I have to find all manners of distracting the baby.

Thing is, she sometimes gets bored easily. And just as soon as I think I've found a way to give myself maybe ten minutes to prepare myself a little something, Thevy's decided she's had enough and begins acting up. Or, she merely begins going where I don't want her to go, or touching what I don't want her to touch.

One of the ways I temporarily capture her attention when I'm in the kitchen is to place some objects on the floor for her to hit, bang, throw - whatever. Sometimes it buys me time. Sometimes it doesn't.

Escape Artist

It's official: Thevy, for sure, can get out of her crib. We saw it coming, I suppose; the way she'd lean over the side and use her prehensile toes to gain leverage and lift herself up off the crib mattress. But we didn't think she'd actually manage to really get herself up high enough that she'd tumble right out! At least, not this soon!

See, Thevy's crib is mostly used as a playpen of sorts, as she still sleeps in the bed with us. It's where we put her when we need to free up our hands to do something else and be sure that she's out of trouble. Only in rare instances does she actually sleep in there.

So, while being detained in her crib, we often don't raise the side railing, as it's only a temporary prison and we aren't trying to make it maximum security. However, this idea must change. As she gets older and taller and much more mobile, it's time to... raise the bar! One reason I never usually have the side railing raised is because on those few occasions where I do place an already or almost sleeping baby in the crib, it's easier to lay her as closely to the mattress as possible if the railing is lowered. Otherwise, I'm much more likely to drop her in (and I have - not on purpose! =P) with it up.

Anyhoo, when Thevy's had enough of being in the crib and wants out, she begins fussing. She cries, she faces you, she places the side of her body on the side, trying to lean right on out. Her feet find their place on the slats and make their way up. I looked and her and thought, this girl is really trying to get out! I make her get back flat on the mattress so I can run for the camera and run back, in time for the shot you see above! Only seconds later, homegirl tumbles right on out! Luckily, I'm close enough to catch her before she falls, not to mention, there's an object beside the crib that, I think, would have or did help break the fall.

This girl is a handful, to say the least! She's our little escape artist. Even when she was much younger and we were still swaddling her, we called her Baby Houdini. She would never stay swaddled for long. Moments after wrapping her up in a blanket, one arm would pop out. Then the other. She's real determined, I'd say. I wonder how much this says about her budding personality. :)

The Zoo Again

This weekend, we visited the zoo again. This time we went to DC's National Zoo. It was a sunny day a chilly. But it wasn't as cold as it was at the Baltimore Zoo. Again, T's too little to appreciate everything, but we still wanted to do a family outing. The zoo was better than the last time I went there somehow. We didn't see the pandas; the line was too long. At the point, we decided we had better head home since it wasn't particularly warm and Thevy seemed to have had enough. Plus, though the zoo is free, parking isn't. Wanted to leave before we entered the next time increment, meaning, it costs more. . . (Check out T and that pointer finger. She's been touching objects with her index finger or just shaking it, seemingly at people. When she sees a child, her finger starts waving and she goes, "Ey!" lol)

Another Warm Day...

The Robins are here, too. I saw mosquitoes yesterday. Red ants were crawling on the ground. Looks like the seasons are officially changing. Or maybe not. The news people say to curb our spring fever. Today was a nice day to take the little one out. This would've been perfect weather for the zoo. We went the weekend before last for the opening weekend off the zoo. It was sunny out, but it was quite cold. I swear T's lips were turning blue. And it wasn't a great outing. It may have been because it was so cold, we didn't want to stay. Or if it just seemed that the zoo had nothing to offer because we weren't familiar with the layout or what. But it was rather disappointing. Who knows; maybe my expectations were just too high or because I'm not a kid anymore. But we went cuz it was free that weekend.

So, we did the Baltimore Aquarium and the Baltimore Zoo. We plan to do the National Zoo in D.C. since it's always free. And the National Aquarium in D.C. is a possible outing. I know I didn't care for the National Zoo the last time I went. Hopefully, more animals will be out and about. And healthy! Last time I went was with my sister a few years ago and there was a lame camel. So pitiful-looking.

Thevy stood the other day. On her own. I mean, there are times when I try to prop her up on her little feet and "force" her to stand, letting go, hoping she'll last several seconds. But this time, my attention was turned away from her and on the TV. She was on the floor, sorta crawling over my thigh. When I turned back to her, she had pulled her self to a stand, holding on to a wrought-iron planter. I wasn't sure how she did it, actually, without pulling the planter over. Then she let go. And for just a moment, she was balancing on her feet without any support. Mommy and Daddy got excited because soon, our little one will be walking bipedally. :)

Here, she's standing in my boots:

What a Winter

What a very mild winter we've had! Can you believe we hit the 70s? The other day when I was ready to go get the mail, I thought I might take little T for a stroll around the block. After walking down the driveway wearing jeans I thought, "It's hot" and went right back inside.

Saturday, we went to the mall to get a gift before heading to a restaurant to meet Tammy and crew for Tammy's 24th bday. Thevy was a hit as usual. Her pink onesie and cute little white skirt were all the rage, lol. Oh, and can't forget the pink headband that we couldn't get to stay in her hair, mostly cuz she kept yanking it out. We met Jeannie and Nick at the mall, too, and got some grub at the food court and chatted a bit before heading out to the restaurant (which was a sushi place by the way - not a personal favorite! I mean, the restaurant is nice, but not my choice of cuisines!)

And gooood grief! Peter decided to partake in sushi for the first time. I'm talkin' the raw fare. *gag reflex* Oh, and check out what else he had, in the picture to the right. That's just not kosher, now is it? :-P I stuck to eating California and cucumber rolls. And the Popeye rolls minus the shitake (it had string beans and spinach and came with a sesame sauce). None of that exotic stuff for me. I don't even hardly eat cooked seafood, especially not fish. I don't think the next logical step would be for me to eat it raw. =P I believe the most "exotic" I've ever eaten was a *cooked* piecce of squid. I wasn't bad. Just rubbery. Heh.

And Thevy had some tofu from the miso soup and the plain tofu Michelle requested for her. I mixed the tofu with her baby food and she was lovin' it. She was also makin' a mess since I let her feed herself a bit. Sorry to whomever had to clean up after her. :) Also, Thevy was sort of the life of the party. Once again they played "Pass the Baby" with her. I don't know how many people held her, not to mention, I didn't even know who they all were! Only now that she's older am I okay with different people holding her, since she's had all of her first round of vaccinations and what not.

Note to those unfamiliar with handling babies or dealing with other people's children: keep your distance! Haha... Well, I just mean, don't take liberties with the child if it's not your own. That is, don't be kissin' on 'em and what not and touchin' all over 'em. A first-time mother and mothers of very small children can be germophobes! Plus, it's just plain rude! Imagine if somebody you weren't all that close with just came up and kissed you! If you're gonna kiss the baby, go for the cheek. Not smack dab on the mouth! We don't know what kinda herpes you got! =P And hey - maybe you might get herpes from the baby! Also, be sure to wash your hands or sanitize them before you lay your hands on someone's bundle of joy. You don't want them to have to ask you, lest you get offended! I liked how when I first brought Thevy home, my friends instantly went to the bathroom to wash their hands. Yet Peter's friends, it didn't even occur to them! What is up with that?

Nice Weather We're Having Here

We continue to have crazy weather. It's rather nice for it being wintertime on the East Coast. It's still quite cool, but it's mild and sunny out. I'm not complaining. But I wonder if we'll get another good snow in before Spring officially arrives...

Funny quote of the day: I just heard William H. Macy, who has a huge film credit list to his name, say, "I'd eat that" in reference to his wife. First, I didn't even know his name before today, though I'd seen him in different movies. Second, didn't know he was married to Felicity Huffman. But back to the quote, I don't feel like explaining the context, but it was funny to hear cuz it reminds me of something a friend of mine, Jason, used to say. Sort-of an inside joke...

As is customary of my actually speech pattern, I'll probably hop from topic to topic in this blog. Like, I forgot to mention how maybe a couple months ago, I do believe I saw Tony Dorsey from NBC News 4. He was inside a news van outside Union Station. If I hadn't been inside a moving vehicle, I might have dared talk to him. hehe.

Oh, a couple weeks on Jeopardy, I was annoyed by one of the clues. It was Teen Jeopardy, and I guess the writers of the "answers" were trying to be hip and there was a category that utilized some colloquialisms. Well, this one clue was so stupid to me - it was: "Spanish: This basic word for friend--you know, your buddy, your dawg, your boo". And the answer/question was "What is 'amigo'?" That was one of the dumbest, poorly-written clues... They need some quality assurance for what they write! "Boo"??? Now, that does NOT simply mean "friend". It's not even equivalent to "dawg"! It just has a different connotation. *smh*

That Apollo Ohno kid - I "smh" @ him, too! Just because he's cute and has got that track of pubes on his chin, doesn't mean he should look a fool after winning a gold medal. Now, maybe he was caught up in a moment or whatever, but that fool did not seem to know the words to the "Star-Spangled Banner" and was tryna sing or lip-sync to it. Way to represent! :-P

How come on the news yesterday (on NBC4), they were talkin' about Bush's travels, referring to them as Southeast Asian trip? They mentioned India and Pakistan. Now, where does Southeast Asia come into play? The Indian subcontinent is SOUTH Asia! My ears perked up at the mention of SEAsia cuz I thought they were gonna say something about Vietnam or Thailand or something. Or that at least, he was headed there after India and Pakistan. I didn't hear it. Well, it's good to know we have accuracy in the news on just simple things... :-|

Thevy recently turned 10-months-old. Not long before her first birthday - need to make plans soon!

It's a Conspiracy!

C-O-N, Spiracy! (An "In Living Color" reference, for those who don't know! :-P). Nah, I don't actually think it's a conspiracy. But it's some sort of social commentary of not-so-big proportions. I'm talkin' about Live's Beautiful Baby Search. ("Live" is the abbreviated name of daytime talk show "Live with Regis & Kelly". I like Regis and I like Kelly and I even used to watch the show when Kathy Lee was still on!) They had this contest... It's like the 3rd annual or something now. And parents from around the country sent in their children's pix for a chance at something like three grand and for their child to be on the cover of "Parenting" magazine. Well... They said they received hundreds of thousands of entries and on Monday, they narrowed it down to ten semi-finalists. Of those ten, I think maybe four were minorities - I saw an Asian girl, a biracial girl, some other brown-skin ethnic baby, and there was a white-looking baby with an Hispanic surname.

America was to vote for their favorites, which reduced the finalist pool to five. My guess - and I guessed correctly - was that it would be all white babies in the top 5. I tell you, nearly all of 'em were blonde-hair, blue-eyed babies. I know that that's probably more representative of the population of this country - I mean, more white people than any other race... And I figure more white people watch the show than anything, along with a few other factors, but... that's kinda depressing. Ethnic people wanna see their own faces out there! I hope I don't have to remind people, we don't live an a utopic society! Especially not in this country! Far from it.

And if that wasn't the stinger of having all caucasian finalists... Those children were not even cute in person! I know, I know - it's about how well they take pictures and what not; being photogenic. But still. Thevy is cute in person AND in pictures. She should be on all the covers! lol.

Hehe. Anyway. I'm done venting. Have a nice day!

Happy FART Heart Day!

We got our first major snow this weekend. I think it was about a foot of beautiful, white snow. It began snowing Saturday evening. I was awake 'til about 6 in the morning. Our power had gone out sometime around then or soon after. It didn't come back on 'til 7:30PM. Apparently, there were a lot of power outages in the region/area.

As for Valentine's... not celebrating. :)

Fridays After Five

All this month, in honor of Black History Month, the National Aquarium is having a wonderful promotional rate for Friday evenings. On these nights, admission costs $7.50. That's well below the normal cost of, get this - $21.95! We never would have gone at regular price. That's a rip-off. Not like it's an amusement park! Oh, and the usual rate for children ages 3-11 is $14.95! Too, too much...

Anyway, Thevy most likely will never remember the trip. So, we're gonna hafta go again some day when she's older. I hated when my mom told me all the places I'd supposedly been - when I was a baby! She said I went to that very aquarium at its grand opening or something, when admission was 5 bucks. :-P I do recall have gone there sometime during my school days. Elementary school, maybe?

It was okay. Woulda been nicer with fewer people to get in your way. We met this Palestinian couple in there with their young children. When I overheard the wife speaking in Arabic, I made sure to find an opportunity to talk to them. I approached in English, asking about their youngest child, a 13-month-old. Then a few minutes later, I busted out a "Where are you from?" in Arabic. Hehe. That was fun. The wife said when she heard the Arabic, she thought that perhaps I was from Egypt. The southern part, of course! heh. Anyhoo...

Afterwards, when we left the aquarium, we headed over to Barnes & Noble for a drink before heading back home. The Strawberry & Creme wasn't too bad!

I've watched two movies over the past couple days. First, I finally saw "In Her Shoes", with Cameron Diaz. I liked the movie. Even Peter did, too. And he wasn't even the least bit interested in seeing it when I told him the title and who was in it. Good stuff. In the beginning of the movie, I started to hate Cameron Diaz. Well, I suppose I should say her character. I know I didn't like her when I saw her in "My Best Friend's Wedding". And I guess that was for her character. And I can't remember when I started to like her...

Then tonight I watched "Raising Helen". I been wanting to see that one since it was in the theaters. I liked that one, too. I like Kate Hudson. I judge movies, for myself, not to push on or recommend to others, necessarily, by a certain factor. If after watching I feel that I wouldn't mind owning the movie in my personal collection, then that means I enjoyed the film. Does that make sense?

Whatever. I'm hungry. It's almost 4:30 in the morning. I'm still awake. There's snow outside... I wonder how much of tomorrow - er, today, actually - I'll sleep. I would like to head to the store if it's not too yucky out.

Meet the Coolest 9-Month-Old Around :)

Since I lost my last set of photos I wanted to share, I got several more replacement shots of Thevy riding her car with her cool Dora the Explorer shades (Grandma bought those). That blur on the left side of the first pic is family pet, Rocco. Yes, I still have a dog with a baby in the house. When I was still pregnant, I asked my OB if I should be concerned about having a dog. I wasn't for safety, but for health reasons. She assured me it was not necessary to get rid of my dog or anything. She advised me to continue to "love my pet." I had no intentions of getting rid of him. And some people claimed that the dog would be neglected and would get jealous. Okay, first of all, he was already neglected. :-P Second, I was sure he wouldn't get jealous over the baby. I made sure, even before the baby was born, to acknowledge him. Like with my pet mice (now there's only 1 left of the original 3), whenever I would handle them, I would make sure to also talk to him, show him the mice, to include him. And Rocco continues to love both the mouse and the baby. Thevy would love to be able to play with the dog. But I usually don't let them touch each other. Only maybe right before I bathe her, I might let her pet him. Then I rinse off her hands before I even stick her in the bath water. And as she gets older, I'm less of a germophobe. Hence, putting her on the carpet without some sort of barrier is more likely now than it would have been a couple months ago.


And now check out Baby Girl. Look at her go! She's rather agile in her crawling ability, given that she doesn't get to crawl all that much. She also has the desire to want to stand. I think she's trying to stand on her own now. I can't wait 'til she starts walking! But the house isn't childproofed, so, that means we gotta keep an extra eye on her! And check out her hair! It's long enough to braid and I actually had her sitting still enough to do it! :)

This Sucks

Yesterday, I was all set to upload some photos from my camera and maybe post a new blog with accompanying images. But something has gone awry! I had over two hundred images on the memory card. Half had already previously been transferred to the PC. The rest? They're gone! I don't know what happened, but it seems that the card somehow got corrupted. I'm trying to see what can be done about recovering the pictures. Luckily, it was *only* a hundred photos. That's a relatively small number, considering I have over 2,000 pics loaded on the comp. :-P And I have backed most of them up on disc in case the unexpected happens with the computer. But what sucks is that there were certain shots I took specifically so I could blog about 'em. :-/ Ah, well...

It's the Year of the Dog

Chúc m?ng n?m m?i (or Chuc mung nam moi, in case you can't view the diacritics properly)- "Happy New Year" to all the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean people. =)

What is up with our unseasonably warm winter? Not that I'm complaining. It's nice not to be super-duper-freezing-cold. But you just gotta wonder - when will the cold hit us? And I guess I sort of want some snow. I mean, one of the beauties of winter is snowfall. I don't understand or I can't relate to people who seek warmer climates. I think one of the things I love about being on the East Coast is the four seasons. I enjoy experiencing the changes in weather. But I guess the downside to lotsa snow is if you gotta drive in it... Anyhoo...

I've watched a few movies lately. The last two I saw were "40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Wedding Crashers". I was entertained by both. Steve Carrel (the star of "40") is a funny guy. And then there's Rachel McAdams. She co-starred in "Wedding Crashers". I first saw her in "Mean Girls" and for some reason, I liked her. I'm not sure what it is about her, but I bet she's a really nice person, contrary to the character she plays in the latter film. She also stars in "The Notebook", which I also saw. I dunno... I didn't really care for that movie. Didn't it win some award or receive some sort of recognition? I liked the juvenile movie "Mean Girls" better. =P I'd she's also in "The Family Stone", which I've yet to see.

So on the first, Thevy had her 9-month wellness check-up. She's doing well. She's 29 and a half inches, which puts her in the 90th percentile somewhere (i.e. she's tall for her age). And she weighs 20 and three-quarters pounds. Her weight seems to be tapering off a bit, as she was only in the 80th percentile. Her previous check-ups, she was up there. She's still chubby, as mom and dad were chubby babies... But maybe she's on her way to becoming leaner. I've noticed she isn't eating as much as I try to feed her.

She's still on no kinda eating/sleeping schedule. The pediatrician says it's fine that she's not on a schedule, seeing as how it's not like I'm working or anything and I'm there for her. He also said that breastfed babies are harder to get on a schedule anyway. He also thinks it's good I'm still nursing her so that Baby can receive all the benefits there is from breast milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding strictly up until the baby is 6-months, at least. After that, "solids"/baby food can be introduced, and then continue on with at least formula. And they also recommend that the mother continue breastfeeding up to a year if possible.

I'm aimin' for a year. The pediatrician , Dr. H., also told me that I should breastfeed for as long as I want. There's a stigma in American society with breastfeeding. Breasts are viewed as mainly sexual objects, forgetting what their primary function is. I mean, we are "mammals". Anyway, it does seem great, though, that breastfeeding seems to be coming back in style. I'm not sure when the trend began - over the past decade or so?? It's great because it's proven that mother's milk really benefits the child's development. Plus, there are nutrients found in breast milk that have yet to be reproduced in formula.

So anyway, Dr. H. was telling me to breastfeed for as long as it takes, that some even breastfeed 'til the child is 2 or 3. Now, some might think that's "gross", but he finds nothing wrong with it. My mom and mother-in-law think I should go no longer than 1 year. I don't know how long I'll nurse Thevy. For as long as she wants and for as long as I'm comfortable with it.

Now, I must add that breastfeeding, as natural as it may seem, may pose problems to baby and mom! I, personally, experienced difficulty in the beginning with it. And I am not alone in this, and other women should know that they are not alone. Often times, the problem is the baby does not know how to properly latch on to the breast (as was the case with Thevy). There are even "lactation consultants" who are board certified and their job is to assist women who need to learn how to breastfeed their babies.

It can be a very emotional and sad experience for the mother, so all who are close to her ought to be very supportive. Many women give up. They shouldn't give up; they ought to seek assistance! But, sometimes, it's just not meant to be and the mother is unable to successfully breastfeed. And this is okay, too - as long as she tried to give her child what is considered the "best milk". But they also shouldn't feel bad because that is a common feeling triggered by the inability to nurse one's child.

Okay, I know a lotta people don't wanna read about all that... But my experience was Baby wasn't latching on properly, it was painfully sore for me, Baby wasn't getting all her nourishment, I was sad... I went to the breastfeeding class in the hospital when I was still there, but apparently, I didn't learn what I needed. When Baby went to the pediatrician a few days after she was born, I was told that her birth weight was down about 10%, which is the most they let a baby get (ya see, after a baby is born, they do lose some weight, but they eventually regain back up to their birth weight in the first couple of weeks). Thevy was dehydrated and I was feeling so bad. The pediatrician asked me to show her how I nursed Baby. And when she saw my nipples were raw - yes, pretty graphic, but deal with it, ey! =P - she suggested I see a lactation consultant. She herself had even gone to this particular place when she had nursing issues with her child/ren.

So... after I unsuccessfully nursed in front of the pediatrician, she went and got a bottle of Similac and Thevy downed that bottle! I felt so bad that "I" had been starving my child! But also relieved that she was getting some nutrition. I ended up pumping milk - b/c I was just too sore to nurse her and I wanted to heal - and supplementing with some formula since I wasn't producing enough milk, until I was finally able to see the lactation consultant. They're rather expensive to see, so best to try and get all the free help you can in the hospital... But it was necessary that I go and it helped out. I learned the proper techniques and positions to hold the baby and I was on my way to successfully nursing my baby. It took a few weeks, but I eventually got the hang of it and was comfortable with it.

Nursing in public is another thing. I was uneasy/awkward, but now I'm more comfortable. If I can, I'll go into a dressing room, out of the gaze of others. But if my options are limited, I try to be as discreet as possible, and I'll whip out that bad boy in front of others. Supposedly, if you do it right, people may not know you're nursing the baby right before their eyes. It's also kinda cool - you don't have to worry about packing any bottles or anything. Or if I were to forget to bring some food or drink, at least I have a back-up plan. =)

I talked to some of the other mothers I know who recently had babies and I'm glad to know I was not the only one to experience the trials of breastfeeding. It's more common than you think. Ever heard of La Leche League? That's a pretty well-known resource for all things breastfeeding...

I think I've spoken at lenght - at least for a personal blog - on this topic. But I wanted to mention it. Ladies, if you're considering breastfeeding in the future, do not get discouraged if you have trouble doing what would seem to be something so natural, so simple. It's nobody's fault. Seek help and don't give up so quickly! And to others - partners, mothers, etc. - be supportive! A woman is vulnerable at this time - she's gone through so much. Don't make her feel bad for not succeeding in nursing her child. Don't react, "Why don't you just give the baby a bottle?" Alright?

And that's my public service announcement for the month. =P

So Annoying

Here I was sitting, watching "Martha Stewart Living" (is that what it's called? I don't watch it regularly) and a stupid "special" news report interrupts my show. Dum-dum is on TV right now responding to the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections, along with some other stuff. That dumbass was talking about he supports the democratic process and he likes the variety of ideas among people. But then he said that Hamas cannot be a partner in peace because they have in the past called for the destruction of the State of Israel. Whatever. America cannot be an honest broker, as they have claimed, in the Mideast peace process if they are so biased towards the Zionist state. Fuckerz. And Bush (in case you didn't realize I was talking about him :-P) also said that we are "living in historic times" and was supporting the domestic eavesdropping and was saying we need to keep America safe... If you wanna keep America safe, stop bein' such an ass and shittin' over the rest of the world!! He also said that we will continue to hunt out the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq. My goodness - did we really have anything to fear in Iraq before we sent Americans over there and started droppin' bombs on Iraqi heads? I'm annoyed... The news is so depressing to me. Wish I could just escape...

Anyway, I had talked to my physician a week regarding my lab results. It showed that my "good" cholesterol falls within normal limits. However, my "bad" cholesterol is high, thus, I need to go on a diet. So, knowing all this, that very night I had french fries and cheesesteak. :-P Man, I was hunger and I don't eat very well. I actually hardly eat anything, period. That's not good, I know. But now I have to be conscious of what I eat. I never was one to do that. My doctor said red meats, cheese, butter... that kinda stuff is bad for cholesterol. She mentioned that almonds and walnuts and oatmeal were good for you. She said eating oatmeal can reduce your cholesterol 10%. And she instructed me to eat shellfish sparingly, to eat fish (I don't eat fish!), and to eat poultry. I coulda sworn she said to eat it with skin. But then I thought I read somewhere else that it should be without.

I mentioned in my last post that Thevy doesn't crawl. Well, I spoke too soon. Not long after I published the last post, lo and behold!, I saw that little girl transport herself. lol. She can crawl. It's just the lack of opportunity, I suppose, that I never saw her and she couldn't practice. It's funny cuz sometimes it seems she just wants to walk, lifting one knee up so that she's on her hands, one knee, and a foot. I haven't taken a picture of her crawling yet. That'll be my next task.

I believe I talked about in some previous post about how so many people have had babies within the last year and how culturally diverse they were. Thevy's got many contemporaries of mixed backgrounds. There's Taiwanese/Mexican/White, Black and white, Vietnamese/Korean, Filipino/White, Black/Cambodian... One of my former co-workers just had a baby in November who's Persian/Palestinian. And I recently caught up with an old friend of mine who had a daughter about a month after me who's Filipina/White/Black/Thai. Whew. What a mouthful! :-P

Speaking of mouthfuls... Thevy's diet is gonna be getting varied soon. Though she has no teeth, she's able to feed herself and I give her small bits of food sometimes for her to eat. Yesterday I gave her a little bit of mozarella cheese and chopped-up pieces of grapes. Gerber also has these little cereal-like snacks called Veggie Puffs and Fruit Puffs. They kinda melt in your mouth if you just suck on 'em. But if you just chew them, they're crunchy. They're shaped like a five-petal flower. It's funny when I give 'em to Thevy cuz sometimes they sorta stick to her lips before she gets it totally in her mouth. The result is this:
And I'm glad she doesn't use a bottle. She either gets "boob juice" from the source or juice and/or water in a sippy cup. Have you seen kids that are able to walk still usin' a bottle? Or a pacifier? Thevy doesn't use one of those either. And she doesn't suck her thumb or anything. So, so far I'm lucky. Hopefully, she doesn't develop any of those habits somehow later on. She can also drink out of a regular cup, but with assistance, of course. And she can suck on a straw, but she's not real efficient with that.

Oh, and we had bought a potty chair for her a few weeks ago. She has gone to the bathroom in it a few times. But we're not being real consistent with it right now. Supposedly, potty training doesn't typically begin 'til after age 2, I think. But my mom claims to have potty-trained me at 3 months. It's a Vietnamese thing, I suppose. Ya see, in my mom's day, they didn't have the convenience of disposable diapers, so they had to do things differently. Whereas I leave Thevy in a wet diaper all through the night, my mom said she didn't do that with me. I'm not sure of how the process of potty-training an infant works --Bush finally got off my TV, but now Martha is already over. Just switched to Ellen. That woman is silly.--, but somehow she did it. I remember reading this one Vietnamese American guy's web page and he mentioned this very thing of potty-training a baby, when he took a trip to Vietnam. He wrote and my mom even said something about making the "sssss" sound to encourage them to go. I don't know if that even works, the sound effect, that is, cuz how can they even associate that sound with the act of peeing? Anyway, we'll see if I can't potty-train Thevy over the next several months.

Crazy Weather

Last night/early morning, I went to let my dog out and when I opened the door, it didn't even seem cold out. I mean, the temperature usually drops in the evening, right? And then this morning it was all rainy. And now, though it may be a bit windy, it looks all nice and sunny out. But isn't there a winter storm on its way? Anyway, crazy weather. I'ma try and get out the house and take in some of this strange climate.

I've sorta been crocheting lately. I've always known the very basics of crochet from when I was younger, as my mom is an excellent crocheter. But I could never really make anything. So while I was pregnant, I began a project: a baby blanket. I purchased Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting. It really helped out with learning the sheer basics of these two wonderful arts.

Well... the blanket project never reached fruition. I was no where near done in my last month of pregnancy. I figured I could still work on it after the baby was born. But that didn't happen. I turned that bad boy into a scarf! lol. I tried making a hat for Baby, but it was too small. And I even made a mitten (yes, "a" mitten). It was too small, too, so I didn't bother making its pair. Thing is, though I've learned the crocheting techniques, I don't quite understand stuff dealing with gauge - which size needle to use with which size yarn, etc. and how that effects the size and look of your final product. I did end up making a new hat and mittens for Thevy. The hat's a bit snug, but it fits. And the mittens fit, too, but they don't stay on! :-P This photo is of the "failed" projects.

I don't have a picture of the new hat and mittens, but they turned out okay. :)

Thevy is approaching nine months of age. She still has no teeth and I am not looking forward to teething, which I heard can be pretty bad, with fevers and irritability. She's almost 22 pounds and I think she's gettin' close to being two-and-a-half-feet tall! :) I got her some clothes I bought from a lady who had lost her job and was trying to get some cash. I spent about 40 bucks for approximately 20 pieces. Not too bad. A few of the items were still brand new. The lady I got the clothes from has a two-year-old who weighs about 25 pounds. (Compare her weight with Thevy's, hehe). She was nice. A Chinese woman. Neither she nor her husband are citizens, which makes their situation difficult. Her husband is trained in mechanical engineering, but all the jobs are in government, which requires citizenship. And the woman said it takes about 5 years to become a citizen - once you apply. She's been here six years, but hasn't applied. She doesn't know yet whether they will ultimately stay or go back to China. She would like to stay here for the sake of her daughter. She finds the Chinese education system to be too rigorous (is that really a bad thing? Americans ARE kinda dumb, if you ask me! Sike. I'm just thinking of Americans like me. :-P). And she enjoys the access to different cultural venues around here. Anyway, I hope she and her husband can work everything out. The woman says that maybe after Thevy is one I can bring her over to play with her daughter.

So, yeah, Thevy is gettin' big. She doesn't crawl, but she's quite mobile. She's always reaching for and grabbing things you don't want her to have. Babies also have eagle eyes and so she sees things you don't notice. Examples: I sat her on the bed and put all these distractions in front of her (some toys). But what does she do? She reaches for a coil of hair on the bedspread, that I didn't even see cuz it blended in with the fabric. When I put her on a blanket on the floor with her toys, she moves toward the carpet and tries to pick up tiny pieces of paper or something. Again, she doesn't crawl. It's more like she creeps or slithers or whatever. I'm not sure if she doesn't crawl cuz I don't always put her on the floor to give her the opportunity to practice. But then, some babies skip the crawling step.

She has strong legs and can pull herself up to a stand. She's been doing that maybe a few weeks now. And I think she'll walk early. I, apparently, didn't take my first step until my first birthday. But babies are made differently these days. They reach milestones a lot sooner. I attribute this trend to whatever it is they put in our foods (hormones and what have you). Anyway, Thevy is startin' to get the concept of walking. Before when I used to stand her up and hold her hands, she would just stand there or bounce, or try to sit down. Now, she puts one foot in front of the other and goes. So, right now she can stand with support and cruise a bit. Cruising is when a baby gets around while standing and holding on to something. Like when in her crib (which is more of a playpen than a place to sleep!), Thevy will pull herself up and move around, side-to-side.

And she's got so much hair. She was born with about an inch of hair. She had a little bit of bangs. Now her hair goes maybe an inch under her eyes. I hate when people suggest I cut her hair, like give her bangs. Now why would I do that? I don't want her to have bangs. I want her hair to be all one length. Of course, I will eventually give her the occasional trim. But for now, I want her hair to get longer. It's long enough to put in a ponytail, but the hair doesn't all stay up. I often put a single ponytail on top of her head. My dad and sister don't like it. But screw them!! Everyone else finds it cute. :-P A few months ago my sister suggested I put a headband on Thevy. I'm like, no! That's for them bald babies that people put them on so you can tell they're girls! haha. She thought about it and was like, "True." You know those skinny pieces of cloth with an elastic band and a bow? But then my sis did send the headband that you see on Thevy in the previous entry. That one's much cooler than those headbands that look like garters. =P

Okay, this blog is long enough. I think I'll end with one finally picture(s). This is a collage of Thevy in her first month of life. I've heard that babies are ugly when they're born and just in the beginning in general. That they're wrinkly and have smooshed-up faces considering all they've been through (i.e. the trip down the birth canal). I dunno, but Thevy wasn't any of these things, in my opinion. See for yourself:

Baby's 1st Christmas

I wasn't particularly looking forward to Christmas, as some would think, seeing as how it was my child's first. Well, I lost the illusion of Christmas some time ago. It stopped being fun, I don't even remember when. But also, I guess it's since funds are kinda (not kinda - they ARE) low, I/we don't really have a lot to give Thevy - materially, at least. :-/ And also, I dunno if this is being realistic or a subconscious way of fooling myself into not feeling bad about it, but the rationale is that she's too young to even truly appreciate the commercialism of the holiday anyway!, which you can see from the following photos.

Ya see, when she pulled at the paper, she proceeded to put it in her mouth! lol. We couldn't get that girl interested in opening presents. She was much more into the wrapping paper, or the boxes the gifts came in, or just anything else! I swear, it seems just about every picture we have of her that morning is her tasting everything. hehe. And she was also still sleepy. I don't really have her on any specific schedule since I'm not currently working, not to mention, I've never been much for order anyhow... :-P So, Baby's been on a stay-up-late-sleep-in-all-morning pattern right along with me. So, we went back to sleep a little after that. So, I wonder if the fact that she was sleepy affected her not really seeming all that excited about getting to tear apart the wrapping paper. She's usually all for ripping up stuff, or trying to.

Anyhoo, I guess it'll be fun to show her the pictures when she's older. This last picture is funny; looks like she's waving, but she's not. :)

Happy New Year

My New Year's wasn't that great. I woulda been content to just stay home and do nothing, which is what I've done for most New Year's for most of my life. Peter, Baby, and I went to some overpriced dinner. It was sponsored by some Cambodian association at a Chinese restaurant. I do not like Chinese food. It was annoying cuz first, Peter said we didn't have to pay for the $30 tickets cuz a friend was posta get 'em for us. In the end, we had to purchase our own tix, and in the end, they didn't cost thirty, but thirty-five dollars. I hardly ate anything. And when I had Peter bring me a virgin piña colada, that shiet was nasty! Do you know it tasted like coconut and vomit to me! :-(

Peter also said all his friends would be there. I hardly met anybody. One person I did meet was hella annoying. He reminded me of this kid that used to work at the commissary that we laughed about. And this guy was drunk and definitely not someone I was pleased to meet. This fool even threw up a few times at the table. And then, he had the nerve to keep drinkin'!

Also, one of the things Peter told me was that there would be no smoking. Good, cuz I don't like cigarette smoke, and, we also had the baby with us. Then, after the disappointing dinner had already been served, the stupid drunk kid was all of a sudden smoking! Then this other idiot at the next table had a cig in his mouth and asked the drunk guy for a light. That's when I got up and told Peter I was outta there. We ended up leaving soon after. We were at this restaurant for a few hours. But I wish we hadn't gone.

The music was really loud there, too. Actually, it was only super loud when the band played. I didn't like that. I don't want Thevy to become hard-of-hearing! I dunno what it takes for that to happen, but that would be tragic. Anyway, despite the loud percussions and what not, she still managed to take a nap. (see middle picture) :-P

After we left that place, we went to Peter's friend's house. This friend was having a little house party. They were watching the game when we got there. Though I didn't really have anyone to talk to 'cept this friendly Korean chick who liked babies, I felt better there. We rang in the new year there.

So, that was that. Hope everyone who celebrated had a better time than I did!

And about this last pic... Thevy seems to like Dr. Phil. I'm not sure if it's the bald head. Like, on the Disney channel, there's this yellow blob of clay with eyes and a mouth that talks. It's name is "Clay" and it's some short segment that comes on between shows or something. Whenever he comes on, Thevy laughs/smiles. Same thing with Dr. Phil. lol. Well, in this picture, the "Dr. Phil" show is on and I can't seem to get her attention. Funny thing is, during this moment, Dr. Phil isn't even on the screen, but a guest of the show - with hair - is talking. She was engrossed. :)