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