Birth & Beyond

Wow, I can't believe I have two little girls. I'm sure many who know me can't believe it either! And for those who don't know me - it doesn't help that I look hella young and I'm sure many believe I'm a teenage parent despite the fact that I am approaching my thirties! Dang - I can't believe I'll be 30 in a couple of years!

Anyhow, Thevy is quite affectionate with her sister. She's always talking about "wittle sistah" and sometimes she refers to her as just "Thea" (remember, that would be pronounced "TEE-ah"). It's quite cute the way she gives her baby sister eskimo kisses, kisses her on the cheek, caresses her head, rubs her cheek against her sister's head... She touched Sothea's hair and said "hair soft". I love the way she's talking more and more each day, surprising me with the things she knows.

Thevy uses the word "beautiful." I imagine she got it from me when I comment on her drawings I tell her they're beautiful. So, one day she touched her head and said "Thevy hair". Then she touched my head and said something like "Mommy's hair" or "Mommy hair." Then she said "beautiful." I thought that was sweet, but then again, it also mean she's already a skilled liar because my hair is a mess! lol

Another day she was looking out the window talking about the birds. And she said they were beautiful, too. :)

She also understands that the word "baby" has something to do with size. I guess from looking at animal pictures, I talk about the babies and the mommies and she has started to associate the words with size. One day while eating clementines, there was one particular wedge that was quite smaller than the rest. Thevy declared, "Baby clementine." I thought that was adorable.

Another thing Thevy has said that surprised me was when she picked up something rope-like. I believe it was a cable (for connecting a VCR to a TV type of thing) and she said she wanted to jump or jump rope. Then another time she picked up an AC adapter and said the same thing, except this time she said she wanted to "skip rope". Obviously, she's only two and doesn't know how to do it and I've been pregnant, I surely wouldn't have shown her. Had to have been the boob tube that's been teaching her all this vocab.

It sure is gonna be fun once Sothea learns to talk and to have these miniature me's conversing. But I'm rushing ahead. Sothea is only a week old. I'm still worrying how quickly I can shed the pregnancy weight! I gained 65 pounds with Thevy and it took me more or less a year to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Then with Sothea, I gained somewhere around 45 pounds. The other day when I weighed myself, looks like I only lost 10 pounds of that. Only 35 more to go. I think - or at least I hope - I'll lose this weight much more quickly, simply because I hope to be a little more active, plus I'll have one extra child to chase after. :)

Introducing...

SOTHEA!!

Sothea (so-TEE-ah) was born May 21 at 2:46am. She weighed 8 pounds, 8.6 ounces and measured 21 inches long.

She arrived 2 days after the due date and I wasn't sure what to expect for this second pregnancy, as my first one was not "typical". That is, my water broke and I had no contractions. They had to induce my labor and then when I began to feel the contractions and as they intensified, I finally asked for an epidural. I felt like a wuss cuz I wanted to go hardcore. :-P

Well, this time around, my contractions came first. And nobody believed I was in labor - not my OB and not the nurse - since I wasn't behaving like most other women do at that stage of labor. I wasn't acting as if I was in pain or screaming or what have you. But that's also not my nature - I am not a screamer. I suffer in silence. =)

Anyhoo, I actually managed to go sans anesthesia. There were points when it was unbearable, but in the end I made it! Oh, and this time, they had to break my water for me. I sat in the bed leaking for about 40 minutes until we started pushing. Then little Sothea came out 15 minutes later. Luckily, big sister Thevy fell asleep before all the excitement. :)

So, Sothea does look like Thevy as a baby, but at the same time, there are some major differences. I wonder how much alike/different they'll look as they get older. Either way, I think they'll get along great. Thevy's already a good big sister. I can't wait to see how they grow!

Mmm: Bánh Mì

Peter brought me some bánh mì today. Bánh mì are Vietnamese sandwiches, basically. I for some reason got a craving for them yesterday. Vietnamese food has been very satiating for me lately. Get full real quick.

Speaking of food... No more Filipino soy sauce! Peter and I are not loyal to any one brand of soy sauce. We usually buy some Taiwanese brand. It's a tall bottle with a yellow label and says "soy sauce" in English, Chinese, French and Vietnamese. Anyway, one day Peter had wanted some Adobo; the Filipino version. So we ended up buying a Filipino brand that we saw in Safeway since we also had no soy sauce at home at the time. Well, since we purchased at a big chain, we paid a lot more than if we had gone to an Oriental grocer. And then on top of that, Peter never even ended up cooking the darn dish!

And then, for reasons unbeknownst to man, Peter bought another bottle of a different Filipino brand of soy sauce when we hadn't even finished up the first bottle. All I know is that these soy sauces only seem good to add to the rice you're eating, but doesn't seem to do so well as an actual ingredient in a recipe. It's too salty or something. (Yes, I know soy sauce is inherently salty, but it's even more so in these Pinoy brands, I think!).

So, never again will we buy Filipino soy sauce. Gonna probably stick with the tried and true Taiwanese kind or this other Vietnamese soy sauce. In an Asian household, you've always gotta have a bottle of soy sauce on hand, about a liter's worth. And rice. Always gotta have rice. We purchase 50-pound bags. 25 lb. minimum. I've also realized there are a few other condiments that we don't always have available in our pantry or fridge, but they always seem to be necessary for some authentic flavors: cilantro, Thai/Taiwan basil, ginger, garlic, limes... I hope Thevy will get to grow up eating mostly Southeast Asian dishes. So far it's a mixture of Asian and American... I didn't grow up with a lot of different ethnic dishes and feel a bit deprived. :-P

And about Thevy and foods... This girl is so cute. Well, let me start with a little "pre-story". We were looking at a Max & Ruby book (Max and Ruby are these brother-sister rabbit characters. We discovered them on a cartoon, but I think they may have been storybook characters first.) . So there's this book we were reading called Max's First Word. In the story Max is a little bunny who only knows how to say the word "bang". His big sister tries to get him to say other words as she shows him different objects. Max's response is always, "Bang!" In the end, Ruby gives him an apple and tells him to say "Yum yum!" That's when Max finally says, "Delicious!" Thevy and I both laughed at this. I don't know if she got it, but I was a bit amused.

Anyway, the other day Thevy was eating this peach dessert and I was trying to talk to her, asking her if she liked her food. I asked her, "Is the food good? Are the peaches yummy?", or something along those lines. Thevy responded, "Delicious!" And I've heard her use that word a couple more times when eating. She's so funny...

Thevy Turns Two

Today is mini-me's birthday. It's been 24 months since my first overnight hospital stay. Wow, where does the time go?

The picture above was taken a couple days ago. I don't know what she's doing in the pic. She might be trying to come for the camera.

She's learning to talk better each day. I notice now that she makes an effort to form sentences and declare things. The words she used to pronounce all wrong, after I say them correctly, she repeats the word more correctly.

And she still saying funny things that I have to assume she learned from the TV because 24/7 with me, I know I didn't teach her. For example, she often crosses her arms and says, "No fair!" She's even got an appropriate facial expression to accompany the phrase. Sometimes she stomps her feet talkin' about "Hup/hut 2-3-4". And then there's her spouting out some numbers and saying "Blast off!"

I've gotta stop using certain words around her. I don't use profanity around her. A whole lot. But sometimes I say "stupid" and "crap" and she has imitated me. Oops!

But she's so bright, reciting her alphabet and pointing out letters whenever/wherever she sees them. I'm so proud of her! But she's gotta stop introducing herself to every stranger. She puts her hand on her chest and proclaims to random people, "I'm Thevy!" But it's cute. :)

The picture to the right, Thevy is enjoying a Canary melon. It was our first time buying it; we'd never even heard of it or seen it before. It caught my eye, being bright yellow and placed with the other melons, but looking sort-of like a squash. Well, it's not bad. Tastes just like a cantaloupe to me. So, I guess if I want fresh fruit, depending on whichever is cheapest, I'll get a Canary melon or a cantaloupe.

Little Linguist (Pt. 2)

A few posts earlier I touted Thevy's language abilities. There are more examples I didn't include that I want to mention.

I find it quite humorous the way she references my parents. "Grandma" and "Grandpa" sound more like "Gooma" and "Poobah". lol. How cute is that?

She also has a grasp of the possessive. She'll pick up an article, like my shoe, and go "Mommy shoe." Or she'll pick up her father's pants and say "Daddy pants." The one possessive I don't like her using is exclaiming "Mine!" I'm not sure who she learned it from. If I ever use that word, it's just a declaration and nothing more. If Dad uses it, he's intentionally being annoying about it. But I'm also wondering if she maybe got it from other kids, even though she's not around them that often. I would hate for her to pick up bad habits (I don't want her to be rude, ya know?) from other children. And that's one reason why I wouldn't want her in day care! But anyway...

She has a basic grasp of pronouns, but her comprehension still needs improvement. Often times when she's struggling to do something I ask, "Do you want me to help you?" So sometimes when she wants help she says, "Help you?", but she means "Help me." Same thing happens when she wants me to hold her, she says, "Hold you?"

I also love the way she calls us by name when speaking to us. "Yes, Mom." "No, Dad." And she doesn't just call us "Mom" and "Dad." She uses interchangeably Mom, Mama, and Mommy, and Dad, Papa, and Daddy. Isn't that great? I think the way she understands synonyms or other languages is proof of the capacity of the young mind.

I've heard it said that children are sponges, that they absorb all sorts of information. And it's true! I am always amazed when Thevy names something that I don't recall ever had teaching her or something she learned from television. Once I began showing her my Wild Life Treasury cards (any one remember those?) for the first time. As I got to a certain picture, she instantly calls out "alligator" and I was like, what? How do you know that? I think she may have learned it from another one of her books of animals. But still, I was impressed. :)

Lately she's been making a creation with her MegaBlocks. It's got these "spires". (I think that's what they're called; had to Google it. These sort of pointy roofs of a castle). Anyway, she'll put it together in such a way and approach me, talkin' about "Happy Birthday". Basically, the "spires" do resemble candles. And Thevy will pretend to blow them out. I was just tickled by the breadth of her imagination already. I think she learned the birthday motif from TV.

Anyway, with her ability at this stage, I hope it will lead to a very precocious child. I'm hoping she'll read early. And once she learns to read, I hope to eliminate the use of the television as a babysitter. :)

Petroleum?! Poo on Plastic!

I'm always disgusted with the amount of plastic bags we always seem to accumulate after a trip to the grocery store. And every time I store them away I think, We need to bring these with us the next time we go shopping so we can reuse them! But then, old age kicks in and I never remember to do so until we're already away from home or at the store.

Some of the bags we do use for garbage, but proportionately, it's not enough to use even half the bags! Last time we went shopping, I did remember to bring the bags with us and was happy. But when we got home, I was still left unfulfilled since we still had other unused bags.

Anyway, this advanced nation we live in is yet again so far behind everyone else. Here's a story from CNN.com:

San Francisco to ban plastic grocery bags

POSTED: 10:40 a.m. EDT, March 28, 2007

Story Highlights

• Rule applies to shopping bags made from petroleum products
• Proponent says ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year
• Board of Supervisors votes yes, mayor likely to sign law

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to become the first U.S. city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets to help promote recycling.

Under the legislation, beginning in six months large supermarkets and drugstores will not be allowed to offer plastic bags made from petroleum products.

"Many [foreign] cities and nations have already implemented very similar legislation," said Ross Mirkarimi, the city legislator who championed the new law. "It's astounding that San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to follow suit." (Watch why it's no longer politically correct to 'think plastics' )

"I am hopeful that other U.S. cities will also adopt similar legislation," he said. "Why wait for the federal government to enact legislation that gets to the core of this problem when local governments can just step up to the plate?"

The city's Department of the Environment said San Francisco uses 181 million plastic grocery bags annually. Plans dating back a decade to encourage recycling of the bags have largely failed, with shoppers returning just one percent of bags, said department spokesman Mark Westland.

Mirkarimi said the ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1,400 tons of debris now sent annually to landfills. The new rules would, however, allow recyclable plastic bags, which are not widely used today.

A spokesman for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who must approve or veto the legislation, called it sensible. "Chances are good that he is going to sign it," said Nathan Ballard.

Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Sedated Society

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive. - Thomas Jefferson

I hate that we live in a nation where everybody seems to be sleeping. What I mean is that people in this country are so unaware of the important things going in this world and in our own country. We hardly care to see what's beyond our own personal lives, regardless of how much of an impact social, economic, and political events affect us. We're so ignorant - either because we simply don't want to know or because no one breaks things down for us and we don't go searching for answers.

It's not a good way to live. That's why those in power - politicians and corporations, among others - are able to get over on us and we'll claim they pulled a fast one. But we let them. For those not in the know, I suppose this post may sound a little cryptic, but I don't care to go too much into detail, since I'm also still learning the ins and outs of society myself.

I just know it is completely ridiculous the way one day, I'm flipping through the channels and many of the cable news networks were discussing the subject of Anna Nicole Smith. Simply because she is/was some sort of a celebrity and her death and the unusual circumstances surrounding it sell, her story is being plastered everywhere. I bet a significant number of Americans can relate what happened. They know much more about the life of some short-lived model, but they probably couldn't discuss in the most minute detail the real current events - like the stock market, welfare, or the any situation in the Middle East or Afghanistan.

Why is ignorance bliss? Why are Americans content to be so numb to what's real and important? A lot of people can rattle off all the celebrity gossip, celebrities they will probably never meet and celebrities that, in my opinion, don't even really matter because they don't truly contribute to society as a whole the way the might contribute to one sole individual. People know about the daily lives of a celeb, but couldn't tell you where the majority of their or their parents' tax dollars are going. What is the state of health care or Social Security? Now, those are important issues, but most of us don't know about them, although they are extremely important to our lives.

When we look at the children of today, they're imitating all these poor role models - the celebrities, their parents, friends, etc... But what will they grow up to be? Why aren't we making sure we develop the best future leaders of this country? All of this lack of knowledge contributes to the cycles of poverty, violence, stupidity... That is why many families/people stay in their current conditions. They don't grow beyond and they either just tolerate the many injustices of life in a capitalist, power-hungry nation, or they complain, but do nothing to better their situations.

And parents are not teaching their children about life. Again, it's part of the ignorance cycle.
I'm a part of that cycle, but I'm trying to break out of it. I come from a family where my parents aren't the most educated people, nor did they teach me about the real world. I think they failed to provide me with even some of the basic tools to make it in this world/life, so I am left to learn on my own, through experience or friends or acquaintances. It's hard that way and I don't know why any parent would want life to be hard for their children. It doesn't necessarily create stronger-minded, harder worker citizens. I think it can actually even crush souls!

But anyway, I think many parents - mine included - think that making sure their kids have the basics (food, clothing, shelter) is enough. They forget to help us develop our minds. They don't realize the seemingly small things they say or do can make a great impression on who we are, even in the recesses of our subconsciousness. The smallest action or event can shape what we become and how we handle life and all she brings us. In addition, some parents must think that sending their children to public school is sufficient to educate us. This is clearly not the case. School teaches us the fundamentals of many things, but it can 100% prepare us for the reality of things. That's where our parents are supposed to come in, but that's also where many parents fail.

How many of you can try to think back through all your years of primary and secondary schooling. What did you learn? How much of your learning do you remember and how much of it is applicable to your life today? Did it enrich your mind to such a great extent that that was all the education you needed? And to speak somewhat negatively about public education, I am not at all attempting to assault our teachers because I'm sure most do a great job. What I am trying to say is that the schools do their part, but the parents need to fill in the gaps. Don't let society raise your children. It's not fair to us or posterity when the fruit of our loins spoils and goes rotten.

It's time to wake up. If history is an indication of what's to happen, the empire will fall, and where can you expect to find yourself?

Little Linguist

Since the last time I spoke of Thevy's speech, she's advanced quite a bit. She's still a couple months shy of turning two and I bet she speaks better than many, if not most, her age. I'm loving it that we're able to communicate better more and more. Her sentences are very simplistic and she doesn't always pronounce things perfectly, but she's getting there!

If you ask her to say a phrase, it may come out a bit in gibberish at times. But if you ask her to say each word one at a time, it's almost crystal clear. She still says things that only I (or her father) understand. Like "banana". For the longest time she's called it "ahmi". I have NO idea why. That was sort of a multi-purpose word at first, I guess. I think it referred to "apple" and "Elmo" once upon a time. Now she's finally started saying "mana", which sounds a lot closer to "banana" than "ahmi". lol

She sings a lot of songs and even makes up her own words. Like "Where is Thumbkin?" becomes "Where is Mommy?" or "Where is Daddy?". And she replies with "Here I is" or "Here it is" (can't tell which she's saying). hehe. I sometimes hear her asking the questions I ask her and then answering them herself. For example, whiling looking at a book, she asked where a certain animal was, then proceeded to point to it and answer, "Right there!"

And I was sort of surprised while I was driving in the car and she began singing along with one of my CDs. Now, I don't often have the car, nor do I listen to music all that much. So, if anything, I think Thevy may have heard that CD maybe once or twice prior. So, Carly Simon's "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" came on and I was singing it. All of a sudden, during the chorus, Thevy joins in! I was amazed because I had no clue she knew it! So cute. :)

Thevy can also recite her ABC's/sing the "Alphabet Song". She counts from 1 to 10 and says random numbers from 11 to 20. And Thevy's not as multilingual as I'd like her to be, but she's still got time! If I count in Spanish, she will say some of the numbers with me. I can ask her a lot of body parts in Spanish and she can point them out. Sometimes, Thevy will attempt to say the Arabic alphabet. Every now and again I will say them to her. Although I am not teaching her the language, I want her to be accustomed to the sounds of the language. Finally, out of the blue, Thevy will count to five in Cambodian (though she skips number 4!).

I'm hoping that Thevy will grow up a polyglot. =)

Question About Kisses from Canines

To start off, we all know I'm not PC, so, if you don't like blanket statements, don't read. :-P

Well, it's not that serious and this shouldn't cause any wars, but I wanna know if anyone can explain a stereotype to me: why do white people french kiss their dogs?? I know a lotta black people will feel me on this one. I'm a dog lover and have had a dog since I was one-year-old. But I do not tolerate a dog licking me on the face. That is just disgusting! I remember there was a humorous statement on the what appears to now be defunct spoof website iloveblackpeople.com.

Anyway, it seriously sickens me when I see it happen, I almost gag! There's currently a commercial on TV where an Asian female is getting kissed by her dog a little too close to the mouth, but she probably "acts white"! And I have seen one of my Asian friends receive an intimate kiss from her pooch. But then again, she's married to someone of white descent and I've noticed she becomes whatever he is, so... Yeah, it totally disgusted me. When she and the dog greeted each other as she entered the house, she went for the tongue kiss and she even had her mouth open a little!! I so wanted to vomit!!

I don't even let my dog lick my hands. Especially seeing as how dogs lick their genitals and stick their noses in the grass in search of some scent and inevitably come into contact with feces - even if they are indoor pets!

And this same friend of mine... she wouldn't even stop her unruly dog from licking my daughter. I think it's rude to not exercise some restraint on the pet for the sake of others. There are some rules of etiquette that must be followed! You can stick your tongue down your dog's mouth all you want, but you shouldn't subject other people or their children to your pets' slobber.

Even after I proclaimed that I didn't like that, she did nothing. And with the dog being so rowdy... So, next time if her dog gets thrown straight across the room, she bet' not say nothin'!! :-P But yeah, it's her house and she can do whatever she wants there. That means I just don't need to go over there anymore then.

But that still doesn't explain to me why people do it? Why do they engage in passionate kisses with their pups? I'm not gonna buy the "a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's" as any kind of "reason".

Aspiring Artist

In January, I had the misfortune of what can happen to walls and furniture when you leave a toddler slightly unattended! I was in the kitchen fixing something to eat, while Thevy was in the living room playing or watching TV.

Well, toddlers at this age love to climb and Thevy is no exception. There was a permanent marker that I had previously seen lying on the floor. I picked it up because I did not want Thevy to get a hold of it and placed it on the bookshelf. Well, I apparently picked the absolutely wrong place to put the marker because it still was not out of Thevy's reach!

This particular bookshelf is next to our TV stand, which Thevy can climb. It brought her to the level where she could get her hands on the marker. Well, this all occurred unbeknownst to me as I carried on in the kitchen. The kitchen is adjacent to the living room, so I wasn't far from the little one.

At one point, almost simultaneously, I smelled poop and she came into the kitchen to inform me that she had "poo-pooed". Well, as I met her at the kitchen entrance to prepare to change her, I stopped in my tracks as I witnessed the scrawls on the wall!! I went to examine the scribbles and noticed she had also managed to draw on the armrests of her little Ikea chair, the Miracle piano (remember the keyboard for Nintendo?), and maybe a few inconspicuous marks on a recently acquired (and in good condition) second-hand stroller.

How could she?! Actually, I was mad at Peter for all this. Yes, Peter. Although he wasn't even there and I'm the one who put the marker on the shelf, he's the one who brought the damn thing into the house!! There is no reason why it should have been there period. He has a habit of bringing markers and pens home from work. (I've thrown away countless pens because we have no use for all that ink! We already had a good amount of our own!).

So, yeah... Thevy created a masterpiece and though her most prominent display was on the wall, I was more upset about the chair and the keyboard. You see, the wall can always be painted. But wooden furniture? Plastic keys? I tried to find a solution to permanent marker removal on the Net. I tried a couple suggestions, but none worked for my situation.

I thought of the Magic Eraser, which a friend had once touted a few years ago as having worked on tough stains she encountered at home. I saw it in Target and decided not to get it. I just figured, nothing will get the marker out. Then my doctor, who has two small children, suggested the same thing, even for permanent marker! Well, the other night I finally got around to actually purchasing the Magic Eraser. And you know what?? It worked!! Good old Mr. Clean helped me get the marks off the chair and piano. Now, they are not completely gone, but damn near it!

Less of a Loser

So, here's a little update to make up for half a year of not being able to blog: I'm a Master! That is, I got my Master's degree. FINALLY and SOOOO long overdue!

Ya see, right after undergrad, I enrolled in a two-year Master's program. Two years. That means, were I on top of my sh!t, I would have graduated in 2003. Two thousand-freaking-three. But, oh, no. I am a loser.

I completed all of my coursework in Arab Studies during that time period. I got all the credits I need in my political science courses and electives. But then I was left with two graduation requirements: the Arabic oral proficiency test and the comprehensive exam. (The comprehensive exam, or "comps", as we referred to it, is where three of your professors, at least one being from your area of concentration, ask you a series of questions pertaining to your major and the classes you had with them.)

The winter before finishing my classes, I had passed the Arabic written exam and not the oral. And the following spring, I opted not to take the comprehensive exam because I knew that I was not in the least bit prepared to do so. So I waited. I thought, maybe I'll be ready next spring!

Well, between finishing the all my courses in May 2003 and May 2004, I had moved back home and eventually (after several months of sittin' on my azz) gotten a job. And for me, being the kind of student I am (which is, not a very good one!), I was not able to get myself ready for that comprehensive exam! Besides not thoroughly knowing the material like I should have, I am not good at being put on the spot and answering questions spontaneously. I made a feeble attempt to cram over the period of a few days to take the exam. Not surprisingly, I failed. And miserably at that!

However, I can say that I passed my Arabic oral proficiency! That very semester, I took up an Arabic conversation course at the Middle East Institute, and I guess that was sufficient to get me through my test. So, that was half the battle left that I conquered...

Then there was still the matter of comps looming over my head. Oh, how much stress it caused (on top of other stresses)! I just could not get my act together for the life of me! Then I had a baby. So, even though I wasn't working 40 hours a week with a commute that also diminished my time, I had a baby to care for. Amd me being the unorganized person that I am, I have no time-management skills!

To try and make a long story short(er), this last year was seriously crunch time. 2004, I took the exam, did not pass, and was working full-time. 2005, I was still working the first four months of the year, gave birth, then became a full-time mom. 2006, still a stay-at-home parent, unemployed, and stressing about money, I had a deadline to meet.

My intention was to study throughout the year. And whenever I didn't get started, I'd say, okay, for sure "next month", or at the latest x month. Well, I got to the fall having barely cracked open a book, September became October became November.

Do you know that I began my cramming mid-/late November? With a test date of, get this: December7?! What the hell is my problem trying to put two year's worth of intense graduate work into my brain in a matter of a couple weeks? Well, I had no other choice. I had only one retake of the exam, PLUS, my time to complete all degree requirements expired that very month of December 2006. It was now or never and I had to give it a shot.

Well, praise the Lord, I somehow managed to pass! The same professors who sat on my board the first time were present again. I was afraid to make a fool of myself again, but apparently, they noticed I actually prepared better for this exam in contrast to the first and my efforts paid off. I am so thankful! Hey, maybe they passed me out of pity, but at this stage, I'll take what I can get!

So, on January 31, 2007, Georgetown University granted me my Master of Arts in Arab Studies with a concentration in Politics. Woo-hoo!

Back on the Blog!

Just in time for spring...

I can't believe I'm finally back on Blogger. I've tried for the longest time to get logged on, but just couldn't and I'm not sure why. We're talking several months!! I moved and was without internet connection for about a month, but that was about it. I'm using the same exact desktop PC and I even have the same company providing my internet. I don't know what happened, but I could not for the life of me even get onto the Blogger homepage, much less sign in! But every so often I'd give it a shot and I'd have one or two "almost" successes. Well, today I've hit the jackpot.

Sucks that I couldn't sign in over the past 6 months or so. I did have things to "rant & rave" about, that I think I've long since forgotten! Ah, well. There will always be new issues and events to write about. :)

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...