Archive for February, 2008

Blast from the past

February 26, 2008 at 5:06 pm · Filed under Bean

I just read an entry on the parent hacks ( http://www.parenthacks.com/ ) website that sent me down memory lane.  A woman wrote in that she uses her big dogs to help with teaching social skills (excuse me, sorry, etc.).  We have one very grumpy cat (not bad, considering the odds with as many as we have).  His name is Larry.  We made sure, from day one at our house, that Bean understood that he was the GRUMPY cat, and not to be touched under any circumstances.  She proceeded to call him Bumpy.  G’s did not come out of her toddler mouth very well.  One afternoon she was motoring around on her little ride on bike.  I was in the great room, and she zoomed off into the kitchen.  Next thing I hear is a little voice saying “Mee-Mee Bumpy.  Mee-Mee Bumpy.  MEE-MEE Bumpy!”  Her own little version of “Excuse me Larry”.  So.damn.funny.

We all call Larry ‘Bumpy’ now, I even call him Bumps as an affectionate term.  Which is funny, because he has disliked me since he was a kitten.  I figure he should be glad I have a term of endearment for him at all.  I am also happy to realize just how well Bean has gotten at reading the cats.  She can, just like most adults, pet Bumpy on his head, for the 2-3 minutes he will tolerate.  She can tell when he is about to have had enough, and leave him alone.  We treat animals with respect, and I am so glad that she has followed our lead.

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Work at home?

February 25, 2008 at 4:02 pm · Filed under Bean, Family, Life in the country

Why yes, I did.  And I managed to get two documents re-written to reflect some upgrades we made here in the lab.  Bean was great.  I was pleasantly suprised, and think that I could get used to working from home more.  I admit that I kind of envisioned me up at midnight, clicking away on my laptop, getting done what I had promised I would.  It worked out really well, in the end.  And it will be helpful if I need to do it again sometime in the future.  Er, when I need to do it again.  With the Bean on a regular school schedule, we are going to have to get creative about the summer months.  Wouldn’t it just be a bummer if I had to work from home a day or two a week?  I mean, all her good behavior while I was working was rewarded by a nice walk outside in the afternoon.  It would just be awful if I had to take an hour or two out of my summer days to spend with the daughter.  Just awful.

 Tracking the turkeys

 Rodney-cat I am coming to get you!

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Feeling like a new girl

February 22, 2008 at 1:10 pm · Filed under Bean

Haircut (I don’t know what happened to the thumbnail option for uploads?!?)

No more oatmeal in the hair every.single.morning.  No more ‘discussions’ about if her hair will be worn up or down.  I now understand why my mom had me sporting the bowl cut that was oh-so-popular in the mid-70’s.  Until she is old enough to want pigtails/ponytails/braids (if she ever does), we will keep this ’do.

My hairdresser reminded me how long we waited just to get her hair to a bob.  My eyes welled a bit as the 4-5″ of her locks fell to the floor.  But honestly, I think we will all be much happier in the mornings now.

She knew we were going to have my beloved hairdresser cut her hair short today.  ‘Like Mommy’s.  Except to here (pointing above her shoulders)’.  Sorta Bean.  I have layers, and it is just below my shoulders, but whatevs.  I think she was still a bit surprised.  After about 6 million trips to the bathroom to ‘Check my hair in the mirror’ she was working it last night.

I  know I am biased, but she looks absolutely adorable.

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Survived

February 18, 2008 at 1:29 pm · Filed under Bean, Family

Bean and I survived the week without Dad.  All in all, it was not terrible.  We had lots of daughter/mom fun.  I managed to keep the house together, the cats fed and taken care of.  The horse was neglected a bit, I did not get up to see him or ride all week.  I went up last night and groomed him.  I could have made another small version of him from all the hair that came off.  Shedding horses = days getting longer = spring is coming.  On the down side, it also = itchy eyes/noses and white hairs all over my car seat.

Whenever we have a solo week it renews my respect for single parents.  I enjoy all the 1:1 time with her.  She is at a super fun age where most of her play is driven by her imagination.  She has a role for me to fill and she happily (read – bossily) directs me around.  It is not exhausting, and I could not figure out why I was so tired at the end of the day.  I think it all boils down to the fact that when you are parenting alone you have to be ready all the time.  There is no 30-45 minute reprieve while the other parent gives a bath, or takes her downstairs for some tricycle time.  That would be the hardest thing for me to get used to, if I was ever in that position.  Well, that and re-figuring winter barn time to include her.  The three times per week I get to spend 1-2 hours with the horse is definitely my patience recharger.

I had a good time though, and I think she did too.  There was some toenail painting, brownie making, shopping, and lots and lots of playing.  I even managed to get the laundry done.

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Computer Girl

February 13, 2008 at 2:10 pm · Filed under Bean

She often sits on our laps when we are on the computer, she has her own mouse and keyboard.  Up until recently, we have not let her play games or anything on line.  No real reasons behind it, she never asked, and we never offered.  Then someone sent me this link:

http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf

And she loves it. After about 2 minutes she was a pro at filling up the page with flowers then refreshing it to start over.

Click-Click-Click-Click-Refresh-Click-Click-Click

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CNY party

February 12, 2008 at 2:11 pm · Filed under Bean, Food

It was fun.  A total blast.  Amazing food.  Excellent entertainment.  And surprisingly at a venue only 10 minutes from our house.

Several of my co-workers got to meet Bean.  And while she was shy, she did whisper Xin Nian Kwai Le or Gung Hay Fat Choy to most of them.  Of course, when we were not asking her to talk to a stranger, she was twirling (her new thing) around yelling Gung Hay FAT Choy in a loud sing-song voice.  Many of the grandparents there commended her on her song and dance.  It was sweet.

She was mesmerized by the waist drum performance, all the dancing ones, and all the ones that had someone playing a musical instrument.  The choral groups did not hold her attention.  There was a Lion of course, wandering throughout the crowd before the feast.  When it was far away, she was fascinated.  Up close, not so much.  We sat at a table with friends, and they have a 4 year old who has zero love for the lion.  I suspect that some of the Bean’s face hiding was a copy cat maneuver.  She gets along well with this little girl, and looks up to her.

There were only two disasters:

#1 – I mistakenly told her that a hot dried pepper was a mushroom, which she then put in her mouth and was instantly miserable.  Bad, bad Mom moment.  I felt awful.  I was glad that I had brought a milk box for her (they usually only serve soda and water at these events.  No juice.  The water goes quick, as you can imagine).  She downed the milk, and ate about 1/2 a pound of grapes, then merrily went back to her peanut chicken.  Only after putting the offending pepper on Daddy’s plate.  She is such a trooper.  10 bucks says she is off of mushrooms for a while.

#2 – We left the camera at home.  Of course. 

I am wondering if I can make the peanut chicken with tofu instead of chicken?

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Bragging Mom moment

February 8, 2008 at 3:51 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

We had a surprise visit to the pediatrician this afternoon.  Someone was not sitting on her bum in her little preschool chair this AM, and did a back-flip out of the chair and whacked her head on the hard tile floor.  Fortunately she is A-OK.  I recovered too.  Nothing like getting that kind of call from your child’s teacher.

Her pediatrician is Chinese, and we just adore her.  Of course, she is always telling me how brilliant Bean is, and that does not hurt either ;)    I asked if we would be seeing her at the big party tomorrow, and she said Xin Nian Hao (I think, shame on me for not remembering exactly) to us both.  I asked Bean to tell her Dr. Happy New Year, and she whispered, in the tinyest of voices “Xin Nian”, then looked at me and said even quieter “Kwai Le”.

I am really looking forward to the party tomorrow.  It is going to be a blast.

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Gong Xi Fa Cai

February 7, 2008 at 4:38 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Welcome, year of the rat!

I spent the morning in Beans class helping everyone make red lanterns with gold hangers.  They all seemed to enjoy it, and were quite proud when their teacher hung them across the hall outside of their classroom.  It was fun for me as well.  I do not get to interact with her classmates (or teachers!) much.  We drop her off at the before care program, then her sitter picks her up.  I wish I could spend more time in the room.  Bean did well with me there, just a tiny bit of clingyness towards the end of the morning.  It was fun to watch her with her friends.  I understand a little bit of why she can be so bossy.  The other kids totally did as she directed.  Her teacher called her a ‘good delegator’.  I told her that was a kind way to phrase it.

Tonight we will have long noodles for dinner.  Saturday is the BIG New Years party.  For such a small area we have a good sized Chinese population.  They (us too, several of the local adoptive families are members) have a great organization that puts on a grand feast and show every year.  I am really looking forward to it.  Bean is too.  This is the first year she seems to really understand what is going on, that this is an important time in China.  It helps that she is always up for a good party these days.

As we celebrate, our thoughts will be with all those individuals in China who are having difficulties/are unable to return home because of the weather.  And, of course everyone living in the SWIs.  I gave my bit to the Half the Sky drive.

Happy New Year Everyone.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

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Before Bean came home

February 3, 2008 at 12:22 pm · Filed under Adoption

I should have taken (more) seriously the advice from the BTDT APs with regards to being able to read aloud books like “I love you like crazy cakes” without crying.

I make it to where the mother in the book cries for the baby’s Chinese mother, then I fall apart. Every.Single.Time

It is not terrible that I feel that way, and if she asks about it I tell her honestly why I am crying. It has more to do with me not wanting her to avoid those books because she a) does not want me to cry, or b) is not in the mood for the ‘heavy’ chats.

I do love that story though. Sappy emotions and all.

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Our Turkeys

February 2, 2008 at 10:49 am · Filed under Life in the country

We have a flock of turkeys that travel back and forth through our land a couple of times a day. They are hilarious birds. They make an absolute racket if they think they are alone. They can be way back by the creek and you can be in the house and hear them just a cackling and gobbling away back there. If they hear you though, the all go silent. It is as if they think they really are being sneaky. You know, we cannot hear them breaking twigs and rusting leaves. And also, you know they are like 3 feet tall, so we cannot see them either, of course. Just for giggles sometimes I open one of the sliders and yell “Hellooooooooo Turkeys!”

H was home the other day, classes are in session where he works, so he gets one weekend day off and one day during the week. He heard them and got some great photos of our not so little feathered friends.

This first one was through the slider in our bedroom:

Here come the girls

They just kept coming up the yard. We have occasionally seen them around the pond, but it is very unusual that they come up past the edge of the driveway (you can see it in the bottom left corner of the above photo). He could not believe how close they were coming. He went downstairs to the basement – and got this shot through the door down there.

You could almost touch them, if you were not inside, and they were not wild, of course

Then they saw, or heard him and went waddling as fast as they could back to the woods.

See you later!

H was not sure were the Toms were, there is usually 2 or 3 males with all the females. It would have been neat to get a close photo of one of them.

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