Scott and Helen’s Wedding

Ender looks back at me as he approaches the train table, as if it is forbidden.  He is able to take the crib mobile off now, and has destroyed the cable cords to Daddy’s surround sound speakers today.  The Destroyer is on the prowl, and the Demolition Project has begun.  He is just about 10 months today, not even walking yet. Although, any day now.  He can bend down to pick up something on the floor while standing or supporting himself by the furniture, and come back up standing again.  He can walk holding our hands, or cruise along the couches.  He hasn’t shown a lot of interest in walking; he is crawling quite efficiently now, and very fast.  If anything, we’ve been focusing on his social, musical, and language developments.  He’s been making lots of Chinese sounding noises, and copying Daddy when he said “Hug! Hug!” or attempting to say “Hi Daddy!”  When I taught him to say “more” or “eat” in Chinese when he clamored for more pasta, he imitated the sounds.  He plays with his piano toy every single day, not so much the xylophone.  He LOVES people, most of all, and prefers them over toys anytime.  He is certainly doing and copying everything we do these days, or say.  He can anticipate that Mommy bending down towards him while he’s on the ergo at the grocery store means she is about to attack with kisses, so he uses both hands to block Mommy’s face from coming down successfully.  He tries to touch everything and anything we pass by at PCC.  I had to buy the mango he knocked off to the ground, the apricot he bit on and made a nice dent already (he’s got 8 teeth!  who has that many at 8 months!?!?) and lots of people smile and look at him and comment on how cute he is when we go to stores.  Yesterday Scott and I went to Hector’s for some ribs and dinner, and Ender was very happy and hilarious.  He had a blast shouting and looking at people, who looked at him back, smiling and talking with him.  It was about 10 months ago I was having contractions at the same restaurant, and he was born very shortly after.  Time flies.  Ender is still my baby, but his baby days are numbered.

Ender really got on my nerve this morning when he incessantly tried to flip and roll over onto his tummy and crawled while I was trying to change his diaper.  I remembered Scott’s reminder to gently instruct and positively reinforce, and I repeated instructions for him to flip back and stay still on his back (which he understands now, in Chinese).  He didn’t heed it, and continued to flip.  Finally, I let him experience the consequence of his disobedience, without actually allowing a concussion.  He scraped the side of his head on the edge of the change table and cried.  I put him back, and he flipped again.  This time I let him fall, and I put him down gently onto the floor and stood there watching.  He looked around, didn’t cry, and proceeded to crawl toward the stereo system.  I put him back on again, he flipped again, and before I could put on his pants, he fell and I again caught him and put him on the ground.  Again he crawled toward the bookshelf and CD player.  I put him back on the table, he continued to cry, but didn’t flip again.  I finished putting his pants on and picked him up and kissed him.  But I was flustered.  I told Scott later that I was upset, and thought I was not very patient and not a very good mother today.  I’d yelled at him, and I didn’t comfort him immediately when he cried until we got to the living and I sat him about to nurse him.  We’ve been thinking about whether to have another baby.  I feel like I’d definitely be a horrible mother if I have more than one; as it is, I’m barely able to enjoy Ender truly and be a good mom.  After nursing I put him down for his first nap, and he quickly went to sleep.  He wasn’t overtired; the timing was just right, 2.5 hours after he woke up this morning.

I did enjoy Ender when he got up from his nap .  We played and he was again the pleasant little fellow, mischievous and very busy, but pleasant and amusing again.  I kiss his cheeks so many times every day it’s impossible to count. I feel like a vacation, though.  Going somewhere with Ender and Scott.  Seeing the ocean, or something.  It’ll be good to go hiking this weekend.  It might be good to go down and visit Mom in Salem soon.

Ender has rhythm.  At Dee’s Music Room as part of Musikgarten, he kicked exactly with the beat of the music, smiling, laughing, and talking with the instructor and very curiously looking at all the kids.  We almost left the place with the round wooden stick that was used to hit the beat.  I love how he is so pleasant and happy when I run errands with him.  How he woke up from his naps looking at me very pleased and very delighted, with a wide smile on his face, extremely happy to see me and finding everything hilarious.

Scott and I are leaning toward having another baby now.  Just to do it, without thinking too much about it.  I think deep down inside we both think it’d be ideal to have two kids, if we don’t have to worry about the work involved.  It seems almost better to just do it and not think too much about it.  The ideal plan is still to try again sometime this winter, and to have them 2-3 years apart, 1-2 years academically.  I got a nice nightstand for the guest room.  A nice puzzle of the castle, and a monopoly game.  We went to Uwajimaya and the library.  Ender was very busy touching everything and looking at everyone.  I really enjoy being with Ender.  He is a pleasant fellow, and very funny.  He does this thing where he shakes his head left and right.  I asked him if he wanted to try this piece of dry seaweed.  Immediately he dropped the toast in his hand and took it.  Scott laughed and said, “Well that was quick!”  He went to sleep for the night right around 7pm.  He sleeps all the way till 8am sometimes now, a whopping 13 hours.  He is eating less today.  But I’m trying to have him try all kinds of different foods and fruits.  Life is really enjoyable now.  Ender demolished effectively all of the toys I’ve put away and the train I’ve set up in the only hour he had to crawl and move around this evening.  It was adorable watching him examining and pulling things, all of his books from the toy chest’s bookshelf, and his big head tilting slightly forward figuring out stuff.  He is an amusing fellow.

When Ender approached the weight that was increasing to the back-breaking point, he got sick and for a couple of months his weight went up and down, but more or less the same.  Instead of feeling the inevitable heavy sack we had to eventually endure, we were eager to see him gain the weight and make it to 19 and 20 pounds even, which seemed never going to happen.  These days, however, Ender has been eating for weeks now.  Lots and lots of food.  He even ventured to have the cream of rice cereal that he didn’t even want to try while he was sick.  And back on carrots, apple, seaweed and dark greens, and loads of multi-grain cereal.  When I lift him up these days, I feel the weight.  And I’m happy.  Not nearly as many complaints will come from our mouths.  We love it that he is so happy and healthy these days.

He dost protest too much during evening bedtimes.  But I think maybe it was because he didn’t like wearing his turtleneck, or sleeper, or it was too warm.  If I haven’t mentioned, he is always jumping up and down bouncing on his crib when Daddy sings him a bedtime song now.  He crawls on his hands and knees very quickly and pulls himself to stand in a blink of an eye.  He has long started to pick up his feet and walk when we hold his hands.  Or even dance.  He is a hilarious guy.  I have so much joy these days playing with him.  At first I thought I might want another baby because this is fun when they get past 6 months!  But the growing up process *is* long and hard work.  I think I have enough to enjoy with just Ender.

Just learned from  Jen and Kai, a fellow Mars Hill attendee and playdate in Kirkland, that I ought to start putting in cereal protein for Ender to eat.  I need to stop saying he is picky and start trying all kinds of new foods for him to enjoy.  He is not sick anymore, and he is on the move.  He needs it.

Friday, July 9th, 2010 – It’s been record-breaking hot.  We’ve been meaning to go swimming but haven’t because we were worried that Ender might be dehydrated without being able to cool off at home.  Ender slept downstairs for the last two nights. He cried a little at first the first night, sounded like he was scared (I got him to play a bit in the pack’n'play but not so much downstairs prior). He slept the second night with no problem at all. In fact, both nights he slept till after 8am, whereas he used to wake up at 5am sometimes (anywhere between 7-8 usually). So we’re wondering if the darkness helps him sleep at night. And maybe we can move him to downstairs now (in the remote chance we might have another baby). But as of today, we have central A/C! It’s nice and cool right now. We survived the hottest days! Now is another good time to visit us, again! Ender just had a great time playing with some kids that are 1 and 3 years older. He is now exploring the kitchen. ! Yes, he crawled all the way to the kitchen for the first time, and he looked up to the fridge a lot, where I have all the photos, and plays with the mats on the ground, flipping it over and over to see what’s in front and what’s on the back. He is getting more mobile now, and pulling to stand instantly whenever possible. He also has learned a long time ago how to sit back down from standing onto his butt. He’s a pretty good problem solver. He is able to pull himself up and go down without falling from the very beginning of being able to do this. Very cautious, but not timid either. He has definitely no interest in his toys (except when the other kid kept piling them up to give them to him to play — but I think that girl was more entertaining to Ender than any of his toys, he liked the kids a lot and smiled and winked at them when he smiled). Instead, he is perpetually interested in real things. Wires, modem’s flashing lights, x-box, VCR (yes we have one of those), roomba, floor mat and carpet (he flips them over to see what’s on the other side). He LOVES figuring things out. Real life stuff. Then he moves on.

He has begun to eat again. LOTS of cantaloupe in the last two days. Not so much yam anymore. Still fond of pasta. He is now smiling and winking (or flashing close his eyes slowly when he smiles/laughs) at me pulling himself up by the oven and cabinets. I gotta get him outta there soon.

Saturday when Grandpa visited we went to Coho Restaurant to have dinner. Ender was captivated by the two little girls at the table behind us and looked at them turning completely 180 degrees around the entire time. Then he surprised me when he hollered at them trying to get their attention and trying to "talk" with them. I wonder if he is an extrovert like me, and is not shy socially. Later that night he also did something for the first time while Dad was singing to him before bedtime: he bounced and jumped up and down on his bed. I guess he has pulled himself up enough times to be extremely confident about his footing. He is growing so fast.

Sunday while we were at another Italian restaurant to celebrate Scott’s birthday on Monday, I discovered Ender actually has 6 teeth. Perhaps that’s why he has been not wanting to eat very much for about a month. The 5th and 6th teeth have both come out and already broken through and showing next to the bottom 2 center teeth that he already has. He is as happy as ever these days, still loving cantaloupe and tolerating Amy’s Bowl organic multi-grain cereal enough for me to feed him pretty well these days. This afternoon when he woke up from his nap, I thought his head looked bigger and his cheeks chubbier and his body heavier. Ender is soon going to be a toddler. Time really flies.

Monday – he went straight for the baby at PEPS when we went to Kid’s Quest.  I don’t think he is shy at all.  It was Scott’s birthday, and he was extremely happy to see Daddy when he was home.  It was a very good day for all of us.  So good to see Ender happy and healthy.  We have a good baby.  I love him so much.

Tuesday – he didn’t want to sleep and Daddy picked him up to join us at our very last community group that we hosted with Mars Hill.  He was turning back and forth at whoever was speaking, very engaged and listening, happy and smiling when he looked at us.  Such a good, happy, healthy kid. He is the joy of our lives.

Ender let out a hearty laugh every time he hit this knob that makes this water-like funny sound.  He is slowly recovering from his sore throat and not eating and this afternoon, after I put him down for his last nap, he discovered how to push the button of his music toy on his crib to play music.  He requires more and more of my attention and stimulation; otherwise he becomes easily visibly bored.  He is constantly noticing what’s new and different, searching for what he hasn’t seen before: toys, people, places, patterns, behavior, moods, things, and emotions.  He is more sensitive than I’d realized. Duh.  But he can tell when I am frustrated with him not eating.  Having a baby is the best way for me to relax, and just let things go.  When I do, I feel better, happier, and he senses that and also starts to enjoy mealtime with me.  I’m sure I will continue to learn so much from raising Ender.  I do really look forward to it.  It is going to take all of me. But it is going to be well worth it.

Ender is 9 months today.  I watched him pulled himself up to standing by the entertainment center and the ottoman.  He was cautious, and it took him a while, but he did it without any risk of falling and it was very successful.  I went up to him when he got himself safely up and standing and said “Yay!”  He looked proud and knew he’d yet learned something new and accomplished it successfully.  After Daddy got home, he proceeded to climb over him and pull himself standing again and again.  When I sat next to Scott on the ground next to him chatting, Ender pulled himself up, once again, by pulling both of us, one on each side.  He was able to knock off the Thomas trains on the coffee table, as well as the Beginner’s Bible from the other coffee table.  He is going to start cruising full time, and walking, pretty soon.  I still hope that he’d crawl on his hands and knees more.  But I won’t prevent him from walking if he wants to do that.  Quite an accomplishment, exactly at his 9 month anniversary. I am trying to relinquish the idea that I have a baby in my hands.  Very soon, he will be a toddler, and won’t be a baby anymore.

Ender is 9 months tomorrow.  For the first time since last summer, I opened the hose of our house and watered our plants: the apple trees are growing many apples, stronger than the asian pear tree with its many fruits.  Mr. Lincoln had died and been tossed, but Parfume isn’t doing that well either, fighting Black Spot, which had killed most of its leaves, but it’s sprouting many more.  Ender slept almost 3.5 hours after Grandma left from this past weekend’s visit.  He had so many firsts that he wasn’t the same at the end of the weekend from the beginning.  Grandma got to see him stand up in his crib, chew on the bar, and crawl on his hands and knees, all for the first time.  After started cruising last week, today he started climbing, with my hands’ help, unto the ottoman, just to touch the chair behind it.  He is a lot more talkative now, almost seems like he is doing some imaginative play when he talks to himself and plays while I make our second meatloaf in one week because it is so popular.  Except Ender didn’t eat very much of that.  He doesn’t seem to eat very much in general.  No food is delicious to him anymore, except for yam.  Even toast and seaweed are getting old.  I’m trying to get him to eat more variety of food, but oatmeal, asparagus soup, quinoa, all that I’ve made in large quantities, have been rejected.  Even apple doesn’t work anymore.  Ender doesn’t seem to like any fruit.  I’m not sure if the red dots on his back is due to Vitamin A poisoning, since yam is all he’d eat these days.  He gained 2 pounds after recovering from illness, and lost 1 pound back already.  Such a picky eater.  He is also definitely having stranger anxiety when we go to new places and when he sees new people.  He absolutely loves his routines, and knows exactly what to do with me.  He’d go to sleep and sleep for a long time after Grandma is gone.  He’d sleep through the night from 6pm to 6am.  He’d cry for Dada in the morning because Daddy picked him up from his crib yesterday; or say "Dada” when we pass by our bedroom.  He knows his routines and he feels very secure and happy when his needs are met: ie. slept enough, ate enough, no poopy diaper, nothing bothering him.  I’m trying to stimulate him and read to him every day, both in English and Chinese.  I also got a bunch of Thomas train stuff that I’ve set up on the coffee table, as well as his miniature couch and legos, a rocket rug, and his toy chest.  We’ve been meaning to go to the play dates that people want to have with him, but his sleep seems to always be in the way.  I’ve started to walk and rock climb on a weekly basis.  We rented out our Mercer Island condo, so we’re not on the market for a house anymore.  Just refinanced and fixed the toilet and ordered central air conditioning.  We’re here for a little while at least, and we still have to decide whether to have another baby and whether we’re going to Texas to visit Amy and Tim.  But we’ve told Mom that we’ll be in Salem at some point.  Ender will probably be different yet again then.

It’s been a while now that the standard bedtime routine is Scott singing to Ender, and prays and kisses him before he leaves, while Ender tries to pull himself to stand, sometimes falling backwards to his pillows and blankets when he fails.  I witnessed that last night and it was hilarious.  I don’t know how Scott could still sing with a square face.

Ender is still growing “fast and furious”, quoting Grandma.  I’m glad she got to see him while so many changes were happening.  She said that Ender even changed from the beginning of the weekend to the end.  Scott and I really appreciate her visit.  We’re leaving Mars Hill and it is a very nice gift to have the warmth and support of family.  They’ve even brought the wall shelves for the upstairs’ bathroom and Bud sawed off the wood for the stove to go in further next to the wall.  We had the biggest chocolate cake for everybody’s birthday and Father’s Day, and Scott and I went to dim sum and the Strawberry Festival.  We all went to the park to have Ender’s “9 month photo shoot” and he got so happy on the swing he’d open his arms, kick his legs, and look down while he was swinging in the air. We got some nice shots. I got Buzz Lightyear for Ender from Freecycle. Yesterday he finally “found” it and touched it a bit before he moved on to other toys.  I look forward to a lazy and uneventful summer.  The most important thing for us now is to get healthy.  Get a healthy amount of sleep, eat healthy, exercise, and find a healthy church.

Ender started cruising yesterday.  I was picking him up to have dinner, but he really wanted his bottle’s cap lying on the ottoman, so I put him down standing next to it.  He proceeded to walk toward it along the ottoman without me prompting, teaching, or helping.  Today, he does more attempts pulling himself up higher to reach the electronic devices in our entertainment system.  Scott said Ender was trying to pull himself to standing at bedtime last night, and is probably going to be able to do so in a few days.  He also does this cool maneuver to standing from being down with my hands’ help, without me having ever tried to teach him how to set his foot forward and step up like that.  He started to walk while holding unto my hands this week, the first time he has done so not just because of his reflex.  He is looking like a toddler more and more as his top two teeth become more and more prominent.  He is constantly talking and is more and more aware and more and more manipulative and cunning, showing specific will and preferences in all kinds of ways.  He is growing at such a fast speed and it’s so visible now it’s breathtaking.

Today I noticed that Ender sat up from being on his tummy for the first time.  These days he is also having his first diaper rash, probably from eating more solids now, and pooping more.  I read somewhere that he is taking most of his nutrients from solids now.  Hard for me to let it go.  ;)  He is a lot more interactive every day, likes to smile and cuddle.  Scott melts when he puts his head on Scott’s chest, which Ender does more and more often every day.  We are still figuring out where to go for church; but some things are being clarified and there is some communication with Chris Swan, so it’s more comforting.  We’re still not sure whether we will get a house upgrade, or continue to rent out our unit and stay where we are.  Ender talks as if he can hold conversations with us; sometimes outside with other people present as well.  I just made meatloaf today, made mangolian beef and chicken pot pie last week, and have been trying to keep up with the increasingly more demanding task of taking care of the increasingly mobile Ender.

The first time Ender could crawl and the roomba was on, he chased after it and had a good exercise that day, and fell asleep rather quickly, and for a good long time.  He doesn’t seem to like banana, avocado, potatoes, curry, or fruits like grapes, cherries, apricot, or mango.  However, he’d stuff himself silly with toast, eat infinite amount of yam, and Cynthia’s seaweek miso soup. He also likes carrots, apples, pasta, and water.