Friday, September 29, 2006
It is finished!
Funny thing was that I got in my car then, and went to Aidan's school. The little guy spotted me from across his playground and came RUNNING to the fence! He gave me a big, wet, kiss, and ran to the classroom door to wait for me. He then reminded me that, "we're go to Daddy's office! Then CalTrain!" And off we went! The evening ended with a feast at Hotaru's, a lovely Japanese place not too far away from home. Aidan discovered salmon sashimi. Yum!
It is just such a huge contrast- my work life and my home life. This next phase will be interesting...
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
World's Strangest Job
I have the strangest job in the entire world. This is a fact. Hubby agrees with me. And I think you will too.
I had my 'exit interview' yesterday with my program director. As we reviewed my file to be sure that all my paperwork was in order, I realized that I had been attached to this program one way or another for six Septembers! Then we discussed what I had learned, how I had changed...etc, I could not help myself but cry. Seriously, I had cried in this man's office more than I cry at home! Who else goes to their boss' office and cry, routinely?! I thought I made him tear up too- one can't be certain, but he did get a tissue and dabbed his eyes.
It has been very hard saying good-bye to something I have known and counted on for so long. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be able to say, "I am done with training." However, for even longer than I remember, I have been in training. It is an unknown world out there! I have more good-byes for Thursday and Friday... Come next Monday, I will not have my usual commute, I will not go back to my little no-window-but-good-for-napping office, and I will probably never see my patients again. And that, is very sad. I will remember the stuff that these people have told me over the years- probably things they have not told anyone else. Just a sample of how weird my job is, these are the questions I have asked, some more frequently than others:
"What do you mean, dry humping?"
"What does 'stalking' mean to you?"
"I thought urination is not possible while the penis is erect."
"It is probably wise to check your credit score to be sure that your parents have not stole your identity."
"What would happen if he skipped a meal and you let him go hungry?"
"Any thoughts of hurting yourself?"
What am I going to say to Aidan when he asks me what I do for a living?!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Dreams
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Exhausted
Daddy has been exhausted working and taking care of us. Then last night, when we went out to dinner, he took Aidan to the bathroom to wash hands while I ordered dinner for us. I ended up ordering what I have been craving: all appetizer type food, like dumplings, and there was essentially nothing for him to eat...very sad.
I am just exhausted from trying to wrap things up at work. Just FIVE more business days of being a resident... This termination has been much more difficult than I imagined. Since this is my first job, I honestly don't know if ending a job is always stressful. I have thought that since one is leaving, there would be no new work coming down the pipeline and so there ought to be less to do in the last week. Unfortunately for me, saying good-bye to my patients, many of whom I have worked with for three years, has been very difficult. They either, a. thank me endlessly and make me feel guilty for leaving them behiind, b. tell me horrible things about their lives that I can't possibly fix and thus giving me their awful feelings anyway, c. they simply just don't show up! Then, I have to try to track them down and say good-bye via phone... I can't decide which one is more painful. Alas, it will be over in five business days...
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Things to be Proud of
The other day, we made a trip to Costco. After watching the workers fix tires, we finally went and spent our hard earned money. I was strangely enticed by this display of mediterranean food: little personal pizzas in packs of three, and various pastries, you mix and match 3 items for $12. The pizzas were fairly yummy, but the pastries were dry, dry, dry! Nonetheless, I felt the carbs calling out to me, and packed up my three items. At the check out line, while waiting for the boys to come back, I looked at this enormous bag of carbs, and thought, seriously, what are you doing? Then I put it all back. While riding in the car, I told Hubby about this, and was very proud of myself for 1. not buying things that will for sure go bad before a family of three can eat it all, and 2. resisting carbs. Hubby agreed. Then over dinner, I again said that I was hugely proud of my self-restraint. A day later, I brought this up again. At this point, Hubby laughed and said that he thought this was quite a strange incident to be so proud of. He thought that I should be proud of finishing up residency in a week, instead, I was perseverating about these little pizzas...
Perhaps my battle with carbs/weight gain had reduced my brain cells to focus on resisting carbs and not much else...
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The Cost of Raising a Child
The Wall Street Journal (the BEST paper EVER) publishes their annual ratings of business schools today. We are of course happy to see that Daddy's business school education is deemed #3 by the Journal, whatever that means. What is shocking, however, is the cost of education. It costs $40,000 in tuition and fees, $18,000 in room and board to go to Columbia Business School this year. Who can afford that?! Back in the day, we paid $40,000 for everything, and we thought we were getting robbed. Our senior year of private undergraduate education costed $26,000 for room, board, tuition, fees, books, and whatever. It felt like a huge jump then to pay $40,000 for graduate school. How did we ever survive two years of double negative income? Whenever we talk about Aidan's education, we shudder. I figure it will cost us $140,000 for our two children's prekindergarten days. Perhaps it isn't too much, considering a fulltime nanny would cost at least $50,000 annually. Who knows how much college will be by the time Aidan goes- in 2022. Assuming an 8% increase annually, compounding that... That means, college tuition doubles every 9 years, so tuition is going to quadruple by the time Aidan goes?! That is just... All I can say is, Aidan will either
A: Be very smart and go on merit scholarships
B: Be very poor and go on financial scholarships
C: Be very athletic and go on sports scholarships
D: Not go to college
E: Make his own money and go to college
Then, when it comes to graduate school, he has two options.
A: Go with his own money
B: Not go
Maybe, Jesus will come before then and all this is moot. One can only hope...
Monday, September 18, 2006
Aidan Says...
These are the funny things Aidan has been saying.
Us: "Aidan, are you a person?"
A: "NO! PEOPLE!"
Us: "What? You are a whole people?"
A: "Yeah."
A: "Aidan has gas."
Me: yelling in the car about bad drivers...
A: "Dude!"
A: "I don't think so!"
Us: "Aidan, do you like strawberries or do you like cantalopes?"
A: "No, trains!"
This morning.
A: "Open fridge! See!"
Me: "What? Why do you need to see the fridge?"
A: "Open!"
So I open the fridge. He points to Canadian bacon. He points to yogurt, he points to fruit.
Me: "Aidan, you have all these for lunch. What do you want for breakfast?"
A: "Joe's O's. Raisins."
He is so funny.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Food
While I know that "Man cannot live on bread alone," these days, I spend a lot of my waking hours thinking about food, especially how to eat it to minimize barfing. I am even dreaming mostly about food.
This is a recurring dream these past few weeks: A BIG HAMBURGER! A thick medium-well done patty, on fluffy toasted buns, with lots of lettuce and tomato, and of course, tasty French fries on the side. With a pickle too. I dream that I eat the entire entree, and still have room for dessert. I have been eating a lot of burgers in real life. I even get one when we were at Bonfante Gardens. I take the boys to In-N-Out after church, and I essentially had two burgers, and probably could have eaten another one. Aidan had 3/4 of a burger on his own, and that meant Daddy went hungry... Maybe it isn't just about the burgers. Perhaps it is any kind of stuff in a bun. I have been thinking about the Egg McMuffin without cheese since this morning. I have driven to McDonald's twice in the past few weeks to get one after I take Aidan to school. It is a trip full of inconvenient left turns, but I make the trips anyway. I make veggie burgers at home. Yum!
I am also thinking a lot about glutinous rice. Congee. Burrito rice. Spicy chicken bento box from Tapioca Express http://www.tapiocaexpress.ws/home.htm YUM!
Seriously, I am thinking so much about food. I am also realizing that I need to eat most of my food by 5 pm, because after that, if I eat a significant meal, I increase the likelihood of barfing by 10 pm. I don't know why- is my GI tract slowing down THAT much after the fateful hour of 5? Who knows?
All this, while trying to not gain so much weight that I have another gigantic newborn. Last time, I gained about 42 pounds... YIKES! Aidan was 9 pounds at birth. My OB thinks that if I can limit my weight gain to 35 pounds this time around, my chances of delivering am 8 pounder is higher. So, I am obsessively trying to balance giving into my dreams of carbs and protein, while maintaining my weight. I sometimes feel like the more watchful I am about my weight, the worse it gets, and that it takes up so much of my mental energy, that it is simply not worth it. Then I think about popping out a 9 pounder... Can't win this at all. Maybe this is the beginning of parenthood that I should have recognized last time: Can't win it all.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
BRING IT ON!
So I have been hanging on to some news, some what eager to share, yet not ready to face the inevitable... We are expecting our second child, due in March, to be exactly three years apart from Aidan...
It has been interesting comparing the two pregnancies.
With Aidan, I could not find words to share the news with people at work yet wanted to tell all our friends and family. I was tired, but not exhausted. I ate fine, craved chow mein, sat on the couch everyday after work and watched The Nanny. I slept fine. I vomitted a few times. Overall, no big deal with the pregnancy. I had thoughts about how to decorate the nursery. We bought Aidan's crib and bedding when I was six weeks pregnant. We went on walks. I did prenatal yoga.
This time around, I don't care that people at work know that I am pregnant... I have 18 business days remaining in my residency training! However, I rather not discuss this pregnancy when Aidan is close by. I am exhausted, I can sleep 12 hours a day if given the chance. I can't stand vegetables. I just want to eat carbs, and more carbs, and more carbs. I hate room temperature drinks. I have barfed more than I care to admit. There is no sitting on the couch after work. We don't even have TV reception anymore. I don't go on walks anymore. I can't remember ever having energy to do prenatal yoga. I am thinking that maybe we will set up the crib after my contractions start, if we are lucky. Maybe the baby will sleep in the pack and play for a while, and that only takes minutes to set up. We do need a new diaper pack and a new diaper genie for sure. I perseverate how how to tell Aidan, where he will go when I go deliver this new knobbin'. Mostly, I worry about the TRUE end to my 'freedom.'
I mourned the loss of my adult independence after Aidan was born. That took a while... Now, I have found a new 'mommy freedom' with a child who is easy going, who plays somewhat independently, who naps predictably, who tells me what he wants...etc. And ALL THAT, is going to be gone in just another 29 weeks, at most. I fully realize that parenting is, to quote a supervisor of mine, 'two sane people giving up their sanity for a completely dependent being.' At the same time, 'more pain, more joy.' But really, do I know what I am getting myself into?
The adjustments we have made in preparation: GETTING MORE HELP. I will take any type of help, help we pay for, help we don't pay for, whatever, I will take it.
So I say, BRING IT ON!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Spoke Too Soon
Alas, there is poop all over my house!!!
I think this is what happened. Aidan had a small bowel movement the second time he made the puddle, and didn't tell me. I was in such shock over the proximity of the puddle to my rug, that I didn't examine the underwear...and really, who wants to examine underwear, ever? I threw the underwear in the wash, I know, I should have rinsed it first... And then ran the wash, and there was poop on that pair of underwear, so there was poop particles ALL over that load of laundry, and when I took out that load of laundry, poop IS ALL OVER MY laundry closet, and obviously, that load needed to be rewashed, but how long, will my laundry facility be occupied by various poop particles? THIS IS SO GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is on par with dissecting the abdomen in gross anatomy: We had to resect all the bowel, all 12 feet of it...and you guessed it, the bowel was filled with POOP, and it was GROSS!!!!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
You Choose
Last night, after finishing LOST, the first season on DVD, we go to bed, with brains full of unfortunate, negative stuff. I dream that Aidan regurgitatesall his food, and refuses to use the potty. Daddy dreams that we have Aidan's poop ALL over the house... Clearly, we are very freightened. I think, potty training requires all parties to be ready, and we are quite intimated and unprepared. Most milestones in Aidan's life so far, he just goes with it, and we catch up. He just starts to walk and then we scramble to child-proof the house. He just starts to sleep through the night, and we follow suit. This, however, is totally different. We can 'influence' him... Babies in China are potty trained at ONE YEAR OF AGE! Do their neurons mature that much faster?
Alas, this morning, after Aidan is up, we show him the potty. We remove the nighttime diaper, and we say bye to diapers during the day. (The plan is to use diapers for nighttime, indefinitely...) We admire how cute he is in his big boy underwear. Ten minutes later, "MOMMY! POOP! PEE!" There is a puddle in his room... I lift him up, take him to the potty, where he finishes. We mop up the urine, and I wonder if the whole house is going to smell like ammonia by the end of the day. I make peace with the fact that my lovely couch will no longer be lovely, and that we are getting new furniture when the toilet training phase of my life is over... We leave the pants off, for easy access, although Daddy suggests that it may be 'safer' for the poop-everywhere scenario if he wears pants. We end up deciding that easy access is key. So, we eat breakfast, and as I am cleaning up, I wonder, should I ask him if he wants to go? I decide though, that it has only been 30 minutes, who urinates THAT frequently? While my mind is still on this, Aidan runs to me, "ALL WET!!! ALL WET!!!" Lucky for us, this new puddle is on our laminate flooring, just an inch away from our new rug... We again, run up stairs, and he finishes in the potty. He desperately wants off the potty and asks for a diaper. I gladly put on his diaper, and we agree, that when he is good and ready, he is going to tell us.
I am relieved... 1. No more chasing wet puddles. 2. There never was piles of poop in the house. 3. Aidan didn't regurgitate all his food. 4. No fissures. 5. The inevitable is postponed for another day...
Sunday, August 20, 2006
The Weekend Routine
This weekend, the boys go out on Saturday morning, after sleeping in and eating a hearty breakfast. Where do they go? Wherever. The goal is to wear Aidan out so that he will take a long nap. Daddy is very diligent about UV protection, which is a very good thing. Daddy usually calls me for a pickup just before lunch. This Saturday, they go to a park and Aidan enjoys the swing very much.
They come home, eat lunch, and we all go take a nap. This weekend is a special weekend, because the fair is still here! I take my lovely boys, drop them off, and while I run some errands (my kind of fun), they are having their kind of fun. We meet up at the fair for dinner, Aidan eats TWO corn dogs. Yum. And we use his all-day wristband to our hearts' content.On Sunday, we go to church. Drop offs for Aidan's nursery is becoming easier and easier. He just has so much fun. We go home, eat lunch, and you guess correctly- we all go down for a LONG nap. After nap time, we make it to the library just before they close and get Aidan some new and interesting books. We go join the mobs trying to buy 50% off sushi at a local Japanese grocery store... happen to see my boss...quick hide, no need for him to see me in the mob pushing and shoving. We catch sights of the trainx3! Head home, eat lots of sushi, and before we know it, it is bed time, for Aidan, and soon, for us.
I suppose it is not so much divide and conquer, as it is just Daddy conquering.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Is It Really Time?
Last night, after his bathtime, Aidan goes to his room to get his diaper on, then his jammies, and in general, gets ready for bed. However, instead of going on his mat, he says, "pee pee!" and runs back to the bathroom, he spontaneously sits down on his little training potty, and looks at us. We think, alright, how long is this going to take? Really, we are tired... I sit in his room and calls out to Daddy, who is supervising, "Honey, does he know what to do?" Daddy says, "well, he is trying to point his penis down..." So we wait. Aidan stands up, looks in the potty, and to our surprise, there is actually fluid in there! We give him lots of high-fives and "GOOD JOB!" and convince him to leave the potty alone and to go get his jammies on.
Wow, is it time that our little one is ready to be free of the diaper? Am I ready? To be honest, while diapers are $$$! and it is not fun changing them, at least I don't have to run around and try to find a bathroom every hour when we are out. The carpet is clean, the seats are dry...etc. We have been quite blase about potty training him. Why give up my current freedom in exchange of the unknown? Therefore, Aidan's potty sits in the bathroom, empty, and gets used as a stepping stool (no pun intended!) Alas, I think the little one may be getting ready...
Growing up so fast...
Saturday, August 12, 2006
The Fair!
2002: I am given two free tickets by an attending from the hospital. Her children always enter the baking contests and are given these tickets. Hubby and I go check out the fair after work. We park for free at Hubby's work, get in for free, see a piglet race, and heard 1000 Maniacs all for free- famous people come to San Mateo! We also find a funnel cake stand, yum. (The first time I had a funnel cake was at the Westchester County Fair...that is another story.)
2003: We buy our own tickets. Unfortunately, I am tired and nauseous from being pregnant with Aidan. We talk extensively about how much fun our baby will have coming to the fair, to see the big animals, the junk food, the rides...can't wait.
2004: We go with Aidan, who is five months old. Let's just say that it is difficult to go while he is awake! I think he is a three-naps-a-day kind of baby at this point. We go in the mid afternoon, right after his nap, he sits on a goat, has an okay time, and then screams for a good while before falling asleep in his stroller- because he is not a stroller-napping kind of guy. We manage to see some divers though.
2005: We buy our tickets early on-line, and try to get our small group to go. Alas, all the babies nap at different times and I end up selling the extra tickets on the street. Aidan enjoys the piglets a little bit more- although he appears quite confused about why these animals run in circles.
2006: Our >36 inches friend is ready for the rides! We go on opening day and we buy an all-you-can-ride band for Aidan. It is somewhat disappointing in the beginning- very few rides for the folks in between 36-42 inches! He goes on this ride that makes very quick turns- we are standing off to the side, we see his seat belt fly off- and the operator does NOTHING! Aidan looks concerned, then breaks into a big smile. We have an adrenaline junkie! We can hardly wait for the ride to be over, but Aidan enjoys it immensely. We eat the usual fried goods. We see piglets run around. And then Aidan discovers two rides that come with very BIG SLIDES! He has so much fun. We take turns going with him. We are only able to leave the fair because we promise Aidan that we have one more ticket to come another time.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Marriage
Yesterday, we had dinner with a friend. It was suppose to be dinner with two friends who are engaged to each other. Alas, the fiance was stuck in Vegas, for his bachelor party, and so only the fiancee could come. We love this woman. She is just the perfect match for our friend, whom we have known for, goodness, six years! Anyway, we talked about their upcoming nuptials, the benefits of children, and of couse, SEX. She told us about a workshop that Redeemer Presbyterian Church had not too long ago, where Tim Keller and his wife, Kathy, talked openly about sex, and other issues in marriage. We could hardly wait to download it and listen. We learned so much about the Gospel through the teachers of Tim Keller when we lived in NYC and hearing that familiar voice always makes me nostalgic, not just of NYC, but of our child free days.
Anyway, Tim and Kathy always say that married life without children is simply being on a very long date. I can't agree more. Truly, it is not until one has children, that issues about submission, service, forgiveness...etc become all the more real. It is interesting, (yet so obvious!) that marriage is all about ministry, that the husband and wife minister to one another. So that while I am to submit to Hubby, in no way am I ministering to him if by submitting, I would be allowing him to continue in his sin patterns! Similarly, sex is also a ministry! Tim and Kathy both say that there needs to lots of it, in marriage, and it is about the other's pleasure. It brings me to this interesting point, that Kathy and Tim talked about how it took many, Many, MAny, MANy, MANY years to them to be really good at sex. Therefore, I suppose Hubby and I are no where near it?!
It is also absolutely clear, that Hubby and I had no IDEA what we were getting into when we married. We were in LOVE, in our very early twenties, and fortunately, by the grace of God, married each other. I am thankful I did not marry a person who makes me submit to him, and I can say that Hubby is happy he married me. In his words earlier this evening, "Thank God I did not marry a wench." Not that I am perfect, but we are just perfect for one another. It is daunting though, that we are still doing the "easy stuff." Sure, we have a child, but one child is still simpler than two, and Aidan is still small enough that we can drag him away from danger, we all are healthy, and we don't have too many day to day worries. It is the part of the vow, that talks about sickness, poor, worse, that I know will inevitably come, that makes me wonder, how/what will we do? Alas, like it is inscribed in our weddind rings, Romans 8:37-39, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Monday, August 07, 2006
Names
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Funny!
Aidan's school has a 'Crazy Day' ever so often- where the kids/teachers dress up in very strange outfits. Sometimes, they havce 'Pajama Day' and those are always very cute. I scratch my head for a long time and come up with this outfit, which Aidan's beloved Juju added a smiling face to the belly, although it is hard to see as the paint comes off after a while. He is wearing a shirt that he wore when he was 2 months old, back when it was long sleeved...We come home and we line up most of his transportation methods- there are some in our cars, in his bag, and perhaps never to be found. Alas, here are just a sample of Aidan's massive collection.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
-
Car Trouble
Cars, you can't live with them, you can't live without them. We have had a lot of car repairs this past year. My car needed new suspension, Daddy's car needed new something or other, then I rear ended someone, the whole front exterior of the car got replaced, which then involved dropping the car off for a whole week, getting a rental car, returning the rental car, picking up the car, dealing with insurance...blah, blah, blah. Daddy's car needed a new boot, or something with the steering, and then he had a flat tire, then I got a flat tire.
I am very much missing the days of taking public transportation...
I figure Aidan would love watching our tire gets patched and fixed- I mean, he asks to watch at Costco whenever we are there. He shows us, 'this way', when we are even in the vicinity. So, I take advantage of my fairly free morning, and take him to Costco. The plan is to get there before they open, so we're first in line, get it fixed, and get to school by 10. WISHFUL THINKING! Turns out, the tire center opens at 10. Someone fails to show up to work, so even though we're #2, the whole thing will take at least an hour. Evidently, contrary to my assumption, Aidan does NOT like watching HIS car get fixed. It worries him too much that the tire is so far away from the actual car, and that the car guy spins the wheel and who knows what else! The entire time, Aidan repeatedly expresses his extreme concern...while we're in the hot sun, watching the patch dry... And, because all the work needs to be verified by another worker- it becomes problematic when there is NO other worker... Seriously, this leaves something to be desired.
Alas, at 11, our car is fixed, Aidan hops in, we get to school, and Aidan tells his teachers about our ordeal with a very concerned face.
God willing, no more car troubles for a LONG while!
-
A Very Long Day
I have eight weeks and three days of residency left. When is this EVER going to end? Today has been a very, very, long day. I get to supervision at 8 am-bright eyed and pushy tailed. It is simply a super supervision session. I am still learning so much- which brings me to the frightening thought: WHAT AM I EVER GOING TO DO AFTER RESIDENCY?! (Fear not, general population, I am planning on paying for supervision.) Then onto clinic. Then a brief staff meeting, and then I drive back to the hospital. When I get out of my newly repaired car, I hear a very loud hiss. I look around and find this humongous nail stuck in my tire... Bummer. I call my Knight, but am unable to locate him. I go to a class about psychotherapy, finding that while I have learned a lot these past four years, I am still a novice, AND, my basic question of how a person can actually change without Christ nags me to no end. We have process group, which deserves its own blog, except that the issues in process group is confidential. Let's just say that 'the goal of process group is to learn group process.' What does that mean? Do I know more about group process 43 business days prior to the end of my training? Yikes. During group, my Knight calls me, who reminds me that we pay for roadside assistance. So a different knight show up to swap my tires. After group, we resume our psychotherapy class. I finally leave the hospital at 5, drive no more than 50 mph to get Aidan.
I have not seen this little guy since last night! He looks bigger, cuter, and well, smarter. He enjoys his snack of Goldfish crackers, which he calls "Sheesh daraders", we use the timer, leave school in five minutes, get on the freeway, frown at the traffic, watch the "Heweecopter," and "Airpain, ZOOM!" Finally, we make it home, my Knight is already there. The problem then come up, that yesterday, when Aidan wanted to go swimming after we got home, we couldn't go because we had company over for dinner, and we had agreed that we would go swimming today (because I forgot I had a FULL day scheduled...) So, Daddy and Aidan set off for the pool, after much struggle with the very tight swim diaper, sunscreen, pool toy...and I start dinner. I discover that the world's most versatile creature, the ant, has invaded my pantry! Alas, no time to fuss with them now, must stick to the goal of making dinner. They come home at 6:30, Aidan proceeds immediately to being timed out for excessive complaining- bummer! We eat dinner. Aidan eats so much corn that I am feeling very afraid for tomorrow's big bowel movement, God willing, may it happen at school... I clean up, the boys play the game of 'sneaking up on mommy.' We play hiding and seek, and then it is bath time. Strangely, Aidan asked for 'one ren' (one person, his very own version of Chinglish) to dress him. I tell him about how Mommy's Mommy and Daddy used to discipline her when she was a baby. Aidan appears quite intrigued with the idea that Mommy was once a baby. He asks about 'daddy baby' and we tell him how Daddy used to get timed out all the time (truth? I am not sure) We kiss him goodnight.
Then I clean out my pantry and find that the ants are trying to get into my jar of yummy fried shredded pork goodies, I take everything out, dump all the stuff that I once had fantasized about making, and sprinkle cinnamon along the edge.
IT IS TIME FOR BED!
Friday, July 21, 2006
BOOT CAMP!
We have decided that Aidan has gone over the line. The line is so far behind him, that none of us can see it. It seems like he is becoming, well, wild. The days have become more difficult for us since he can run away more quickly. Our smart verbal distractions don't seem to work so well. Even Mr. Hippo is losing his magical powers of convincing Aidan to transition from one thing to the next.
This realization comes to me recently, after I cajole Aidan for a LONG time to convince him to go home with me and leave his friends behind. He screams, "NO HOME! NO HOME!" I say, "Mr. Hippo is going home, Daddy is home, we gotta go!" HE YELLS BACK, "NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!"
Fortunately for me, I am still more resourceful than he is. The next day, I borrow Aidan's classroom timer, I tell him he has five more minutes, and when the timer yells out "DING!" It is time for us to go. Ah. What audacity. After the timer dings, Aidan puts up a huge fight. I drag my screaming child out of the school, and into our car. We make it home, not in less time, but at least on my terms. I persist. The teachers persist with me. And from the second day on, his friends at school assist us! They see me, they see the timer, and they say, "Ding, Aidan go home." Aidan says, "Ding, home, mommy, bye." Ah. We achieve a beautiful equilibrium.
At home, Aidan still runs away from us, refuses to put on pants...etc. We rule with the IRON FIST! He screams, during his time outs, "NO TIME! NO TIME! NO TIME!" He hates being timed out so much, that the disobedient behavior evaporates immediately!
That brings us to the obvious question, "do we spank or not?" Interestingly, most professional organizations are somewhat silent about this issue. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, and Americah Psychiatric Association, all agree that spanking at school is an out, but they offer no opinions at home. Kaiser Permanente, on their handouts, strongly discourages spanking. James Dobson, at least when he wrote about this a decade ago, was pro-spanking. When we were kids, I was spanked whereas Whitman didn't really need to be spanked. Obviously, there is a temperament difference. But where does Aidan fall? In all the readings I have done, it talks about spanking only when the parent isn't mad- but I am always mad when I want to spank him! When I am not mad, I don't see how spanking would help. So do I need to be more detached about this? Interestingly, none of my colleagues spank...what does that say about my profession and parenting?
For now, I pray that Aidan has Daddy's temperament and will not need spanking...
Saturday, July 15, 2006
AHHHH! The Way It Used To Be
The other reason I have not been sleeping well, is well, my other beloved. Fortunately for us, the woes of him trying to adjust back to PST, to his new toddler bed, is now a faint memory. He is SO GOOD, that often times, when we go get him, he is awake, but just laying in bed, enjoying the peace and quiet. So good, that we have been wondering, 'how long has he been awake?' We ask Aidan to simply yell out Mommy or Daddy when he is up and the sun is up. However, I guess his blackout shades are so good that he thinks it is nighttime, forever...
This morning, I open my eyes at 8:43, (WOW! That is 9 1/2 hours of sleep! JUST like all the Saturdays before that fateful Ides of March in 2004!) I creep out of my room, since my Big Beloved is still asleep. I open Aidan's door, he pops up like a Jack in the Box, says 'All Done!' he comes to me, we go back to my room. Aidan sees Daddy is still asleep, so he says, 'shhhhh' and tucks Daddy back in. How cute is that?
For the moment, the grown ups in this house are sleeping the way we used to, and I can feel the 'freedom' coming as Aidan is becoming more independent. Yet, it feels like time to mix it up again, with a new baby. Do we really want to, this time, voluntarily, with a full understanding of the insanity of parenthood, forgo the luxury that is now upon us?
Oh, but who can resisit another one of this:
Monday, July 10, 2006
YIKES!
While we are playing with trucks, I hear a little flutter in my left ear. I say to myself, 'hmm, that is interesting, what is that? Is my hair tickling me? Never felt that before...' I quickly formulate a list of differential diagnosis: 1. water in my ear from swimming this morning, 2. ANT in my ear!!!! Yikes. I call Daddy, the call went to voice mail. I call him again, and again. On the third call, he picks up, I am hysterical: "COME HOME NOW! I HAVE AN ANT IN MY EAR!!!" Aidan by now is quite worried that I am freaking out. He panics, and I panic more. YIKES! We go look for my otoscope, fortunately, it is still charged. Of course, I can't look in my own ear, so we look in Aidan's. He is surprisingly cooperative about this. It is clear that this child needs to either go see his pediatrician to have his ear wax picked out, or we need to use the solution. All this time, I hear the little flutter in my ear...
I reminisce, or rather, try to distract myself, about the last patient I have worked with that had a bug in her ear. This was when I was still in school, going to some women's prison in NY to learn how to perform physical exams. This poor woman had something in her ear, the prison sent her to the ER, where she received a consult from an ENT resident, who declared she had NO foreign object in her ear. The internist and I find a dead moth three days later. We irrigated her ear canel and the moth came out in pieces... THAT POOR WOMAN, who had to endure the bug for days, and waited until it died. I can't even imagine...
Daddy gets back. I show him how to use the otoscope, and I am right- there is an ANT in my EAR! I leave the boys home and drive, frantically, to the ER. I use my badge to get in, find the MD on call, and tell him I have an ant in my ear and please do something! Dr. A looks in, confirms the findings, gets a pair of forceps, and gets the ant out. Phew. I get in my car and drive home. All this took just 20 minutes! For the first time in my entire life, I am thankful for what I do for a living! I mean, I have always enjoyed my work, but the work has never benefited ME! Sure, there was the private room after labor and delivery, but this, getting a bug out, in under 5 minutes, in a busy county ER, is just AWESOME!
It is now all quiet in my left ear... I am calling the exterminator first thing in the morning!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
The Bane of the Fourth of July
It has been a tumultuous week since we came back from Australia. I have been fighting a cold, Aidan is transitioning out of his crib and into a toddler bed, and then we have a full weekend. He is finally going to bed, without weeping and not getting up because of jet lag. Then, the Fourth of July comes.
Aidan goes to bed at 8, and I have a fantasy of going to bed by 10 myself. But no. People start to fire off their ILLEGAL fireworks soon after. Aidan stays up, asking and crying about the "NOISE!" Then, at 9:30, the fireworks from our city starts. We loved this firework before Aidan came! It was GREAT, being able to see it from our place. Oh, how the times changed! I DESPISE this event now. Aidan screams about the "NOISE!" We decide that all is lost, and we take him outside to show him that the noise is no big deal. He actually enjoys the fireworks. We head back inside at 10. We settle him down, he is fairly agreeable to this, then the SIRENS for ambulance/fire truck start. We settle him back down, THEN THEY GO AGAIN for a total of THREE times! WHAT GIVES!?!?!?!?! I HATE THIS!!?!?!?!?!?!? It is now 10:30, and he is still crying about this. Obviously, the window is long gone. AND, people are still firing off their ILLEGAL firework! LAME!!!!!
You ask, what is the big deal? Just let him stay up, he will just sleep in! The big deal is, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK THE NEXT DAY! AND THAT MEANS AIDAN NEEDS TO GET UP AT 7:30, and if he doesn't, and I need to wake him up, then it takes us MUCH longer to get out of the house since he is unhappy about not getting enough sleep, then he is late to school, then I am late to work, and I HATE BEING LATE to work when there is someone waiting for me!!!!!
I tell Daddy, maybe it is time to move out of this city. He thinks I am thinking irrationally. Probably true.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
The Magical 35 Inches
No wonder Pottery Barn Kids is such an attractive place to shop, a place where polyster is not welcome- I searched high and low for some train bedding. The Thomas the Tank Engine ones are relatively inexpensive, but they are made from more polyster than cotton! Is it even possible to make sheets from polyster? Though Thomas does have a PLASTIC toddler bed, for $250! My bed isn't even $250! New territory means new ways of spending $...
Jet Lag
Perhaps I spoke too soon when I said that Aidan is back on PST. It had been five days since we came back, and for the first four nights, Aidan went to sleep at 8, woke up to complain about his cold, but in general, slept fine. Last night was a different story. He went to bed happily at 8, started to cry at 9:30, and was awake, in his crib, complaining on and off, until 1:30. OH LORD! HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO LAST?!
What to do? When he first complained, I thought, do we go to comfort him, or not? Do we go in once, tell him to go to sleep, then not return? What would that accomplish? So, we chose to ignore the first cry at 9:30. It lasted about three minutes, then went away. Starting at 9:45, the crying became incessant. Daddy went in, told him that it was night time and he needed to go back to sleep. Daddy sat with him for five minutes, and left. Aidan cried. After ten minutes, the cries were much more desperate. I went in, told him to go to sleep and that no one is coming back until the light is out. He screamed when I left. Then, while I was complaining to Daddy about the situation, we heard, "DADDY! MOMMY!" then a big thud! The Charmer had ESCAPED his crib! Yikes. I ended up sitting next to him for another hour, until he fell asleep.
The dilemma of parenthood: never knowing what is going on. Was he awake because he was 1. jet lagged, 2. teething, 3. sick, 4. being spiteful? What gives? What was the right thing to do, 1. hold him, 2. sit with him, 3. ignore him? And in what permutation would this work? What does it mean for his psyche?
What was Jesus like as a toddler? Did He have nights that he complained? He was fully God and sinless, so hard to imagine that Jesus gave Mary a hard time. But yet He was fully human, so what does that mean? Hmm.
Alas, the saga continues. And fortunately for me, I don't need to be the perfect parent, because Jesus already is the Perfect Parent for Aidan. Phew.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Fender Bender
Then, to Aidan's school for his Fourth of July Parade. Super fun.
On my way back to work, I rear ended a pregnant lady, who also had a toddler in her car... YIKES. Her car appeared fine except for some scratches on her bumper, which I am sure she will want replaced... But my poor car, needs a new hood, the light on the right went bust... We were coming off the freeway, she started to turn right, then slammed on her brakes. She told me, while we were exchanging information, that she got rear ended, just like this, not long ago in Burlingame. I thought, lady, maybe you need to just GO! Alas, I was the one who did the deed. I wondered, do parents with toddlers more apt to get in minor car accidents? To make me feel less guilty, I hypothsised that she got distracted by her big belly, then her toddler was complaining, and she was not paying attention, and started to go, but then changed her mind, Totally not my fault- but who am I kidding?
Poor Daddy now has to try to put my car back together...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
The LOOOOOOONGST DAY!
Aidan gets up bright and early, so I help the boys get ready and send them on their merry way to the Aquarium, since Daddy has not seen it, and has not spent any time at Darling Harbour.
As they leave, I pack things up in a jiffy and head out for my last shopping trip. I have fun buying my lovely pair of Bally shoes- the most I have ever spent on shoes... The boys enjoy the aquarium, find out that the platypus is neither a bird nor a mammal, it is both (and we thought these two things are mutually exclusive.) We meet back at noon and Daddy's colleague takes us to the airport.We nearly get busted by the boarding process- since I try to collect my GST from my shoes. Fortunately, Daddy hustles Aidan and we all get on the plane! Phew. This GST is interesting. Australians pay A LOT in taxes: nearly 50% for income tax, and their sales tax, the GST, is 10%! I get my $28 back from the Aussies and hurry along.
The best part about the ride home is that Aidan falls sleep, standing up, with his head resting on his seat. No picture to show this position though, since neither of us want to disturb the equilibrium. Aidan also sleeps on the floor, on us, in all sorts of positions. Alas, he wakes up to breakfast. And while we think we still have 3 hours of flight time, the captain tells us we are landing in 30 minutes! We are simply unable to calculate the flight time, the time difference, in our hazy state. What a relief.This has been such a fun trip. Now that we are home, I look out at our lagoon, and I think, 'this water just isn't the same as the harbour, maybe we need an opera house, or ferries, or a big bridge...'
Monday, June 26, 2006
The Zoo
To stay on schedule, we hustle out of the apartment by 8 AM. We brave the cold, cold winds and catch our ferry to Circular Quey. Then, we catch our other ferry to Taronga Zoo. We make it to the zoo entrance just as they open, but we break our pram on the way...oops. Aidan can say 'kangaroo' very, very well.
He also looks for his Auntie Koala Bear- imagine his surprise when she actually doesn't reside at the zoo... We see platypus- still are not sure if they are mammels or birds, or what. We find our relatives, Quokka, since our names sound quite similar and certainly we have seen our name spelled this way. We also visit the children's zoo, where we find a scary looking lizart with a blue tongue! We pat some bunnies, and Aidan gets all wet playing in the water. 
This zoo is far superior than the San Francisco Zoo. Thumbs up from all three of us. We get lunch quickly, then we ride the tram back to the ferry, then to another ferry, and actually manage to stay on our schedule and get home in time for a luxurious nap.Aidan sleeps soundly for three hours! All that animal watching surely is exhausting. We head out to dinner, meet Uncle Terry and Auntie Celeste- Daddy had apparently met them once when he was about eight years old. Aidan puts on his best show, gobbles up a bunch at dinner, and hugs them good night.
I realise THE reason why I find parenting so difficult today, while I zone out as Aidan is splashing himself silly, and Daddy is trying to keep him dry, wondering where his backup went... Having Aidan only points out more glaringly how sinful I am, that I am ultimately more interested in my own comfort, that I am selfish, unforgiving, and controlling. Yikes. God is using Aidan to point out these facts to me, many times a day, and boy, it is annoying! Therefore, as my imperfections are so much more visible, I find this parenting task nearly impossible. I imagine if I am more willing to lean on Jesus, because His death had already paid for my sins, and He had been perfect for me, parenting would be easier...
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Going to the BEACH!
We set out for Bondi Beach. There is a little market here on Sundays- Aussies seem to be very into these little markets, they are everywhere. As we are walking around, Aidan seems visibly tired, and proceeds to have a screaming match about these porcelain cars. It is time to go. He promptly falls asleep- well, then we won't needs to go home for a nap! 
We decide to go to Many Beach. We ride the ferry, where my two boys turn into little monkeys.
Aidan looks at the beach, finds it intensely alluring, and what the heck, we go walk on the beach. 
The sand here is lovely- it is very fine and smooth. The water is COLD! But Aidan loves the whole beach thing anyway...until, he touches his face with his sandy hands...then there is sand in his eyes... Alas, we make our escape, except, when dont' know where we can take him to get washed up. Beach Rule #1: Always find out where one can wash up before one goes to the beach!
Finally, we are somewhat clean, Aidan is eating his Tim Tam- the best biscuits ever. We ride the ferry back to Circular Quay, then the train, grab dinner, then off to bed. Phew.Apparently, we are not the only people in Manly today- Kidman weds Urban in Manly.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
While we wait for Daddy, we go back to Luna Park. This time, I am wiser- and I get the all-you-can-ride bracelet and put it on Aidan. He loves the bracelet and is quite capable of walking up to the line and scanning himself in. The two rides we ride the most: The Carousel and U-Drive. The difference from today is that Aidan at least tries different seats on the same rides. It is amazing how fixated these toddlers get about 'routine.' I think Aidan is more intrigued about the tires and the track, than the actual ride, since he spends most of the ride looking at the wheels and track.
He also bravely tries this rotating device.
Daddy finally gets home at lunch time! Hurray! As Aidan goes down for a nap, I leave for a little shopping trip on my own. Apparently, Aidan stays awake and chats about going back for the rides at Luna Park and doesn't nap at all! He keeps tugging on his magical bracelet... I, on the other hand, zip through the various stores I have been eyeing all week and realize that I can buy the same stuff back at home. They have a Nine West here- but much more expensive. It is also winter here and so it is all winter clothes, which isn't all that inspiring, since I just put away all that stuff at home! I do pick up some other Thomas the Tank Engine things for Aidan here- it actually is cheaper here, for some strange reason. I think Aidan is making off with the most stuff from this trip- it is fun buying him winter clothes for next year! The stores here close early, by our standards. It is all closed by 6 pm on most days, except for Thursday, which then stores are open until 9! We think this promotes a healthier family life- no allure of stores screaming out, 'buy! Buy! BUY!!!!'
I meet up with the boys at Luna Park (where else...) and we head home for dinner. Daddy goes out with some colleagues to watch "Australian soccer/footable/rugby" type sport. That should be an interesting event.
Yes, we take turns doing things now...
Friday, June 23, 2006
This weather...
I open my eyes this morning at 6:30 and look out the window. This is what is out there. Yikes. The forecast says it will rain, and rain, and rain these few days.Alas, out of the door we go. Aidan and I ride the train to Town Hall Station, then the bus to Circular Quey. Even though we are >6000 miles away from home, Aidan finds the same 'mundane' stuff super interesting.
We walk around a bit, and I manage to convince him to ride the ferry again. For some unknown reason, everytime I mention taking the boat, he says, "NO!" We enjoy fish and chips on the way.
We go to Luna Park, and Aidan loves riding the little kiddie stuff. He is quite sad that he is too short for the big people things. I watch him ride this one thing FIVE times- that would be $15! But that smile makes it worth the $.
I think there are two camps of parents. One camp will do things mostly for their children's sake, the other will make their children do their own stuff. I obviously fall in the former camp. I keep thinking, if I were here on my own, what kind of stuff would I do? I imagine I would see a non-kiddie museum, probably would already have bought shoes, and maybe ride the ferry all around the harbor, and definitely not coming back to the apartment for midday break. I fantasise taking Aidan on this kind of a day, and I think there will be screaming- "No shu, Mommy, No SHU!" is what he says when we even set our pram in a shoe store. Would he persist if I insisted? Maybe, maybe not. How much is a pair of shoes worth to me, versus seeing him go round and round on an amusement park ride and hearing him laugh? Some will probably say I have 'precious baby syndrome.' Alas, maybe it is 'precious me syndrome,' that I rather enjoy myself and not to have to listen to whining all day long?
By the way, hats off to parents who eat every single meal with their children. I am getting tired of watching Aidan eat, for 45 minutes at a time, at least three times ago (snacks are on the go). When Daddy is around, at least we talk and distract ourselves. When I am in charge, on my own, there is only so much thinking I can do. Aidan will take a bite, talk to me about something or other, which I can't decipher, then count his raisins, or call his noodles 'track,' and just as I am about to take the food away, he takes another big bite...
By the time we get home for lunch and nap, this is what is out of our window.
After nap, I am out of ideas. There are places I want to go, but when one's nap ends at 3:40, our options are limited. Fortunately for me, Aidan is satisfied simply being transported. We take the train to Chinatown for some dumplings. While we are eating, a grandma type starts to chat with us. She noticed that Aidan's dumpling is leaving a trail of juice on his shirt and recommands that I get a bib for him. I say, "He has one at home... fortunately for him, his shirt is dark colored..." She then comments about how well behaved Aidan is. She is right, my Aidan is usually very well behaved, how easily I forget that. After dinner, we take the bus again. When we get off the bus, I ask if Aidan wants a picture with a bus. He immediately starts to say "cheese!"
We then take the train, and on our walk back home, Aidan asks to run... We find a place, safe for running in the dark, if there is such a thing, and off he goes!I think the thing I love most about Australia is how people will just stop to tell me how cute, handsome, well behaved, sweet, my little Aidan is, they do this at the ATM, restaurants, shops, on the train, in the bathroom... AWESOME!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
A New Day!
We end up at Kinokuniya Bookstore, the largest bookstore in Sydney. We are disappointed with the selection of Chinese books for toddlers, but are very impressed by the sheer volume they carry. Aidan is amused by their English collection- Thomas the Tank Engine books. Apparently, Sir Topham Hat is known as The Fat Controller here in Australia, how unfortunate for him.
After a delicious two and half hour nap, Aidan and I get back on the road. We take the train to Town Hall station again, and on a whime, we get on a bus. Bus 501 ends up taking us to The Powerhouse Museum! The admission is free after four! Aidan has just enough time to run around a little bit.
Then, we catch the bus back to Town Hall. We get Aidan some rain gear- they don't sell 'raincoats' here. They have 'spray jackets.' On the way, we see an advertising for smoking cessation. They mean business here.
Nice foot and teeth... Yikes.We have dinner at Ichiban Boshi. Aidan enjoys saying 'Ichiban' almost as much as I do! This is the only time in my life that I have volunteered to share a table- we need to eat in a hurry, and it is not like Aidan and I are going to have a deep conversation... Besides, I have hopes that Aidan would actually be neater in the presence of others. So, we follow the hostess to a table. There is another couple there- clearly wanting privacy, because the woman gives Aidan an once-over, and gives me a dirty look. They ask to switch tables. Fine by us! We end up sitting next to a Japense couple- the man, in his twenties, is still cracking his voice.
Aidan loves the ramen, the miso soup, the saucy rice from my katsu-ju. The food is superb, but the service seriously lacks something. 
We finally get back to the apartment, nearly past Aidan's bedtime. Today has been awesome.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
- Fortunately for me, the decision about the train is made for me. Aidan sleeps for four hours. I decide to just let him sleep- it is unlike him to have so many meltdowns, and maybe he really is just too tired. Interestingly, he gets up at 5, and says, "no train." I guess he knows.
So what do I do while he is napping? I try to find the end of the internet... I have read "The Devil Wears Prada"by Lauren Weisberger, and "The Opposite of Fate" by Amy Tan. If only I can get around to my pain medical education credit workbooks...
The challenge for the rest of the week: What to do with Aidan in Sydney when it is pouring rain outside? -
Consequences- for him or for me?
Daddy is back in town today. We're so excited. Aidan has been thinking, "We are in a new town, why is Daddy away? What gives?" I have been thinking, "We are in a new town, why is Hubby away? What gives?" We are all so excited that Daddy is back for today.
We take Daddy to work, via train, of course. Then, Aidan and I set out for The Powerhouse Museum. It takes us a LOOOONG time to get there. On the way, we stroll through Queen Victoria Building- there are designer shops 'trading' at 8:30! Anyway, we finally get to The Powerhouse Museum...after getting lost and having to back track some. Aidan is THRILLED to see LOCOMOTIVE No. 1!
After a quick lunch a the cafe, we take the MonoRail back to CityRail to go home, because it is POURING! Aidan has done splendidly thus far. But we encounter some problems at the train station. Aidan wants more train, of course, yet it is time to go home for a nap. What to do? I say, "Aidan, we have ridden trains today. We are going home for a nap, and then we will go back to take more trains. Trains are for well behaved children. Let's go." He has a melt down, (actually manages to push his stroller down the stairs...AI-YAH!) He proceeds to sob in the apartment, finally asks for a reading of his favorite titles these days, in this order: The Big Red Barn, Train, Goodnight Moon. And before I can finish, he is fast asleep.
Now my problem is this: When he wakes up, do we go take the train to meet Daddy for dinner, or will there really be no more trains? Not taking the train is as much of a consequence for him, as it is for me. Or do I let it slide, as he is in a new place, exhausted...etc. What to do? I have his nap time to think about this, and make some kind of 'wise' decision...yikes.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Reflections
It is incredible, how observant this child is, and how he makes me so regressed in the ways that we project onto each other. I wonder, if I am a stay-at-home Mom, would it make things easier? Would I be more in tune with him? As it is, I find that on days like this- when we are left to our own devices, this is WHOLE LOT of Aidan! I suppose if I want to see all his giggles, I will have to put up with the tears.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
All is not lost!
After that, we walk to Chinatown. We buy some very yummy looking breads for tomorrow. We get dinner- I eat lots of dumplings. Oh! I also squarm so much in my seat, that I tumble over, but I land on my two swift feet. However, I manage to scare the lady next to us- she screams and scares my Mummy. That is when Mummy realises another rule needs to be spoken: No squarming. We finish dinner, decide that the service is AWFUL at this yummy restaurant, true to our Chinese heritage.
We ride the train home. I beg for more train rides- which I think makes my Mum batty. But you know, she can authorise more train rides! She promises me, that non-whining children get to ride more trains, in the daylight, so there is no use to get up before dawn.
I love my Mum.
Driving My Mum Batty
Hey People! Greetings from Sydney. My mum thinks I am napping, but hee, hee, I am blogging!
This morning, I choose to get up at 4:30. I call out to my Mummy, while she thinks she would be able to coax me back to sleep, I have other plans. Mum decide to call Daddy. Daddy tells me to go back to sleep, so I lie on my super air mattress, but I do not go back to sleep. Meanwhile, I keep asking Mum to take me to see the trains. She keeps saying that as long as it is dark, the trains are sleeping too. I have my doubts, but I will let it slide.
Finally, we leave th house at 8. We go and ride the train, just for the heck of it. Mum tells me that it is not very nice that I keep asking for 'more train' while we are on the train. What is her beef with that? I see absolutely nothing wrong with asking for more train while we are on the train. One ought to be able to ride on the train, and see another train simultaneously. Finally, after an hour of this, I start to yell, 'OFF! TRAIN!' So, we get off, and we walk over to the Sydney Aquarium. We pay our admission and I am so happy to see all these differnet kind of fish! We see a sea dragon.
I am thrilled. Then, we see some penguins! 
Then, while we are in the tunnel with giant turtles and sting rays, I pushed my stroller into a lady. Mum reprimands me. I refuse to listen. I want to ram the stroller some more. Mum times me out. I lie on the floor, and play 'dead cat,' you know, the game where I lose all muscle strength and it is impossible to pick me up. Mum gives me a warning. I still don't listen. Then, at this point, our morning turns sad... Mum picks me up, puts me in the stroller, and I play 'arch the back,' which I don't think needs explanation. Mum tells me that it is time to go home, making this the most brief visit to the Aquarium, ever. I say, let's go home via the train. She says, no, we are going home via the ferry, because it is faster. I say, NOOOO!!! And I cry to make my point clear. It is VERY SAD. Mum holds me at the ferry terminal and tries to sooth me. I keep yelling, 'TRAIN!' to show her who is the boss. Alas, the ferry arrives and all is better. We have a good ferry ride back to Milson's Point. And I push my stroller to my heart's satisfaction on our way home. 
I think Mum is praying and hoping that after nap time, the morning episdoe will not be repeated. And that I will get up at 7 tomorrow am.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Cityrail, Monorail, Lightrail!
By 9:45, we are on the train! It is incredible how cooperative Aidan can be, when the destination is the train station. We ride into city center, find our trusted Citibank, get some Australian currency- which has this little bit of transparent paper on them, very interesting. And off to spend the money we go! The transportation system in Sydney is somewhat strange, to say the least. They have this Monorail, that travels counterclockwise, in a loop, and really gets you no where, but is just interesting to ride. We ride it thrice.
Then, we find Myer Department Store, and what do we see? Thomas the Tank Engine! On sale, no less! They are having this 'stocktake' sale, I have no idea what that means... Is it like our stockup sale? At any rate, Aidan chooses Gordon to add to his growing collection. It takes a LOOOOOONG time for Aidan to pick up his next buddy. This actually marks an interesting milestone in Aidan's life. He has NEVER seen the purchase of a toy before. We will see where this takes us...
Anyway, the shopping experience is marked by a scary experience involving a diaper, I will spare you all of the details.
Then, we have lunch!
After lunch, we ride the purposeless monorail again, then the train to go home, but only with the promise that there will be more train rides later. For now, the train-master is napping, happily, on his own Thomas the Tank Engine Air Mattress!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Off we go!
In the end, after consulting various friends, people with one child, and people with multiple children, we decided to go.
It was a very busy week, Daddy had presentations at work, and I worked extra too. We packed our bags, two bags per person, and off we go!
Aidan did well on the plane- he slept for about 10 of the 14 hours. However, he woke up at the end of each sleep cycle, which was very sad. He slept on me, on Daddy, on the floor, in his seat, pretty much all the permutations possible. He also enjoyed juice on the plane and very eagerly waited for his breakfast.
We are staying at a fabulous apartment, across the harbor from the opera house. It is just lovely- especially because I won't be doing any cleaning whatsoever.This will be an interesting week- since Aidan and I will be on our own for 4 days here, while Daddy is traveling within Australia for work. We have big plans- of riding all transportation this great city has to offer!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Buying stuff
What does stuff get us? Pride? Self-sufficiency? Power? Status? What hole are we trying to fill with all this 'crap?' A God-sized hole in our hearts?
We certainly are guilty of this. I have found myself looking for various 'crap' for Aidan, from Thomas the Train stuff, to the next book he will like, to the 'right' snack, buying Daddy the perfect gift for Father's day, buying the right kind of food...what an endless chore? Because in the end, Aidan's new Thomas the Train addition only becomes more 'crap' that I have to clean, and the perfect gift for Daddy becomes something that we are afraid of dropping or losing... Nothing satisfies other than Christ, that is for sure.
. Dad looks at me, in shock. 
If I forgot this, what else slipped through my mind? Am I resistant about something? Who knows?! 
.jpg)
