Mi Na

It's pretty early here, around 5:45.  I woke up at 4 and haven't been able to fall back asleep since.  My latest try to fall back asleep ended in tears.  I've been doing a lot of that lately.  I'm not sure if I have a reason to cry or not.  Is worrying alone a reason to cry?  

I'm worried about Mi Na.  The results from her kidney ultrasound were abnormal so she has to get another test done today.  Just the thought of her body not being completely healthy breaks my heart.  She is just the most delightful little girl.  If you know her, you know what I mean.

Mi Na loves to talk.  Saturday was the first day she had seen Steve in five days because of tax season.  She had so much to say to him.  Steve and I looked at each other a few times during her morning chatter, raised our eyebrows, and laughed at how she hadn't stopped talking for several minutes, mentioning "ballet" more than once.

I love how she dances around the house on her toes in a costume, pretending to be a ballerina.  She'll often say, "Mom, do this."  And then I get to look ridiculous with my big belly doing fake ballet.  When we take Mei Li to ballet, Mi Na likes to peek into one of the classes and do ballet on the side.  She wins a lot of smiles from the crowd in the waiting room.  

She speaks with a lisp, doesn't say her "L"s or her "R"s, and frankly, I don't care if she ever does.  Who needs "L" or "R" when "W" will take care of them both?  She still tells knock-knock jokes, and they're getting funnier.  She says a lot of funny things, though I can't remember any specifics at the moment.  Stephen and I always look at each other and then laugh at all the funny things she says.  

She used to say "kanks" or "kank you" when expressing gratitude, but that is slowly changing.  She used to call Stephen "thee-nen," but now he's "thee-ven."  Stephen and Mi Na play well together while Mei Li is at school.  It's sweet to watch.  And when Mei Li comes home, Mi Na hugs her big sis and sometimes says, "Mei Li, I missed you."  She is so sweet to all of us, and we all treasure and love her.

I think this test is going to be pretty unpleasant for her, so send some prayers and good wishes her way today.  Thanks.

March is here! Spring is near!

It looks like I'm on a once-a-week blogging schedule these days.  I'm okay with that.  March is off to a good start.  The kids started chore charts on Monday.  I know it's long overdue, but even if my kids were ready for them, I wasn't.  It's hard work to keep children on task, much harder than just doing everything myself.  But we all know that can't last.  I love how the kids' rooms and the basement are always vacuumed and tidy nowadays.

I'm participating in the March photo-a-day challenge on Instagram (Are you on Instagram?  Can I follow you?).  Yesterday's theme was "up":

Not a cloud in the sky, buds on the pear tree, and sixty-something degrees.  It was a beautiful day.

Today's theme is "fruit":

Stephen is a fruit lover like his mother.  Most recently, he has found joy in eating grapefruit with a spoon (no sugar) and then squeezing the juice into his bowl for drinking.  Rachel tells me this is a favorite of Grandpa Z.'s too.

Stephen is doing pretty well with his chore chart.  He drags his feet sometimes and sometimes I raise my voice (I hate when I do that), but the kid is four.  I think he'll get used to it.  It just takes fourteen days to start a habit, right?

Mei Li is doing well with her chore chart.  She just goes down the list, checking off each one until she's done.  It's pretty remarkable to me because I am not like that at all.  I wish I was.

Mei Li told me the other day that she wanted to be a mom, a fabric store lady, an artist, and a musician. Of course, the fabric store lady idea came to her as I was cutting fabric for some bunting.  I wonder how her dreams will change.

Mei Li has become quite the little mother.  The other day, she gave Mi Na the incentive of a bumpy ride if she would hold still while I got her dressed and did her hair.  When Mi Na did hold still, she exclaimed, "Yay, Mi Na!  You earned a bumpy ride!"  Mi Na knew the drill and toddled over to sit on Mei's tummy for the bumpy ride. 

Mi Na is talking up a storm.  Her knock-knock jokes have evolved.  Blankie, orange, cheese, and others now knock on the door.  The punchlines range from silence to a huge cheesy smile to a big, fake "ha ha ha!" said in her deepest voice to sound like her dad. 

She asks me probably five times each day, "Where's daddy?"  When I respond that he is at work, she just says, "oh" and then smiles.  I love the stage she is at.  I love her little toddle, smile, voice, and laugh.

Just in the last couple of days, Mi Na started saying "yes."  Well, it's more like "yeth," which means we might have yet another lisper in the family!  I can't wait.  It think lisps are so cute for little kids.

Steve is busy with tax season, but at night we get to be together after the kids are in bed.  Top Chef just ended (I'm so glad Paul won), and so now we just have Parenthood.  Steve usually comes home earlier on Mondays (for Family Home Evening) and Fridays (just because) and then we have him all day Sunday.  So far, it's been very doable, but then again, what choice do we have but to just do it?  I don't complain like I used to, so I guess that means I'm growing up a little.  Isn't that great?

A Milestone for Mi Na

I didn't read Caps for Sale until I was a mother.  I have lots of favorite books from my childhood, but I have no memory of this one.  If this had been read to me as a little girl, I know I would have asked my mother or father to read it to me nightly.  I love the simple story, the vibrant colors, and beautiful illustrations.  But obviously the best part about this book is "tsz, tsz, tsz."

I can't remember exactly when Mei Li and Stephen started shaking their hands and saying "Tsz, tsz, tsz," all by themselves, but it was probably around the age of one, and it was something I regarded as a milestone.  Tonight, Mi Na reached her "tsz, tsz, tsz" milestone.  It was the cutest (no really, the cutest) thing you ever did see.  She smiled, shook her little dimpled fist, said "tsz, tsz, tsz," and then laughed about it.  I can't wait to read it to her again tomorrow so I can see her shake her dimpled fist again.

All About Mi Na

 *photo by Taunya Allen*

Mi Na is almost 14 months old.  She is so awesome. She makes me laugh everyday.  There are so many things that I haven't recorded about her that I just cannot forget.

When she wants to give me something or wants me to give her something, she says, "he da da" or "he ya ya" (here you go).  

She calls me "mama" and Steve "da-ee."  When Steve comes home, she flips out and yells "Da-ee! Da-ee!"

She can scream really loudly, and does it mostly when she's in her high chair.  Steve and I have started calmly saying "don't scream" in response.  She responds by leaning her head forward and then babbling silently.  It makes us laugh every time.

She folds her arms immediately after hearing the word "prayer" and then unfolds them about three seconds later.

She is obsessed with telephones and walks around pretending to talk on it like a big person.

And yes, she is fully walking now.  She took her first steps shortly after her first birthday, but is now using walking as her primary method of transportation.  She walks like she just got off a horse she's been riding forever, often with her hands in the air.  Oh, I just love it!

She's been a great sleeper for us for several months now.  It's heaven.

She has an easy smile and laugh.  She thinks her siblings are hilarious, especially her big brother.

Mei Li and Stephen adore her and are good at watching out for her.

When I pull out the camera to take a picture of her, she tilts her head to one side and says "eeee!"

When she's upset or tired, she scrunches her nose and makes big fish lips.

She requests a song by waving her hand around like a conductor.

She likes listening to us read books.

She's been kissing on command since she was ten months old.

She brings so much happiness and light into our home.  We love you Mi Na.  Thank you for being ours.

Mi Na bo-bina

 

Mi Na is ten and a half months old and is growing up faster than I can record.  Having three children is so busy.  I can't write about everything like I used to with just Mei Li.

As you can see, Mi Na has two teeth. For a couple of months, she's been able to pull herself up to a standing position, wave, and clap.

Today, I witnessed her get into a bear crawl position and then stand up on her own.  She held her position for a couple of seconds and then fell back down on her bum.  She smiled at her own accomplishment and then whimpered a bit for her sore bum.

She is so loved in our home.  Mei Li sits and plays toys with her and Stephen makes her laugh.  Steve lovingly converses with her each day and gives her silly nicknames.  And me, I love to hold her.  We're sort of attached to each other.  I know it won't always be this way, but I'm enjoying it while it is here.  Thank you, Mi Na, for being such a sweet, funny, and happy baby girl.  We all love you.

 

Before and After

Mi Na loves avocados.

And I love Mi Na.

P.S. If you're not already tuning into General Conference this weekend, you should!

Cheerio Love

I was vacuuming up Cheerios this morning and realized that it had probably been a year and a half since I last vacuumed up Cheerios. Mi Na became a Cheerio eater on Monday (and no, I didn't vacuum up the Cheerios off the ground then). She has no teeth, but she gums the heck out of them until they are mush.

This afternoon, Mi Na became a crawler. Stephen, Mi Na, and I were playing in the basement while Mei Li was at preschool. I baited Mi Na with an object. I got down on the floor on my stomach, cheered her on, and smiled at her. The look on her face was one of singular focus and determination. I witnessed her gently make her first move, then her second, then her third, and then she dove for her object and got it! She has the cutest little crawl! She crawls softly and slowly, just an inch at a time. Stephen and I were so proud of her.


Good job, Mi Na! We sure love you.

Hey Mi Na! I want to know-ow-ow you!

This is what Mei Li and Stephen say when they see Mi Na. I think it's so cute and funny. How about you? Do you want to know-ow-ow Mi Na?
age: seven months
hair: brown
weight: 16-ish lbs
eyes: blue
smile: irresistible
laugh: completely contagious
likes: beans (skin removed), butternut squash (not pureed), egg yolks
dislikes: purees, bananas, sweet potatoes
temperament: sweet, happy, and calm
loves to: listen to us sing, ride in the baby bjorn, snuggle (it's heavenly), play with Mei Li and Stephen, and smile
skills: rolling, scooting backwards, rocking on her hands and knees

I tell ya, this girl is somethin' special.

Little Miss Mi Na

Yesterday, Little Mi turned six months. She still has blue eyes. She's mellow and sweet, happy and giggly, and I think she likes us. A few days ago, she started rolling back to front. That new skill combined with her older skill of rolling front to back means that she is moving!



Mei Li has been a big help with Mi Na. She watches her and plays with her while I (go grab a diaper, wipes, clean clothes, etc.) Mei loves Mi Na and Mi Na loves her right back. It warms my heart to see sisters loving each other like that.


Stephen loves her as well. Even when he's busy doing boy things, he still takes the time to stop and give her some love. We all love you, Mi Na. Please don't grow up too fast!

Mi Na's Blessing Day

Steve blessed Mi Na on Sunday and many family members came just to witness the event. Steve's brother Zack, father John, and my father Howard joined him in the blessing circle. It was beautiful.

Here's the star of the day on top of a quilt made by Aunt Annee, dressed in a silk dress made by Aunty Ie Mei and booties made by Great Grandma Z (not pictured).

Three generations. I'm glad Dorothy suggested that we take this picture.

Z fam

Us

Oh how I love this little girl.

Annee really loves her too.

Steve went to the field with Mei Li and Stephen. I waited for Mi Na to wake up, fed her, and joined them later.

I took these few pictures from the field, but mostly I drank in all of the beauty that I saw my family creating. Steve playing catch with Stephen, Mei Li running to me to hug me as I arrived at the field, Mi Na and me having a smiling/laughing session, and Mi Na just being her smiling and tender self with a sunset for a backdrop was enough to make me want to cry. Here I am, getting all sentimental about another Sunday evening on the field.

The whole day was beautiful. It was sad to say goodbye to family.

Gal Pals

For an hour this afternoon, both Mi Na and Stephen were napping. I don't think this has ever happened before. It was very nice.

When Mi Na woke up, I nursed her in my comfy chair, and Mei Li played quietly in my room.

As I started to doze off, Mei jumped up and said, "Do you know what would be a good idea? If we made princess hats! TWO princess hats. One for me and one for Mi Na. We could roll up paper into a cone and THEN we could stick ribbons on the top! Wouldn't that be a great idea? Come on, Mom! Let's go make princess hats!"

I didn't feel one bit like doing anything but sleeping, but I got up and made her dreams come true with some paper, tape, and ribbon.


Sorta ghetto, right?

Mei Li asked me, "Mom, could you draw a heart on my hat that means you love me? Could you draw another heart that means I love you?" Then she asked for hearts to represent her love for Mi Na, her Papa, and Stephen. She drew butterflies on both hats and said, "I hope Mi Na loves butterflies." She also drew some flowers and one very special dancing flower.

Before the kids went to bed, I put some clean sheets on Mei's bed. She has the top bunk and it is difficult to put sheets on up there. Mei Li did her best to help me.

Mei: Do you know why I'm helping you, Mom?
Me: Why?
Mei: Because I love to hang out with you.

Mei is my BFF. This one too:


P.S. Do you see that double chin?! I can't stand the cuteness.

Sisters, sisters

This picture makes me smile every time I look at it. These sisters are so happy, sweet, and loving with each other. Tonight I was giving baby Mi Na a bath and Mei came over to watch. She ran over to her bathtub and retrieved her little plastic pig that she loves. "Can I give Mi Na my toy?"

"Sure," I said.

I took the toy from her to put it in Mi Na's bath, but Mei grabbed it back and said, "No, I want to put it in! I want to put it in that chubby cheek spot." And she placed it in the space bordered by her cheek and shoulder. Mi Na smiled at her.

I told Mei Li that Mi Na's smile meant that she loved her. I reminded her that she had to be a good example for her and choose the right.

Sisters are so important. I hope they'll be the best of friends and help each other when they are in need. My sisters have always done that for me and I will do that for them.

So Cute

This morning, I put Mi Na down on the floor in our basement to do something (can't remember what) and Stephen sat down next to her and said, "she's so cute." Then he lied down, scooted himself as close as he possibly could to her, and endured her arm flailing and pushes on his face.

This evening, I wiped Stephen's face and he said, "you're so cute." No Stephen, you're so cute.

Do you know what else is so cute? Mei's recent practice of setting up the kid table with napkins, a tablecloth, and a centerpiece.

She grabbed a scrap piece of fabric for the tablecloth, which I think looks beautiful against "araucana teal." The car is the centerpiece, which is funny and so cute. Confession: this was at dinner time. Two days in a row of cereal for dinner. When will I cook for real again?

Steve and I watched Top Chef tonight. I'm totally inspired. I want to have those skills and I want to be in Singapore! Singapore seems like a perfect place to explore. I could practice my Mandarin, but rely mostly on English. I'm in love with the way Singaporians speak English with a slight British accent.

Steve and I went on a three-week tour of Asia when we were newlyweds. The opportunity to go back there seems distant.


Steve is so cute.

Do you remember when I wrote that three kids is not much harder than two? Well, I LIED! What compelled me to write such a falsehood? Was it a miraculous week? Or was it just wishful thinking? I can't remember. Even though it is really hard, we still have some great times together.

It is late and it is always around this time of night that I quote Anne Shirley: "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it." Yet.

Finding Rhythm

Steve's still doing his rotation and due to his unpredictable schedule, we've learned that it is best to make our mornings together more enjoyable and meaningful because there's a good chance that Steve won't be home until after the kids are in bed.

This morning, we woke up with the kids and got ready for the day. We sat down to a breakfast of pancakes and took our time.

We went down to the basement where Steve held Mi Na and played with the kids while I squeezed in 20 minute pilates. (I know, nothing says family togetherness like watching Mom do pilates.) Ideally, I would get up early enough to do it before the kids wake up. We read from the Book of Mormon and then Steve headed off to work.

I walked over to the park with the kids in the stroller and Mi Na in the Baby Bjorn. We were there for almost two hours. I met several mothers and three of them were Mormon, which is always a fun connection to make.

By the time we got home, Mi Na had a bad case of Baby Bjorn hair.


But she didn't seem to mind.


I won't show you how bad my shirt looked after two hours of Baby Bjorn-ing.

In the afternoon, we just chilled and did whatever. Steve came home before the kids were in bed, which was a nice surprise.

I'm obsessing over flooring options still. I thought I had my mind made up, but no. I should just put down some vinyl sheeting and be done with it already. All I know is that ceramic tile is out of the running.

It was a good day. Tomorrow could use a little more structure.

Sometimes life can be de-Stephen

In Jack Johnson's "Better Together," Stephen thinks that Jack is singing "and sometimes life can be de-Stephen" instead of deceivin'. Today when we were listening to it, it came to that part and Stephen said, "That's me!" It was pretty cute. Stephen is definitely in his terrible two phase, but he still loves to cuddle and feel like a little baby sometimes. I like that.


Mei Li likes to dance around the house in funny skirts. She's also quite creative. This morning she tied a string to a pair of shoes, put the string over a handrail, and pulled the untied side of the string to lift the shoes. Then she said, "Look, it's a shoe pulley!" This afternoon she tried to make a "twirly whirley flyer" with zip ties. It didn't work too well, but I still think she's wonderfully resourceful.


Then there's Mi Na. My sweet, cuddly, scrumptious little Mi Na. She weighed in at 10 lbs 13 oz at her two month appointment. She's in the 50th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for height. She sleeps at night, cries loudly, loves to be held, and has a beautiful smile. We're all totally in love with her.


And Steve. He recently bought some new glasses and I think he looks a little like Clark Kent. Mmmmmm. He's been so supportive and patient since Mi Na's arrival. I've needed that. He's always been able to give me just what I need. I hope I'm doing as well for his needs.

We made s'mores for Family Home Evening tonight and it was completely delightful. Life is amazing when I can forget the unimportant and focus on my family. There have been a lot of unimportant worries and thoughts floating around in my head since we moved into our new house, and it feels nice to let them all go, if only for an hour at a time.

What a day!

Ie Ling came back to Virginia! I am so happy she's here. We accomplished a lot today with her help.

Our first stop was a flooring store. We still have some things to figure out with our kitchen floor.

We loaded the kids into the car and Stephen went for Mei Li's car seat instead of his.

Stephen and Mei Li's car seats look identical. Mei Li informed me last week that they were different. She was right. One of them has an oval-ish red button on the buckle and the other one has a square red button on the buckle.

For the most part, Mei Li sits back left in the oval one and Stephen sits back right in the square one. When Stephen went for Mei Li's car seat, Mei Li FLIPPED OUT!

I tried to get Stephen to get out of Mei Li's car seat, but he wouldn't budge. Next, I tried to convince Mei Li to sit in the square one, but that didn't work either. So, because I could more easily put Mei Li in the square one than I could Stephen, I buckled Mei Li as she kicked and screamed.

As we drove away, Mei's funniest and loudest tantrum began.

"The oval one is my favorite! The square one is NOT my favorite! Aaaah!"

"GET-ME-OUT!"

"Mom, you are being so rough!" For the record, I was actually very cool and calm, but Ie Ling and I were laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"WHY-ARE-YOU-LAUGHING?!"

"This is SOOOOO ridiculous!"

Mei: Stephen, is the oval one your favorite?
Stephen: Yeah.
Mei: NO! The oval one is MY favorite!

"Mom, stop driving!" (Side note: I can't remember when I became Mom instead of Mama. I miss being called Mama.)

She did cool down eventually, but would still whimper, "I don't like the square one."

It was a rough day for my Mei. I hope that she feels happier tomorrow. She is a delightful little girl.

We went to Costco for lunch and bought some produce and the "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "Singin' in the Rain" DVDs. I love those musicals.

We watched "Meet Me in St. Louis" together in the late afternoon. "Skip to my Lou" is a favorite scene of mine. Sometimes I dream about living in 1903.

I nursed and held Mi Na for most of the movie, but I handed her off to Ie Ling and cuddled with Mei Li and Stephen. They are so big.

When Steve walked in the door tonight, he looked so good. He helped put the kids to bed. He's been really busy at work lately, so that was a nice treat.

Here is a picture from yesterday of my children in a happy and peaceful moment.


Here is Mi Na, smiling sweetly.

Random update

Here are the new bunk beds.

Mei Li didn't like her orange striped comforter so I switched it out for her old one. But she is very fond of her green "hexagon sheets" (she counted the sides and named them herself).


We recently purchased dining chairs.

I opted for these instead of the metal ones that I love because these were half the price, I had a 10% off coupon for the entire purchase, and store credit. I love these ones because the chair backs don't cover up the yellow of the table.

We are getting our kitchen floor replaced. A month ago, water started leaking from our basement ceiling. It turns out that our dishwasher was gushing water and it seeped under our kitchen flooring. So sometime soon, we'll be replacing our floors with large 16x16 black and white tile on the diagonal. Our basement ceiling will also be repaired.

My SIL Rachel is getting married to Ken in November, which is very exciting and wonderful.

Mi Na is six weeks old and weighed in at 8.5 pounds at her 1 month appointment. She's changed so much already and it makes me sad. Seeing her sweet smiles and perfectly almond-shaped eyes more is very nice though.

Doesn't she look cuddly?

Yesterday (my first day alone with all three) was a busy day for her with little napping, constant nursing, and tired fussiness. She did sleep for seven hours straight last night, though, so I am not complaining one little bit! This morning, Mi Na and I had a long smiling session with each other. It was heaven.

I can't believe how much she's changed. This is Mi Na at two weeks.


Life is good and busy. So far, life with three kids is not much harder than life with two. I'm grateful for that.

Sharing

A week ago, Mei Li and Stephen sat down next to Mi Na and shared their favorite things with Mi Na. Mei Li's is a yellow gingham bear, and Stephen's is a little bear blankie. Mi Na was a little distraught over having these things shoved in her face, but someday she'll know how intensely they love her.