Massage

One of my friends is telling me to get either a Swedish or Deep Tissue Massage. She says it's very relaxing and enjoyable. I don't have back pain or tense muscles. I'll give it a try. I'll treat myself to a massage.

Day-Care Update

Today is the first day that Valerie didn't cry when I dropped her off at school. The teacher is telling me that she's doing great and very talkative in class. I'm happy that my baby is finally warming up to her teachers!!!

Potty Training:So Hard

We have been trying to get Valerie to use the potty, but she refuses to use it. She does seem interested in the potty chair. She'll say "Mommy, I need to go potty." She would pull down her diaper and sit on the potty but she won't use it, when she really gotta go. She's 2 & 1/2 years old and we're ready to ditch her diapers for good. After many unsuccessful potty training attempts, we just gave up. Potty training is a big deal and it's going to be a long battle. Perhaps, we have to be more patience.

Cooking

I have not been cooking much after Valerie was born. It's a lot of work to work full-time, take care of her and juggle everything else around the house. Cooking is the only thing I don't do on a regular basis. Take-out or fast foods are not healthy as home- cooked meals. However, I have been cooking more after Valerie started going to school. It's healthier and it's less expensive. I still have to find more recipes.

Day-Care

Valerie's been going to day-care, 3 full-day a week for 4 months. Every time I drop her off, she cries and she wants to go home with mommy. I try to accentuate the positives like making new friends, playing in the playground and learning new things. The teacher says she's fine all day, and she seems happy when I pick her up. She is still adjusting and she's still kinda of shy and timid around people that she doesn't know.

Why?

Recently, Valerie's been asking us WHY about everything. When she gets older, I know she will be asking me where do babies come from? I will not tell her something stupid like a girl can get pregnant from kissing a boy. When she's old enough, I'll get the body book out and tell her the facts. I think as parent, it's important to equip the child with knowledge, because I can't be there for her all the time and I hope she'll make the right decisions for herself.

Didn't get 1st place but I'm making progress!

Power Level 1064

Just as there are power levels in Dragonball Z measuring an adult at 10, Vegeta at 8000 (during the Vegeta Saga), and Super Saiyan Goku at 1500000, there are ratings for table tennis players, which are determined from playing in tournaments. After playing in some tournaments and practicing several times a week for almost a year, I have a measly rating of 1064 Beginners have a rating ranging from 100 to 1000, intermediate players from 1100 to 1700, advanced players from 1800 to 2300, and world class players 2600 and up.

I still have a long way to go, but the good news is I think I’ve made an important breakthrough in my development. I’ve started to watch the ball more closely to improve my returns, and I can say spin is king in table tennis. If I can see the logo on the ball, that means there is not much spin on the ball, but if I can’t see the logo on the ball or if it’s very blurry, then there is a lot of spin on the ball.

As a final note, I find it a little embarrassing but resourceful at the same time that the USA Table Tennis organization records the results of all tournament play. If you like, go to: http://www.usatt.org/history/rating/history/ and punch in my last name to see all the game scores for all the matches I’ve played, which include losing to a 70 year old senior citizen and a 14 year girl!

Valerie is going to school

Valerie is growing up. She started going to school this Monday. She's enrolled in the 5 half-day program, which is the core of the program. We drop her off at 9 am and pick her up at 1pm. She is excited to go to school every morning but wants us to stay with her. Surprising, she didn't cry on the first day, but she cried yesterday and today. I called the center after 20 minutes to check on her, she stopped crying after 5 minutes after I left. I like the facility. It's very clean, the staff is good and it's only 5 minutes away. I get a daily report on what she eat , number of potty time/diaper change and what she does at school. With Valerie being in school for 4 hours, for the first time in 2 years that we actually have more free time, me- time and couple-time. Overall, I’m happy that Valerie is interacting with the other kids, learning and having fun. And, we still get to spend time with Valerie because it’s only half-day. It’s worth the money.

Val likes dog

I took Valerie to the park today. She was having fun playing and one of our neighbors stopped by with her little boy and her dog. Valerie started playing with the puppy and wanted to take the puppy home with her. She was crying and wanted the dog to go home with her. We took her to a pet store after lunch. She liked the white terrier, so we asked to see the puppy. Valerie was so happy to play with the dog and again she wanted to take the puppy home with us. Honestly, we don't know how to take care of a dog, it's a lot of responsibilities and too much work right now. Valerie's fondness for dogs is possibly because she was born in the year of the dog. We might consider getting a dog for her when she gets older.

Guilty Pleasure

Mmmmmm, So delicious......

Las Vegas Stats

# of cute baby compliments: Many, which got me thinking is Val still gonna be cute when she gets older? Just take a look at Macauley Culkin.

# of other infants & toddlers I saw in Vegas: Enough, so that Sherry & I didn't feel too uncomfortable.

# of dollars won from gambling: 257, I almost lost it all but I got lucky from slapping it all down a couple times and winning.

# of hours it took to get to Vegas: 8.5, the most arduous part of the trip for me, due to all the sitting my butt had to do without a nice cushion.

# of swear words used within an earshot of Valerie: 5, I don't like it, but what can you do when you live in a country with freedom of speech.

# of meals per day: 2.5, we stuffed ourselves eating buffets, so we didn't need 3 full meals a day, except for Val.

# of times Sherry went to Starbucks to get her fix: 2, I even find it highly addicting, but thank goodness, I'm extremely lactose intolerant.

# of times Valerie got trampled over: Once, not unexpected because Valerie either wanted only Sherry to hold her or she wanted to walk by herself. I'm gonna give her stroller training from now on (in addition to tennis).

# of scantily clad women I saw: None, I only have eyes for my wife!

Valerie's 20th month milestone

Things Valerie can do at 20th months old-in no particular order

1. Feed herself using a fork & spoon
2. Brush her teeth
3. Know the alphabet up to letter F (tried to record a video but she moves too much)
4. Use 50+ words
5. Turn on TV
6. Turn on & off light when asked
7. Point to body parts when asked
8. Take off her jacket & shoes
9. Go up and down the stairs without help
10. Identify pictures by naming

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Goebbert’s Farm in South Barrington today with our friends. We had a very good time because there’s a lot to do at the farm. It’s got the petting zoo, pony ride, corn maze, indoor restaurants and ect. I would definitely go back next year. The pictures are posted in Valerie’s Photos. I’m super tired, I’ve been up for more than 24 hours. I'm going to sleep. I’m just Happy it’s my last night of work for the week.

A Preference For Mommy

Valerie won't let anybody else do anything for her when I'm around even daddy. It's somewhat flattering to know that my daughter loves spending time with me, and I'm grateful for her attention, but she seems too dependent on me. My hubby is saying I'm holding her too much, I give in to her demands too easily and I don't discipline her. She definately behave differently when she's under daddy's care, she's well behaved and less clingy when daddy is taking care of her. I talked to other parents, they say it's a transitional stage. I want to provide enough love, comfort, security and support but don't want to over do it. Recently, I incorporate playdates and a daily walk in the neighborhood, she likes to play with other childrens and seem less dependent on me. I know she won't learn to let go overnight. Being good parents is the toughest job in the world, it takes a lot of work to raise good, healthy and happy kids but very rewarding.