Tennis 101

Today will be the first day that Valerie will step on the court for tennis lessons. Her interest in the sport is not too strong, so I figured putting her in an atmosphere with other toddlers learning tennis may help peak her interest. Let's see if the old saying "monkey see, monkey do" holds true in this case. So far, mommey loves shopping, Valerie loves shopping. Aunt Kat likes art, Valerie likes coloring. So, daddy enjoys tennis, Val enjoys tennis? Hahaha, only time will tell.

Valerie at 3 years old

Valerie is growing up so fast! She's been potty trained and just moved up to the 3 year old Preschool class. She's attending 3 full days. She seems to be adjusting well and happy to be joining her friends in the room. She also got very good assessment grades from her teachers for all her developmental milestones from 19 to 36 months. Valerie has come a long way and still has some trouble separating from mommy and daddy.

Hot Pot Menu

I have to say the hot pot that I prepared this past weekend was much better than expected. Normally, Sherry goes with a chicken broth soup base while my mom uses just regular water. This time, I went with the Lee Kum Kee Satay Soup Base for Hot Pot that I found from the asian grocery store, and as a result, the food turned out really flavorful!

In the past, I found it cumbersome to use chopsticks, ladles, and even the small metal strainers to pick up food from the hot pot. This time, I decided to go with a long slotted spoon, which turned out to be actually quite efficient. It is now my utensil of choice to use for hot pot.

Without further ado...

fish fillet (a staple of hot pot imho)
fried fish cake (something new that Sherry discovered)
fish balls (rubbery taste as some would say, but tolerable)
oysters (distinct taste which I like)
tofu (a needed balance)
nappa (our new favorite vege for satay hot pot)

dipping sauce mixture: ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, ½ tablespoon soy sauce

My mom makes a pretty good dipping sauce, which I’m in the process of figuring out how to make...

Q & A

Valerie is really growing up as she is communicating like a mini-adult and learning more words. She’ll give consistent answers whenever Sherry and I ask her the same questions over and over. It’s really wonderful to see her develop and see the kind of person that she’ll become.

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Red

Q: What is your favorite animal?
A: Polar bear

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Milk

Q: Who is your best friend?
A: Mommy

Q: What do you want to do today?
A: Color and read books

Q: What do you want for Christmas?
A: Books and clothes

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Nurse (I’ll still try to train her into a tennis prodigy, haha!)

Happy Holidays

Thanksgiving is around the corner. I'm excited this holiday season, because I'm Off on Thanksgiving and Christmas !! Getting ready for holidays is hectic-the shopping, decorating, cooking and sending out Christmas cards. I'm looking forward celebrating this joyful time of the year with my family and good food!!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! I'm surprised that Valerie is the only one in her class dressed up for Halloween. It's a beautiful day and no one dressed up? Valerie must feel awkward being the only kid with the costume on.

Milk Consumption

Valerie is not lactose intolerant. We stopped using the Lactaid after a week because it didn't help much and switched her back to the organic milk. The reason her stomach stuck out was due to her daily milk intake. Recently, Valerie likes drinking milk from a regular plastic cup instead of her straw cup, and she is drinking less milk, around 16 to 20 ounces. She drank a lot and so much faster with the straw cup.

Children over 12 months of age need only 16 to 20 ounces of milk a day recommended by pediatricians. We're aware of that but she loves milk. She was drinking about 36 ounces per day. She became full from the milk and didn't eat much of her solid food. I hid all her straw cups, so she doesn't ask for them and now she likes using the plastic cup. After she lost all the fluids, she seems lighter to me and her pants seem a little loose. Now, her tummy is normal and she eats more solid food:)

Poor service at Potbelly

Family and I decided to try the new Potbelly that opened up in our area a few weeks ago. When we got there, the server didn’t glance up or even acknowledge us. After waiting a while, we decided to move down the line thinking another employee would help us, but the sandwich maker told us to move back to order. Before we could get back to where we originally waited, which was only about 8 feet away, the server had taken orders from 2 customers who were behind us in a blink of an eye!

Needless to say, I was disappointed with the service. After asking the sandwich maker if they had a card so I could leave negative feedback, the manager came over to ask what was wrong. After explaining the situation, she didn’t charge us anything for the food to our surprise.

Over the years, I’ve developed a track record for leaving negative feedback due to poor service. So far, I’ve left negative feedback at Supercuts, Lowe’s, Blockbuster, and at a theater. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes I wonder if it’s because I’m jinxed, and other times I wonder if it’s because of discrimination.

Valerie is Almost Potty Trained

Valerie is almost completely potty trained. She did it! She would say " Mommy, go potty" every time she needs to pee-Voluntary request. Cecil initiated the process by hiding all the diapers. I got her to use the potty by depriving her the things she loves such as holding her or extra milk. I also put her on the potty 30 to 40 minutes after she had milk or water and I wouldn't hold her till she peed in the potty. Bribing doesn't work on her. It's true, your child wants your love more than anything. She wears underwear during the day but still uses diaper at night. And she always pooped after I changed her diaper before bedtime. Next step is to get her to poop in the potty.

Vacation

I just purchased the tickets for 3 of us to visit Ray in Texas in November. I'm looking forward to my 3 weeks off. Cecil and I decided that we don't buy birthday and Christmas gift for each other and just take a trip at the end of the year. We try to go somewhere every year and do something special on our anniversary.

A Day in my Life of Fatherhood

Being a dad has brought me great joy, but it isn’t without its challenges. There is no one correct way to raise a child. Instead, everyone has their own unique style and methods. In the following video, you’ll see Valerie struggling and crying from trying to take her shirt off. Any good parent will help their child in need or trouble, but in this case, what do I do if Val doesn’t want my help? I apologize in advance if the video appears cruel but Val is quite independent, and pretty stubborn.



Drawing from what I know and my own childhood experiences, I feel having balance is very important in a child’s life. Sometimes, it’s just not that simple as you’ll see in this next video where Val and I are at odds in finding a balance between spoiling her with everything and depriving her of everything.



Haha, you may have noticed from the videos that my daughter likes to be naked. I just hope it’s a phase and not a sign of anything bad in the future…

Lactose intolerance

Valerie may be lactose intolerant. We mentioned that her tummy was big to her pediatrician when she was 6 months old. The doctor said it's normal, baby's tummy sticks out till they're 18th months old. So, we didn't think too much of it because she was tolerating her formula and the whole milk with no signs of diarrhea. Until, 2 weeks ago, Uncle Dave mentioned that Valerie's tummy seemed big. Thank You, Dave :)

I brought her to the doctor's office this week and mentioned that her tummy is still big to her pediatrician. The doctor felt her tummy and said "She's probably lactose intolerant." I switched her milk to Lactaid, and her tummy seems smaller. She's doing much better with the Lactaid milk and her tummy seems normal now.

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.