Look At Me!

The other day I was on the phone, and somewhere in the background, I could hear Klaudia calling me.  But it wasn't until she said:  Mommy, look at me! when she finally got my attention.  I noticed her doing the same thing to Maya and Len, and surprisingly it worked every time.  She must have learned this at school, where in order to get their attention, a teacher would ask kids to look into her eyes. 

But the other morning, it sounded a little cuter, when Klaudia found candy wrappers on the table from the night before and asked:  Daddy, what are these?  After getting no response, she firmly asked again:  Daddy, look at me!  What are these?

Our Life in Africa

A few weeks ago we had a tarantula crawling on the side of our house.  Last weekend, there was a bobcat in our backyard.  And this past Friday night when driving home, an owl came out of nowhere hitting the side of our minivan ripping the side mirror off.  Sometimes it feels like we live in Africa. 

Influenced by Dora the Explorer

Trying to get Klaudia excited about her preschool that she starts September 1st, I told her we'd buy her a new backpack just like Dora's. "And a map?" she asked.

Influenced by Curious George

While waiting for his girls to finish their lunch, so that we could go shopping, Len looked through a magazine and noticed: "It looks like George is dating a new girl" (George Clooney that is). Klaudia asked me what daddy said, and when I repeated, she asked: "George the monkey?"

Raising Another Teacher in the Family?

The school has officially started for me and Klaudia.  Yes, we've decided to put Klaudia in school two days a week for 4 hours a day. 

The first day of her school went better than expected.  I anticipated tears, but except for mine, there were none.  Klaudia was simply ready (just like she was ready to move from the crib to the big girls' bed and to be potty trained - no hassle, she just did it).  She had her Dora backpack, her map and off she went. 

Today was her 3rd day of school.  As soon as we got home, she ordered Maya and me to sit on the floor, so she could read us a book.  After she was done, I wondered if it was a good time to introduce her to what I do at work.  So, I said: "Hey babe, you know, when I go to work, I sit just like you now, and I teach, too."  I couldn't wait to see her reaction.  Would she understand it?  Well, she looked at me and said:  "Shhhhhh!  Be quiet, please!"

The Truth is Out!

After all that Len's boot camp training, drilling and nagging trying K to remember that daddy is the king of the world, she made up her mind and told me the truth today.

When sitting in a Chinese restaurant and eating her favorite orange chicken, she looked at me and said: "Mommy, YOU are the best. I love you."

Maya Just Turned 14 Months!

1. Her nicknames are Mike, Mikie, Mayeski, Majeczka, My, etc.
2. She's a runner (Klaudia wasn't walking yet at this age).
3. She's small (only 25th percentile).
4. She squeals when she sees animals.
5. She loves to cuddle.
6. She's a mama's girl (we're still co-sleeping).
7. She wasn't interested in eating solids until she was almost one.
8. So far she's only had Roseola (three days of high fever followed by a rash) at 10 months.
9. She hasn't slept through the night yet.
10. She sleeps on her knees and belly with her butt up in the air.
11. We think she's going to be redheaded.
12. She repeats a lot of words, and knows when to say Thank You.
13. She is a climber and a little daredevil. She'll climb anything whether it's a couch, a chair, a box, or just a remote on the floor.
14. She loves to be chased and play the 'I'm going to get you' game.

4 More Teeth for Maya

Maya's two upper teeth came out about 1.5 months ago, and yesterday I noticed two more upper ones in the back. Now, she's got a set of 6!

Update: Maya has two upper and lower front teeth, and one tooth in the back on each side, and just big gaps between her front and back teeth. It looks hillarious!

Hit by Amazing Grace

Yesterday I was in a small car accident. While on my way to school, I was stuck in some major traffic. At one point the cars started moving, and so did I, but a second later, we came to a stop again. The girl behind me was texting and didn't see me stop and ran into me. Even though she wasn't driving fast, it was a pretty good shake. When exchanging information, I learned that her name was Amazing Grace. No kidding.

K's First Stage Performance

Klaudia's dance team had their first performance last weekend. We had a huge melt down right before the show - K does not like having a make up on. Period. Although we were able to convince her to sit still and let us put it on, it was all gone by the time we got to our destination. Until the last minute we were unsure whether K would join the girls on the stage or not. But she did, and she had a great time. It was so much fun to watch those youngest participants doing their own thing. All but one forgot to look at their teacher to follow her moves, so it looked like every girl had her own agenda. The whole 'dance' lasted about 2 minutes, and it left us all teared up.

Her Angelic Side

Since my parents visit, Klaudia's speaking skills have improved exponentially. Just a few months ago, she was only able to say a few single words. Today she utters sentences, and even though her grammar is not always right, she improves every single day.

And, I love how she uses her new ability to continue being such a gentle little kid that she is.

The other day at the park, when a little girl came up to her and said she'd like to build a castle with Klaudia, K replied: Thank you help me build my castle. (meaning: thank you for helping me build my castle)

And, when I heated up a hot dog for her for dinner and gave it to her to eat while she was busy watching TV, she paused after her first bite and said: Thank you for the hot dog, mama. It's really good.

Potty Training - Final Post?

Klaudia is done with diapers - quit them cold turkey. No hassle, no accidents - pretty impressive. It's been a few days like this, and we still have diapers on at night, but she wakes up with a dry one. Wow!

You Know You Are a Parent When...

1. ... you're at the cashier in your work clothes (dressed up in Len's case) and instead of a wallet, you pull out a pair of baby socks.

2. ... you're on a date with your husband, and you choose to stay and sleep in the car after lunch rather than go shopping.

3. ... your white nursing pad sticks out of your dark blue shirt while you're teaching.

Maya's First Steps

Maya took her first steps at 11 months and 6 days! She decided to do it while mom was away at work, of course. Daddy again took the honors.

Potty Training

Right before my parents left for Poland, my dad fixed K's portable toilet seat so that it would fit our toilet seat perfectly. As a result, K had a couple of successful 'goings'. Since then, however, she has refused to sit on that thing and hides when she needs to go.

We don't pressure her but kindly remind her every now and then about the toilet's existence. And, here is the outcome:

a. When getting ready to go to the park with the girls, I asked K to come to the bathroom with me (main reason - not to leave her with M unattended). While I was going to the bathroom, K said with a lot of enthusiasm in her voice and a big smile on her face: Mommy, you're going pee pee! Good girl!

b. K has been trying out my patience recently - for some reason she likes to slap M around when she feels like it. One morning after I had asked numerous times to simply stay away from M, K poured a bucket of water on M's head. It was in the bathtub while taking a bath, so it seems like not a big deal, but again it was after multiple happenings, and it did cause Maya to freak out). Anyway, I got upset and told K that there would be no TV for her that day. She was heart broken.

When done with her bath, K ran to the bathroom and asked me to help her sit on the toilet. Without saying a word, she peed and pooped. When finished, she asked with the most angelic voice: "Mommy, are you happy now? Can I please watch Dora?"

Critters

The snake season has officially started. Two days ago I saw two little snakes on the road on my way home from the grocery store.

Lent, Strong Will Power and Radiation

A few weeks back I was impressed by a friend who gave up facebook for Lent. I, too, decided that giving something up for 40 days could only make me a stronger person and started weighing my options.

I could remember from my 'religious' classes in elementary school back in Poland that if you participate in Lent, whatever you choose to give up has to have some value to you. So, things like "I won't go to Africa" or "I won't drink milk with honey and garlic" within the next 39 days (yes, I started a bit late) wouldn't work. On the other hand, I quickly made a decision that I wouldn't be giving up things that are essential to living like coffee or bubble tea. So, sushi it was.

Not to be alone in this exciting endeavor, I asked Len to stop drinking wine. As strong of a person as he says he is, he didn't last even 12 hours.

I proudly was doing very very well, and then the earthquake in Japan happened. Radiation from a nuclear reactor started spreading reaching California within just a few days. It was suggested that we have more iodine in our diet, and the things to get it from (other than supplements) are veggies from the ocean like kelp and seaweed (and more other things that I know little about). I saw kelp at the store once but have no clue how to prepare or eat it. Seaweed, on the other hand, conveniently wraps sushi rolls. It was a hard decision to make, but as a nursing mother, I didn't want to wait any longer and decided to sacrifice and get some iodine in my diet ASAP. Lent happens every year - I'll have plenty of opportunities to show off my extremely strong will power in the years to come.

Right now my family and our health are my priority. Iodine (so sneakily hidden in sushi rolls) - here I come!

Teething

A week and a half before turning 10 months, Maya has finally started teething!

Unforgettable Vacation

Since my parents have been helping us so unselfishly for the last 6 months, we decided to take them on a nice vacation - a cruise to Mexico. Last time Len, Klaudia and I went we had a wonderful time and thought this would be a perfect gift for my parents.

We planned on going the beginning of January when Len and I usually have some time off from work. Our ship unfortunately caught on fire back in November, and our cruise got canceled. The next available was first week of February, and even though it was the first week of my semester (probably busiest time of the school year) and quite a busy time for Len at work too, we decided to take it as it was the last chance for my parents before their departure to Poland on March 1st.

We drove to South California the day before to avoid the LA traffic. We showed my parents our favorite places - Santa Monica, Laguna Beach, had dinner at the best sushi restaurant - Mosun's, went to the beach and unpatiently anticipated the next day cruise. A bird pooped on me when walking to the hotel, and I remember thinking it must be for good luck.

The next day, we dropped our car off at Len's friend's place in San Diego and went to start the trip of our lifetime. I was so excited that I kept thinking that nothing, absolutely nothing could ruin this day.

After waiting in line for a while moving slowly towards the check in desk with tons of luggage, two kids, two strollers, backpacks, nursing in the meantime, we finally got to talk to the attendant. He took our passports and asked who was the permanent resident. "I am" - I proudly said. He then asked the question of the day: "Can I see your green card?". With a smile on my face (it only proves how I had NO clue about what was coming), I responded: "No, I only have my passport, but I can show you my ID if you'd like."

A lot of things happened within the next 3.5 hours. To make the long story short, they didn't let me on the ship. We had 10 minutes to decide what to do - pull our luggage, go home and forget about the trip, or have me go home get the card and join them in Mexico at the first port stop two days later. We went with the second idea. At first I wanted to take Maya with me, so that I could nurse her, but our travel agent reminded us that without a passport she could not get on the plane. Another option was to get her formula across the street and let them all go; I would use my pump to keep the milk supply going. We went with it.

To justify our decision, I'd like to add that we only had a few minutes to make it. As soon as they all left, that decision didn't sound as good as a few minutes ago. What they and I went through within the next couple of days before I was able to join them in Puerto Vallarta is hard to describe in words. This was the first time I was away from my girls for so long, and I actually felt physical pain. Every time I closed my eyes I saw my munchkins. Every time I saw a kid, I had tears in my eyes.

Len and my parents had a hard time communicating. Len is getting pretty good in Polish, but he's not fluent yet. Klaudia was doing well, but poor Maya was not into her new milk. She refused to drink the formula and was so traumatized that didn't want to eat or drink anything. Len had to take her to the doctor twice. She got weak and dehydrated.

When we finally got reunited, we did our best to enjoy the rest of the trip. We went to 5 different cities in Mexico, we went on tours, snorkling, tried really good food and rested as much as we could. Maya nursed the first two hours non-stop and spent the rest of the trip catching up with her food supply. She got her energy back soon after she took a few sips of her mama's milk.

And yes, I did learn my lesson to take my green card everywhere I go. I thought that if my parents could go to Mexico only with their Polish passports, so could I. The idea of bringing my card had never occurred to me; otherwise, I would have taken it. And next time I will.

Another New Milestone!

For the past two days, Maya has been pulling herself up to a standing position next to a couch, coffee table or stairs. She's so into it that this is all she wants to do now even in the middle of the night.

Last night she woke up at 3am (she woke up many times before and after 3 - she's been doing so for the last couple of months leaving me absolutely exhausted) and started to crawl. She covered the length of the bed back and forth a few times. Unable to get off the bed on either side, she tried to unsuccessfully climb over me. After an hour of a hard core exercise, she laid her head next to mine on a pillow and fell asleep still in a crawling position - on her fours with her butt up.

Sitting Up

At 8.5 months, Maya learned how to sit up on her own.

Crawling at 8 months

Maya started crawling yesterday!

K's Language Development

Since my parents got here in September, Klaudia's language skills blossomed. Although she doesn't speak with full sentences yet, she can use both Polish and English and knows exactly what language she needs to use when speaking to Len or to my parents (she speaks both languages with me). Her pronunciation is not perfect yet, but it's getting better and better every day. Here are the latest couple of things she said that raised our eyebrows and put smiles on our faces at the same time.

Klaudia: while looking for a golf ball in the bushes Mom, I suck! (true meaning: I'm stuck.)

And today when looking for her watch, which she likes to call a clock, she kept saying: Mom, my cock is gone; oh, no, my cock is all gone.

Happy 3rd Birthday My Little Pumpkin of Love

Lost in Translation series

Here is a little script for our bilingual readers.

Len: (exhausted after a long day of playing with Klaudia)I'm going upstairs; I'm going to lock the door; I'm going to turn on the TV, and I'm going to watch it. (then he added in Polish) Sama.