On Sunday night we went to Nicki’s birthday party. She turned two and the party was held at this really nice restaurant. We had a lovely time and got to meet a lot of people and I must say I found it a lot easier meeting other moms and dads for the first time than I used to find it meeting new people when we didn’t have kids. I always used to feel so nervous and like I didn’t know what to talk about, but when you’re chatting to other parents there are automatically things you have in common so it’s a good starting point and I felt an instant connection with some of the other mums. Unfortunately, though, the three that I really liked are not teachers and will be leaving soon. Their husbands all work for companies that have contracts here and they’re heading back to the States soon. There was one other fully foreign couple (most of the couples were mixed with the wife being Taiwanese) and they had a little boy. When Nicki opened her toys she got this Barbie stroller so she put her teddy in it and started pushing it around. It’s funny, though, because this little boy (just over a year old) kept on fighting with her because he wanted to play with it and the parents were so embarrassed that he just wanted to push this bright pink stroller everywhere. The father took a photo and said, “Now that’s not a picture I’ll be sending home anytime soon.” Ha ha. I know that the boy probably couldn’t care less about the color or the Barbie on it and just liked the fact that it was something that moved and had wheels.
One thing that made me a little sad was that I noticed that every time Nicki got excited about a gift she’d gotten or something, she’d run straight to her nanny and tell her and give her a hug. She didn’t go near her mom the whole night. I don’t think that would ever happen with Jay because I’m much more involved in his life. Also, their nanny is full time and lives with them so it’s no wonder Nicki is so close to her.
As Dad said on the phone, when you’re with parents you can’t really help comparing your kids and talking about parenthood. Like with Jay, I don’t know if he is teething for sure, but I was mentioning it to Katy at work and when I turned around Sammy was standing behind me and had been listening. She was totally shocked at the thought that Jay could be teething. I told her that I’d cut my first tooth at 4 months so maybe he would cut his first tooth early, too. Then she started saying that it was “too early” and that a lot of westerners expected their babies to develop so quickly, but that it was actually “unnatural” and due to the fact that we ate too many things that weren’t organic and so all the growth hormones and stuff resulted in stuff like babies getting teeth too early. I honestly didn’t even know how to respond. I just kind of shrugged and said, “Anyway….” Maybe she felt defensive because her son is only cutting his first tooth now at 8 and a half months, but really they both fall into the normal range. I hate that kind of thing. I certainly wasn’t telling Katy out of any sense of superiority, but just in a chatting mother-to-mother kind of way.
I wanted to mention to you that this week was the first time I noticed Jay’s fascination with the dogs. He was in his jumperoo and I was on the computer and the next minute Rocco walked in and Jay stopped what he was doing to stare. He just stared and stared and then his eyes followed Rocco as he came to me and then turned around. It was so cute. He also focuses on Rusty a lot now, too.
Another thing he has been doing lately is grabbing hold of my earrings. It’s not safe to wear my big hoops anymore because little fingers fit nicely around them and PULL. Ouch!! Of course he feels that hair will do nicely as well. He is absolutely obsessed with his fingers and will often try and fit his entire fist in his mouth. This sometimes leads to him gagging. He plays with his toes, too, when he is lying on his back or sitting. He is still the drooling king, although I’m still not sure if it has anything to do with teething. I was quite possibly wrong about it and maybe it’ll only happen later. His eating has been going so well this week. No more vomiting and crying and I find that he ‘snacks’ less. Now he’ll drink a whole bottle in one sitting, then sleep or play or whatever for about 2 to 4 hours and then be ready for another full bottle. It’s actually a lot easier that way because I’d often not know how much to make and with formula you can’t keep it out for long so I’d often have to throw it away and it was such a waste. And I no longer have to bounce him up and down on my knees before he’ll take the bottle. Now he’ll just see it and start opening his mouth and then it’s a nice, calm feed.
It’s funny because this week Stella told me that she thinks he has gotten so big and that his face has changed. She said that besides his eyes, she only sees me in his face! Strange how everyone sees something different. I also heard her talking to him and saying, “Now what color is your hair?” And then saying, “Yes, I think red.” Haha! Red? I don’t see any red.
This week he also managed to work on perfecting the ending part of his rolls. Before, he’d kind of roll over and then his arm would be squished underneath him and his head would be down, but now he has learned how to finish and tug his other hand free so he can lean on the elbow and keep his head up. It’s amazing because it feels like he grows so quickly. One day he can’t do something and the very next he can. He has also gotten really heavy. I let him sit in the stroller, but with the seat upright quite often and he likes that because I’ll wheel him around and show him stuff and chat to him as I do things. I have also started putting him in the baby carrier, but now I put him facing outwards (his neck is strong enough now) so he can look around. He likes that and kicks with his little legs as we walk around and he stares at everything we walk past.
I had a horrible dream the other night and I’m sure it has something to do with the fear I felt when he rolled off the bed. I dreamed that he was in bed with me and I guess I’d pushed the comforter off and it was balled near my knees because in my dream that was him and I woke up thinking that Greg had pulled the covers right over him. I woke up with such a start and said to Greg, “Why did you put him down so low?” or something like that (Poor Greg, I even blamed him in my dream!) and he sat straight up and was like, “What? What?” and started frantically looking around. Meanwhile I had immediately patted the area where I thought he was, about to rip the covers off. Of course, my conscious mind slowly seeped back and I realized I’d been dreaming. He was safely in his crib, but I certainly managed to freak both Greg and myself out enough! The next morning after he woke up for his bottle, I put him back in the crib instead of in bed with me. Of course he wasn’t used to that because I usually keep him with me so he only slept for another hour instead of the usual 2 or 3. I think I was just too freaked out by the dream and just wanted to know he was safely in his crib where nothing could accidentally cover his face. Speaking of dreams, though, I keep forgetting to tell you about the time Greg had been sleeping and I got into bed. He never opened his eyes, but said loudly, “From now on we should not refer to him not as Jay, but rather as ‘the boy’ or ‘the child in question’”. Hilarious! Now we have this running joke where we’ll ask questions or refer to him by using the phrase “the child in question”. Another funny thing is that Greg was holding him the other day and he smiled and Greg squeezed him tight and said, “You are such a cute dog.” Haha!
(And then something totally unrelated to Jay: When I went downstairs this morning, there was a note from the landlord on the front door. It said: “James in apt 120,8F your lease will finish 10/31. YOU CONTINUE LIVE? I want UNDERSTAND your DECIDE.” Great stuff!)
This week we actually had two typhoons heading our way, but neither one hit us. The one veered to the north and hit Japan and the other dissipated and only the very southern tip of Taiwan was affected at all. We did, however, get to feel an earthquake!! It was a 3 in Taichung City. The epicenter was off in Hualien so it was stronger there, but even here the cupboards were rocking. It totally freaked me out. I just grabbed Jay and headed for the area where I can see the building supports are and held him. Greg rushed to where we were, too. It lasted for a bit longer than I’m used to as well. I was so scared, especially because there have been so many bad ones in other parts of the world lately. It was recorded as a 6.3 which is pretty big. I got a message on Facebook from a few people asking if we were okay. I’m so glad we don’t live in Hualien or Yilan because that is where they seem to be the strongest at the moment.
This week was the first time I noticed the weather changing and felt like I needed to wear a light sweater on my way home from work. It’s still really hot during the day and I still need the AC on for a couple of hours at night so I can fall asleep, but other than that it’s okay and you don’t feel like it has to be on all the time. I’m in the dressing room typing this and the AC is not on and I feel a little warm, but not uncomfortable. Greg is so excited that winter is approaching, but I can’t say I feel the same. I just love summer. At least here the sun still shines and there are still blue skies in winter, but it’s much easier for me to feel depressed in winter. Although, now that I have my darling bundle of joy – I definitely think I’ll cope better with it! Oh, the cute little onesies I’ll get to dress him in! I can’t wait! I tried on his cute little sneakers – the ones Stacy sent – and they finally fit and he looks so utterly adorable in them!
And on that note, let me be off.
Lots of love
Em x
Snippets from October 2009 (3 months)
