Because he kicks his covers off so often during the night, we put an adult-sized sweatshirt on him, on top of his pajamas, to help keep him warm, esp during these cold winter nights. 

This morning he was able to pull the shirt off all by himself-- he lifted the bottom of it and pulled it over his head, and then extracted his arms from the sleeves one by one. He was quite proud of himself after he finished that :-)

Woke Mommy up in the morning by coming to her bedside and whispering "I want water! I want breakfast! Mommy drink tea, I drink water"

Didn't take long to rouse Mommy enough to get up and shuffle into the kitchen to get him some water :-) 

Had an actual phone conversation with Opa after Oma called him at work. Also talked with Oma, who gave him the phone while she called on her cell phone from the other room. 

Now he can't get enough of talking on the phone, and always insists on speaking to whomever we are talking to in front of him.

Mommy made mention of his being a sweet baby, to which he declared:

"I'm not a baby! I'm a boy!" 

Another weekend in SB.

Rang in the New Year the night before without much fanfare. Since Todd would be asleep by midnight, we turned on the television at 9pm and tuned in to some of the cable news stations, which were broadcasting live from New York, where the ball was being dropped in Times Square. So, Todd got to see televised fireworks and celebrations.

Todd has been using his little plastic sword/light saber as a knife to cut everything from legos to "food". His little green plastic slinky served a multitude of purposes this weekend: onions (cut with the saber),  a necklace, and even a bracelet (which he was prompt to point out, was NOT a bandage/cast)

After his dinner one night I rinsed off his little plastic dish so I could put his dessert of fruit into it, but before I could do that, he declared:

"No! It's wet! Dry it!"

So I had to dry the dish before I could refill it with his fruit :-P 

Earlier during the weekend, I accidentally hit the doorknob of the bedroom door on my way out of the bedroom, and said "Ow!"

Todd observed this and immediately followed suit: everytime he passed by a door he'd intentionally hit it with his shoulder and proclaim "Ow!" This just made Mommy and Daddy laugh harder, which in turn prompted him to continue this again and again and again... you can see where the cycle is going here :-) 

Finally, in the evening, before heading home to LA, Todd was watching me brush my hair as I was finishing getting ready. The following conversation ensued:

Todd (with Rocky in hand): I pinchy Rocky!
Mommy (thinking he's playing a shark): Ouch! Poor doggie!
Todd: I'm not a shark!
Mommy: Oh? Then what are you?
Todd: I'm not a fish!
Mommy (laughing): What are you?
Todd: I'm... here! I'm looking at Mommy! I'm... a boy! I'm a pao-pao!

Kidspace Museum

Took a family trip to the Kidspace museum in Pasadena today, after discovering that the Los Angeles Children's Museum was closed while they moved to another site.

The place was fantastic-- very kid-oriented! All sorts of things for kids to enjoy. First up, Todd's first snow:

 

 His opinion? "It's cold!"

Then we visited the insect museum, where there were all kinds of things for kids to learn about insects, as well as climb through life-size "anthills". Here's Todd in a safari jeep:

 

Outside there was a play area intended for 4-and-under, basically a playground with no sharp objects or edges for kids to get hurt on. Even the ground was covered with a sort of rubberized material to prevent falling injuries. There was also a play area with water, where Todd delighted in splashing water around with a bucket.

Next to it was a little track where kids could ride tricycles around and around. And behind that was a mini amphitheater in a grass "bowl", for regular performances and other staff-led activities. 

Behind the amphitheater was a little garden area where kids could splash in a little creek or enjoy nature, such as the "bumpy fuzzy garden". There was a mini-rock-climbing wall at one end, and at the end of a garden maze there was a "spider web":

 

There was an area full of things for kids to build: either small scale with Legos, or large-scale with huge foam blocks. We had loads of fun with the Legos, here's Todd in his Bob the Builder hard hat:

 

And of course, Mommy and Daddy had more fun with the Legos than Todd ever did/would. Mommy built a little fortress, with interlocking walls for added sturdiness. Here's the end result:

 

Finally, the best part of the place-- an indoors play area made specifically for kids 4 and under. After taking off our shoes (it was a no-shoe area), we got right into the playing. There were all sorts of books, a little jungle gym for tots, big foam blocks to play with and stack, beanbags to sit on and exercise mats were laid on the floor for people to sit comfortably and play with their kids.

Here's Todd at a station that contained something similar to play-doh, but it wasn't as messy. It was like styrofoam beads that stuck together and could be molded into shapes as easily as play-doh:

 

There was no shortage of things for Todd to see and do, as the place was VERY kid-oriented and naturally, kid-friendly. Certainly beats the zoo or a regular museum, where all you can really do is look and learn. Here everything is educational AND interactive. All in all, a very fun and exciting day-- for both kids AND parents! :-D

Merry Christmas 2006

Another Christmas at Aunt Debbie's and Uncle Ron's. Grandpas' friend Julie was also in attendance, as was Debbie and Ron's friend Ben, recovering from a round of chemotherapy in a lung cancer battle.

Started off the afternoon with presents, of course Todd got to start, as the youngest. He got several electronic books from Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ron, a toy Hummer from Julie, and airplane-building kit (complete with electric screwdriver) and sit-n-spin from Opa. Mommy and Daddy got the usual AAA membership renewal and an electronic 20-Questions toy. Grandpa got an assortment of camping-related stuff, such as a warm blanket. And Julie got everyone a Washington Huskies T-shirt. 

Then Grandma and Grandpa Duaine showed up, and more rounds of present-opening followed. Toddy got clothes-- a Superman-themed outfit (T-shirt, sweatshirt and pants) and some thermal-type pajamas. Mommy and Daddy got a box of petits fours and hands-free cell phone earpieces. Grandma even got a present for Sammy-- a little doggie swing. After Ron assembled it, Sammy tried to get on, and then promptly broke the chain as he enthusiastically hopped off it.

Todd was much more interactive, willingly saying "hello" to people when we prompted him to. At one point, while Ron was opening the doggie swing present, he enlisted Todd's help. Todd joined Ron and chatted with him a bit, before returning to Mommy and Daddy and then announcing: "See? I talked to Uncle Ron!" :-D

Wound down the evening by sitting outside around the fire and talking, Todd fell asleep in Mommy's arms. All around, another uneventful, relaxing Christmas.  

Festival of Lights?

On Saturday evening we attempted to take a family trip to the Griffith Observatory to see the Festival of Lights that the DWP had put on, running from 5-10pm everyday from Thanksgiving until the end of December.

So, the whole family-- Mommy, Oma, Opa, Ama and Todd, piled into the car after dinner and drove off. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that everyone and their brother had the same idea-- and as we approached the Los Feliz exit off the I-5 South, traffic slowed to a standstill-- a mile away from the exit. We crawled along for about 45 minutes before finally reaching the exit, and it was at that point that we realized we'd have to crawl at a snail's pace for another mile or two till we actually REACHED the Observatory and the mile-long stretch of lights. At that point, we gave up and turned around. 

Not wanting to disappoint Todd after promising Christmas lights, Opa drove around some neighborhoods in Pasadena, where we lucked out and came across some splendidly decked-out homes, where the owners had gone all out with their lights, decorations and even music. So Toddy got to enjoy the sights of some spectacular Christmas decorations and pretty lights, after all :-) 

It began raining as we made our way home, and the steadily increased in tempo as we drove along the freeway, giving Todd yet one more sight to be fascinated with: the sight of the raindrops beating hard against the windshield, illuminated by the red taillights of the cars on front of us.

Here's the little man with his Santa hat:

After he finished his dinner today, Todd ran into the living room, where Mommy and Oma were sitting and chatting, and announced:

"I finished eating. Now I can eat yogurt... with Ovaltine!"

So Oma got him his dessert.

Later that night, while Oma brushed her teeth, he climbed up on the stool beside her at the sink, and used his own toothbrush to brush his teeth, mimicking her. When she was finished and tried to take his toothbrush so she could give him a proper tooth-cleaning, he refused, insisting: "It's already clean! See? (points to mouth)-- no germs!" 

Thanksgiving 2006

Todd's third Thanksgiving. Another year at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ron's house. He used his teddy bear's arms to wave at Uncle Ron, who was waving to him through the kitchen window.

Later, at home, he described what he'd eaten:

Todd: "At Aunt Debbie's house you can eat turkey and ham. It's hot!"
Mom: "Oh! Is it yummy?"
Todd: "No! It's hot!"
Mom: "Did Daddy feed you?"
Todd: "No, I ate by myself!"

Todd's getting creative in his endeavors to get around the house. He noticed something he wanted sitting on the countertop in the kitchen-- far out of his reach. So he dragged his little stepping stool up the counter and climbed on it. Still not tall enough. He then ran into the bathroom, grabbed the bigger stepping stool and dragged it into the kitchen. Climbed aboard and was finally high enough to reach what he needed!

I got up earlier than expected this morning-- I misread my alarm clock and thought it was 8:35am already, not until I sauntered into the kitchen did I realize it was only 8:15. Ah well, time enough for a leisurely breakfast.

At around 8:30, I heard Todd calling Oma, repeating her name and asking her (in Chinese) to come into the room. So I grabbed his bottle and went into his room and gave him his morning milk.  Then I finished getting ready for work and left before 9:00am.

At around 9:30, my mom called and asked if I'd given Todd his milk. When I confirmed it, she laughed and said that he'd already told her so.

Apparently he kept calling out for Oma after he finished his breakfast, and then, in Chinese:

Todd: "I drank my milk already!"

Oma: "You did? Who gave it to you?"

Todd: "Mommy!"

Oma: "Oh?"

Todd: "I called 'Oma! Oma!' and Mommy gave me milk!"

Later that night, Oma wasn't allowed to sit at the kitchen table to talk with Mommy while Mommy ate dinner: Todd kept running up to her and pulling her out of her seat to drag her to the living room. Why?

"Don't sit there! Come here! Come play with me!" 

Another Saturday in Santa Barbara. As it was nearing Toddy's naptime, Mommy finished playing with him and then got up to start fixing his afternoon bottle:

Mommy: "I think you're about ready for a nap, young man!"

Todd: "No! I'm not tired!"

Which just cracked me up because that was the first time he gave a logical reason for not wanting to nap, usually he just insists with "no!" or "no nap!". Apparently he picked it up from one of the "Let's Talk About..." series by Joy Wilt Berry, specifically, the "Overdoing It" one, which featured a drawing of a kid refusing to go to bed and screeching: "I'm not tired!" 

And yes, he promptly fell asleep as soon as I put him to bed a half hour after that conversation ;-) 

Mommy was driving back home to Sylmar after another weekend in Santa Barbara. Todd was busy babbling in the back seat, as usual. Talking about who he was going to see and with whom he was going to play upon arriving back home.

Todd: "Play with Opa!"

Mommy: "And who else?"

Todd: "And Oma!"

Mommy: "And...?" (expecting to hear Ama-ama)

Todd: *silent*

Mommy: *prompting* "Ama-ama?"

Todd: "No."

Mommy: "You're not going to play with Ama-ama?"

Todd: "No."

Mommy: "Why not?"

Todd: "Oma gets mad!"

I had to laugh at this, and had to explain to my son that Oma doesn't get mad at him for playing with Ama-ama, she only gets mad when he treats her too roughly, or when he just sits in her room watching TV! :-D 

No Daddy! No SB!

This morning as Mommy drove to work with Todd in tow, in order to do the usual weekly hand-off to Daddy in Thousand Oaks (good halfway point between Sylmar and Santa Barbara), Todd started crying as Mommy pulled out of the driveway.

Mommy phoned Daddy to let him know she was on the road, and as soon as Daddy picked up the phone he was greeted with the shrill wail of his son, unhappy at the prospect of leaving Oma and Opa for SB.

Mommy: "We're going to see Daddy!"

Todd: "No!"

Mommy: "Don't you want to see Daddy?"

Todd: "No!!"

Mommy: "Don't you want to go to Santa Barbara?"

Todd: "No!!"

Mommy: "Don't you want to go shopping with Daddy?"

Todd: "No!!"

Mommy: "Don't you want to wrassle with Daddy?"

Todd: "No!!"

Daddy: *pouts unhappily* 

Haircut again

Been over 2 months since Toddy last got his hair cut (or should that be shaved?) so Oma took him to the salon again. This time we opted for the #2 setting instead of the drastic #1 setting we first experimented with. And though it WAS noticeably longer, it wasn't by much! 

My little boy is, once again, a little monk :-)

In other news, his potty-training endeavors are going well, if slowly. He no longer wears a diaper except during naptime, at night, and when he has to go out of the house for long periods of time (i.e. more than an hour). Otherwise, we let him run around in just underwear and his clothes, with strict admonishment to let us know if he has to use the toilet.

Was trying at first, with many accidents and soiled undies/pants, but he's been improving the past few weeks, doing a good job of alerting a nearby grownup so that he/she can lift him onto the toilet. Accident rate hasn't quite reached zero yet, but it's declining, and a pack of diapers is lasting longer than it used to :-) 

Phone Call

Today while I was at work, Todd apparently had another bout of clamoring to talk to Mommy on the phone.

So, Oma picked up the phone and dialed my office number.

Mommy: "Hello, this is Helly"

Todd: *silence as he ponders what to say*

Mommy: "Hello?"

Todd: "Hi Mommy!"

Mommy: "Hi Sweetie!"

Todd: (echoing): "Hi Sweetie!"

Mommy: "How are you?"

Todd: (echoing again) "How are you!"

Mommy: "Are you being a good boy?"

Todd: (without hesitation) "Yes!!"

Awwww... what a way to make me smile in the middle of my busy day :-D 

 

Too hot!

Yesterday Mommy and Oma were talking in the living room. It was a hot day, and we had the AC on. I happened to be sitting directly underneath a vent, and quickly got cold, so I grabbed a gigantic, blanket-sized towel and wrapped myself in it.

Todd, who had been busy helping Opa fix the bathtub, came out, saw Mommy wrapped up in the blanket, and promptly pulled it off.

The following conversation ensued: 

Mommy: "Hey, what are you doing?"

Todd: "Take it off!"

Mommy: "But why??"

Todd: "You don't need it!"

Mommy: "Why not!?"

Todd: "Because.... *thinks awhile*... it's too hot!!" 

:-D

Labor Day BBQ

Today we all went to Grandpa's condo in Long Beach for a little get-together and Labor Day BBQ, as well as to celebrate Ron's birthday-- very very belatedly, as it was exactly 2 months ago. We got him a bottle of Patron Silver and a Home Depot gift card.

As usual, Todd was quiet and clung to Mommy and Daddy. But when Uncle Ron and Aunt Debbie got ready to leave, he willingly (after we asked him to) gave them hugs and kisses good-bye. 

And when Daddy and Mommy got ready to go shortly afterward, he gave Grandpa a hug and kiss, then, as Daddy hugged Grandpa goodbye, Toddy commanded him: "Kiss Grandpa!"

Hey-- equal opportunity affection :-D

Potty Training, cont'd

So, the adventures in potty training go on. For the most part, Todd has been pretty good about announcing when he wants to go pee, and then holding it in so we can get the toilet seat out and put him on top of it. Pooping, however, is another matter. He tends to hold it in when he's not wearing any pants, but we don't want to let him run around COMPLETELY buck-naked all the time, esp when he wants to play outdoors. So sometimes he wears underwear (briefs), but the sensation of being "clothed" in something seems to prompt him to poop in the underwear. Maybe he thinks it's a diaper and forgets he doesn't have one on. 

At any rate, today my mom ran out of clean underwear and so let him run around the house naked. Then he announced that he had to go poopies. She put him on the toilet and waited a while. After a bit of grunting and straining, he did it-- went poopies in the toilet! Now there's a successful breakthrough :-)

Peach Fuzz

When we first decided to give Todd a buzz cut, we decided to remain a bit conservative and leave it a bit long, especially on top. You can see the results in my initial blog entry about it:

http://blogs.grab.com/hellykwee/175800

With this heatwave, my mom took him to the salon yesterday to get it trimmed again. This time we decided to be a little bolder and go for the number 1 setting on the clippers-- all around.

Summerfest 2006

Cross-posting from Myspace, too long to re-type. Enjoy the pics here:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=28049135&blogID=148074608