Ky-an’s Tantrum

Ky-An has been pretty defiant lately and it takes forever to get him to do anything.  Everyday whenever ever he gets home and we sit him down at the dinner table to eat, he’ll start crying and refuse to eat anything.  Seeing how he’s getting skinnier every day, I would coax…bargain..and bribe for him to take some bites.  Bath time is also a struggle with him.  He would not go to take a bath when it’s time and I have either find a toy that he can bring with him to take a bath or threaten time-out.  It got to the point where we had to threaten him time-out before he would do anything.

He also got into this bad habit of saying he’s hungry right when we put him to bed and demand food.  The first two nights I gave in because I didn’t want him to be hungry and I was just happy he was asking for food.  The first night he ate a lot and then went to sleep on a full stomach.  The next night I told him if I take him out and he won’t eat then I’ll put him in the corner for not going to bed.  He ate a decent amount.  By the third night, I had enough caught on and refuse to take him out to get some food..that’s when the tantrum starts.  I offered him milk instead but he wanted it in a sippy (baby) cup.  We’ve been regressing and give him the sippy since school start because we felt bad for him and let him have his comfort item while he’s going through this transition.

I decide to put an end to everything tonight and said no.  I told him his milk is in the big boy cup with a straw and he starts screaming….”I WANT BABY MILK!! I WANT BABY MILK!!”  I let him cry and went out of the room.  We have a camera in the room so Hieu and I kept an eye on him and just let him have his tantrum.  As long as he doesn’t wake Ai-Vy then he can scream all he wants.  I have never let my kids do the cry it out method when they were younger but somehow it’s more tolerable when they are older.  I think it’s because I know he’s just throwing a tantrum and not that he’s in need of something. 

After some screaming with no result he changed his chants to “I DON’T WANT MILK!!! I DON’T WANT MILK!!”  I came in and took the milk from him and said..that’s fine, no milk and walk out the room.  He whimpered some more and laid down to go to sleep, exhausted from all those crying.  It was really hard to see him cry and I almost go into the room a couple of times but I am glad we stuck with it.  After a night of crying, we made sure we talk to him about it and explain to him about what happened.  I don’t know if the crying helped or he just learned we mean business because he is back to his angelic self after that.  After he came home from school the next day, he ate dinner like he’s suppose to.  He went to take a bath with not much whining and doesn’t want “baby” milk anymore..he wants a big boy cup because he’s a big boy now. LOL.

There are still some evenings when he still whines when I ask him to do a task.  I just get down to his level and tell him “mommy is not asking, I am telling you it’s time to take a bath.”  That put an end to negotiations quickly.  I decide that any life task such as eating, bath, sleeping, peeing, etc are not up for negotiation.  Everything else I can give him a choice on.  Thanks Supper Nanny!!!

School pics and Ky-An’s progress

I dreaded the second day of school because I fear after the excitement of the first day wore off, he’ll realize he has to be at school every day and starts crying.  I was happily wrong and he was still eager to go to school the second day.

The third day was hard because he starts crying as soon as I pull up to the school.  I took him in class and I’ve never seen him cry so hard.  I made the mistake of sticking around hoping to calm him down a little.  The teacher even got a mat out for him to lie down and give him his blanket.  He calmed down a little but as soon as I make any move to leave, he gets all worked up again.  I finally asked the teacher if it’s better for me to just do a clean break and she said yes.  I bite my lips and tears to calmly and brightly said goodbye to him, ignoring his wails.  I smiled to him and said goodbye and left.  It was so sad because they had to hold him down when he try to run after me.  I hung around outside the classroom for a little looking through the one-way glass to make sure he’s okay.  After he looks like he has settle down, I quickly left and trying to hold all my emotions inside.

Hieu came by the school to check on our little man everyday for 2 weeks during his lunch break.  This past Monday Hieu came a little late just as they are settling down for his nap.  He called me very emotional as he tell how our little guy was crying so hard and twisting his ears until it’s red at naptime.  He asked the teacher why he’s crying and she said he cries every day.  He asked her where is Ky-An’s blanket and she has this look on her face that tells him she has no idea what he’s talking about. 

We were both so upset to find out that I’ve packed his blanket for the past week and no one has bother to get it out of the bag to give it to him.  He has no comfort item during this difficult transition time.  I followed the instructions they gave in their booklet to put his comfort item in the bag and the teachers will take it out for him at nap time.  No wonder he cries as I put his blanket in the bag every morning.  It pains me to imagine how scary the transition has been for him with no familiar item.  They made me a liar to my son because I promise him every day that he’ll have it for nap time.

Hieu talked to the Director and the Regional Director about how upset he was.  They apologized and give him the typical canned excuses.  They are sorry..there was a miscommunication..they’ll talk to the teacher…Ky-An will get his blanket everyday..if any problems please talk to them or email them..blah blah blah.

I called the Director because I was upset and to make sure they know it is a big deal to us.  It may be a small issue but it’s the whole world to Ky-An.  They tried to tell me that I should’ve communicate with the front desk that he has a comfort item so they can be sure to tell the teacher.  My argument was that it was instructed in their booklet and I followed it.  I didn’t think I have to inform them to follow their procedure.  I told them I dropped my son off everyday expecting him to be taken care of and now I feel that he has been suffering.  If they have a miscommunication with the teachers about this then how do I know what other things fail through these miscommunications.  They apologized and assured me that they will talk to the teacher and this will never happen again.

I stopped by the front desk when I came to pick up Ky-An, still extremely upset. I asked them if they found what the issue was of why Ky-An didn’t get his blanket.  The owner’s daughter explained to me that they spoke to the teacher and it seem that since it’s an older class, none of the kids have a comfort item so the teacher is so used not checking that she didn’t think to check Ky-An’s bag.  She told me they’ve talked to the teacher and Ky-An will be given his blanket every day.  She said that they will work with the communication and asked that I do the same.  If I find anything that I don’t feel is right then please communicate it with the front staff.

I am a little more comfortable with the school after the owner’s daughter apologized and addressed the problem with me.  If they had been passive about it then I would seriously consider my school choice.  We are not unreasonable people so I can see how the teacher could’ve overlooked this.  Furthermore, he seems to be fine and happy the rest of the day so we can overlook this.  Hieu loves that Ky-An can do so much art and crafts that we know he love but rarely get a chance to do at home.  Even though I am giving the school another chance, I am still going to keep a close eye on them to make sure Ky-An is taking care of properly.  I am teaching my kids to respect the teachers and its staff but you can bet I will be his best advocate if he is mistreated in any way. 

So sleepy...

Ky-An's first day was a hit!

After a week-long preparation for Ky-An's school, I spent the whole weekend cooking like mad to get ready for the week.  I was so nervous that morning when I was getting ready. I keep praying that he won't cry because I will be crying along with him.  I just keep imagining his pouty face and my heart just breaks.  He decides of all days to sleep in late this morning.  By 6:15, I had to come in and wake him up.  This boy is a heavy sleeper.  I sent little sister in to call him but he ignored all her noises.  I turned on the light, turned off the noisemaker and start calling him.  It took about 5 minutes for him to open his eyes to look at me.

I think he knows it's his first day of school because he immediately spring up and try to get out of bed.  I quickly dress him and off we go.  I was running on adrenaline and didn't really need coffee that morning.  I can tell that Ky-An is excited also by the way he keep chatting in the car, exclaiming at everything.  We got to his school at 6:45 and as he was getting stuff out of the car, I can tell he was excited by the minute.  He walked into the school and he ran to the waiting classroom.  We met the morning teacher, Ms Katherine.  She said hi and then brought out the scorpions that they all know he loves.  He started dancing in place when he saw them and was busy playing with them after that.  I figure since he's happy that I should make my exit and not linger making things worst.  I said my goodbyes to him and left with a happy Ky-An.  I lingered outside the classroom for a little bit and peeked in their one-way glass window and he was still happily playing with his scorpions.  I was so relieved and happily left for work.

Hieu checked in on him during lunchtime and saw he was still happy and was getting ready to eat lunch.  They had all the kids put their hands on their laps until everyone has been served.  Ky-An was being a good little boy and put his hands on his lap like everyone else even though he was eyeing the plate and you can tell he really wants to eat.  Hieu then suddenly saw a little hand quickly grab a piece of chip, put it in his mouth, and put his hand back on his lap.  He would've got away with it if the little girl next to him didn't see him and tattle! LOL..girls!!!  Troublemakers! 

They then served the chicken sandwich and everyone got to it.  Ky-An took his sandwich, took a bite, and rubbed his tummy saying "yummy".

I sped out of work at 4:30 to pick him up.  Of course I hit some traffic (isn't that Murphy's Law?) and didn't get to him until 5p.m.  I came into his classroom and the assistant came up to him to let him know mommy is here.  They were having reading time so he was engrossed in it and didn't pay attention to the teacher's assistant.  Finally she got him to walk towards me but his eyes are still glue to the book.  I had to call out his name before he'll look my way then excitedly jump up and down yelling "Mommy!!!  It's my mommy!!!"  The assistant smiles at him and said "yes I told you it's your mommy." 

He face look so exhausted that I got a little concern.  They gave me a little report and it says he only nap for 30 minutes because someone else woke up and woke him up.  He also didn't eat much breakfast, some of his lunch, and some snacks.  I got some of his artwork and as we walk out the door, he saw a stack of crackers they have and asked for one.  This is when I can tell he's a little hungry and I said I'll open it for him when we get to the car because my hands were full.  He begged me to open it as soon as we got to the car and shoved both of them in his mouth.  Luckily I had some more crackers in the car and gave him some more.  My eyes tear up watching him shove down these crackers that he never really cares for.  He has always been well-fed at our babysitter's house and I've never seen him so hungry. 

He was also really tired and quiet on the drive home.  I keep looking back because I was worry about him.  He doesn't seem to be my normal happy little boy.  I worry that the whole experience was too dramatic for him then he asked me "mom, what you looking aaaat?" and smiled.  I smiled back in relief and tell him I was looking at my special little boy.  First day went was stressful but went relatively well.  On to day two.

Ky-An's New Bed

We decide that we'll try getting a cool bed for Ky-An and see if it'll work.  I was just browsing on Craig's List and found this great deal.  I sent it to Hieu and he said it's a really good deal so he wants to jump on it.  It's a car frame that fits a twin mattress.  Perfect for the mattress we have that Hieu has been sleeping on.  She listed it for $150 and Hieu was able to bargain it down to $125. 

Ky-An was really excited when he first saw it and couldn't wait to go lay in his new bed that night.  That night he wanted to skip reading and all the night time routine to go lay on his new bed.  It was great until right before he falls asleep, he climbed back on to the big bed..haha. 

The next night we were expecting him to do the same thing but we were surprise to find him asleep on his own bed!!!  It's been on and off since and we don't force it.  As with his development so far, we just let him progress at his own pace and he eventually gets it.  With Ai-Vy..I can see many fights ahead every step of the way.  The first battle will be taking away her bottle. *sigh*

Life with 2 kids - 8 months later

Life is still as hectic as when we first brought Ai-Vy home. However, our life is not surrounded by naptimes and diaper changes anymore. Ky-An is still adjusting amazingly well and is a wonderful big brother. He would bring her blankets and toys when she's awake. If he's playing a toy and Ai-Vy wants it, he'll give it to her and go find something else (even if that toy is his prized possession). I am just so happy and feel so blessed to have 2 incredible kids.

All the kids still sleep on our bed. Ai-Vy goes to bed at about 7, if she doesn't fall asleep in the car on the way home from the babysitter's. Depending on how well the napped that day, sometimes Hieu and I will eat dinner before bathing the kids and putting them to bed. If they are too tired then dinner will have to wait until they are asleep. I bathe Ai-Vy and put her to sleep while Ky-An lays on his little couch and drink his milk. After Ai-Vy is alseep for about 10 minutes or so, I'll take her to the spare room upstair while Hieu bathe Ky-An and brush his teeth. One of us will then read to him then I'll sing and put him to sleep. We then bring Ai-Vy back into the room where they both sleep while Hieu and I do some personal stuff. We've tried leaving Ai-Vy in the room while we put Ky-An to sleep but Ky-An tends to scream and poor Ai-Vy would wake up crying. Some people will probably roll their eyes for us having to carry Ai-Vy in and out of the room every night but it's working for us and a little effort is okay if my kids are sleeping well.

Ai-Vy wakes up at about midnight every night to drink her bottle then goes back to sleep. She wakes up again at about 4 o' clock and I call this the 4 o' clock hump. If she drinks her bottle and just go to sleep then both kids will sleep until 6:30 a.m. If she won't go to sleep afterward and start talking loudly then we'll have to take her outside. She usually talks louldy outside for about an hour and will want to go back to sleep. I am not sure why she does this but she just won't go back to sleep right away sometimes no matter what I try. During this process of her talking loudly and taking her outside, she may wake up Ky-An. If I am successful at putting Ky-An back to sleep then it's fine. If not, both kids and both parents will be up before 5:30 a.m.

Going out with the both of them is still a production. I think it may be because I like to be well prepare and make sure I have everything they need. If we want to go out then Hieu and I will have to make prepartions the night before. We have to pack both diapers, wipes, change of clothing, toys, water, hats, blankets for the car, and a plastic bag for dirty diapers. We have to decide what stroller to take..do we take the double stroller that Ai-Vy can't sleep in? Or do we want to take the travel system and the umbro? For Ky-An we have to pack some snacks for Ky-An and milk sippies. For Ai-Vy we have to pack formula, baby food, bibs, spoon, a small towel, powder, diaper cream, and the all-important-pacifier. By the time we pack all this in the bag, it's bursting at the seams and we are ready for nap!

This is a mobile month for Ai-Vy. She learned to get on all four, scoot around, crawl, and stands up all within her 8th month. She still has no teeth but loves to eat. She'll grin really big and giggle if you copy whatever sound she is making. Whenever she sees me, she'll wave both arms and legs, make noises trying to catch my attention, and try her best to scoot her way towards me. It's heart-melting whenever she does that...poor girl.

Ky-An loves playing games now. He loves it when we play the "what flies" game with him. We'll start with something like "House fly" and he'll go "House no fly". Then we go "bird fly" and he repeats "bird fly". He also likes to play the "guess what animal it is game". He'll ask "what's this?" and expect for you to say the wrong answer so he can corrects you. Sometimes he'll join in the game with the wrong answer expecting us to correct him.

The kiddos are sick..again!

Well I found out why Ai-Vy and Ky-An was torturing me at night. The poor babies are sick and have a slight fever. Ky-An caught it first but he seem to battle it okay. His fever was mild and it didn't keep him from being his active little self. Ai-Vy caught it a little worst and had a fever of 101. She was up most of the night because she wasn't feeling well so I stayed home with her on Wednesday. Poor Ky-An is also a little sick but couldn't stay home with me and was whining for me. I felt horrible about it but I know Ai-Vy would be demanding all day and that our babysitter would take good care of him. I always battle the biggest guilt trip whenever I am home but he has to go to the babysitter's....*sigh*.

Ai-Vy was suppose to go back the pediatrician for her second set of shots on Thursday but her fever climbed to 101 so they had her come in for a checkup instead. Her fever was down to 99 when we got there and they took a little blood to test if the infection is viral or bacterial. I was expecting her to scream whenever the prick her finger but she just calmly look at the nurse and then at her hand like "what's going on here?" The pediatrician showed me the result of the test and it's kind of neat. On the test it said what her white blood cell level is and what the normal range would be. If it's higher than the normal range then it confirms she is fighting an infection. They then break down whether those white blood cells are viral or bacterial and can tell what kind of infection she has from that. Luckily she only has a viral infection so no antibiotics! Yeah!

I had to battle to give her medicine the entire 3 days I stayed home with her. The doctor suggest suppositories but I am not too keen on the idea and wanted to use it as the last resort. I can't tell you how many times we had to change the sheets or her clothes these past few days though. This girl has the most sensitive gag reflex I've ever seen. As soon as the medicine touch her toungue, she gags and throws up. What I have to do was wait until she's in deep sleep and I armed myself with 2 dispensers (one of medicine and one of water). I would quickly inject the medicine to the back of her throat aiming the dispenser toward her cheeks so she won't choke. Before she has the chance to gag, I have to quickly inject the water in her mouth so she won't gag on the medicine taste. Even this process is not full-proof. I just hope she gets better soon. It's so hard to see your baby being sick and has that glazed look in her eyes.

I am so tired...

Last night was not a great night for me. I finally got ready to go to bed at 11:45. As soon as I lay down, wouldn't you know it, Ai-Vy starts squirming. I lean over to hug her and she settled down to go back to sleep. Then it's Ky-An's turn to move around because he can't breathe. I settled him back down and Ai-Vy starts up again. I must have fell asleep as I cuddled with Ai-Vy because she started squirming again and I check the clock, it was 12:30. I figure she was hungry so I prepared a bottle for her and she drank some of it and went back to sleep. She spit out her pacifier somewhere and I can't find it so I had to go outside at almost 1 in the morning trying to search for another pacifier for her.

She starts squirming again at about 1:30. I tried everything to get her to go back to sleep. I cuddled with her, I left her alone for a bit, I turned her to her side, I pulled the blanket on her, I pulled the blanket off her, I gave her the pacifier, I tried giving her the bottle again, I even picked her up and tried to rock her for a while but all she did was lay still and stare at the ceiling fan with her eyes wide open. She was quiet so I didn't think she would wake up Ky-An so I laid her down and went to use the bathroom. I came back and she still lay there quietly staring at the ceiling. I thought I smelled her diaper so I checked it, sure enough, she needed to be changed! By this time it was about 2:30.

I took her to the bathroom to change her and tried to swing her back to sleep, didn't happen and my arms got tired so I put her down on the bed. She starts talking loudly and I was afraid she might wake up Ky-An so I picked up to take her outside. I laid her in the bassinett in the family room and laid on the couch to rest for a bit. Not within five minutes she was extremely quiet so I sneaked up the bassinett to check up on her. Her eyes were closed so I picked her up to bring her into the bed so I can get some sleep. She woke up as soon as I picked her up but I was hoping she'll go back to sleep as I put her down on the bed. Nope, started talking loudly again so I quickly scooped her up. Ky-An starts stirring and his arms start waving around in the air looking for me. He starts whimpering and I know if he doesn't feel something quickly he's going to start crying and wake up. I quickly jump on the bed with Ai-Vy and pulled my blanked next to him. He went back to sleep and I took Ai-Vy out to the family room again.

It's about 3:30 by this time and Ai-Vy quickly settle down to go to sleep in the bassinette again. (Maybe that thing is more comfortable than her bed, I've got to re-evaluate. ) Anyway, I waited for her to sleep for a bit before scooping her up this time. She stir a little as I put her down on the bed so I gave her the rest of her bottle and she went to sleep. I finally crawled into bed at about 4. Ky-An, of course, has taken over my sleep area so I had to move him so I can lay down and get some rest. He still moved over to be next to me, leaving me about 1 foot of space in a king size bed! At 4:30 Ky-An starts moving around again and I got him back to sleep at 5. I remember looking at the clock and think..okay, I got an hour and a half of sleep. I didn't wake up until almost 6:30 because Hieu forgot to wake me up on time. I am late to work...again and needless to say I am extremely exhausted.

Ai-Vy's Two Month Check-up and two shots

Ai-Vy is now 14 pounds, 2 ounces (95%), 22.5 inches long (50%), Head size (75%) The doctor is not very happy because he wants her to gain weight and height proportionally. Apparently she's not doing that because her height is only at 50% while her weight is at 95%. I am not too worry because Ky-An was the same. I think this is just before her growth spurt.

She received 2 Shots. It was suppose to be 4 but my doctor separates it out in 2 visits. I am glad because 4 shots at once is a bit much. She was fussy all day Saturday and can't sleep for longer than 1 hour. She also keep throwing up whenever I give her Tylenol. She won't let me hold her and didn't eat much. The only thing that would keep her semi-happy was in the swing...my poor baby. I remember how much my flu shot hurt so I can just imagine how much pain her chubby legs were in.

She was like that for a whole week and was better by Thursday. Well Friday is the day for her next two shots so it started all over again. She wouldn't eat much all week after her shots so I asked the nurse to weigh her and make sure she's not losing any weight. Well she didn't. In fact, she gained another 8 ounces in 1 week. LOL. Even the nurse was laughing and said to Ai-Vy "your mama was worry that you didn't eat enough but you just didn't want to eat huh."

Sleep Issues with Ai-Vy

Ai-Vy doesn't sleep well during the day and I am still trying to figure out why. She would sleep for 15 - 30 minutes after I put her down. Then she'll wake up and sometimes if I pick her up, she'll go right back to sleep then wake up in 15 or 30 minutes and the cycle starts again.

I've tried every combination possible. I swaddled her, unswaddled. sleep with pacifier, without pacifier, sleep in the dark, on her side, on her back, even on her stomach. I hold her when she sleeps and she still wakes up in 15 to 30 minutes. I tried to wait until she fuss then put her to sleep hoping that'll make her stay down longer but that didn't work either. The only thing that work is if I lay down to sleep with her but as soon as I get up, so does she. It's tiring trying to get her to sleep the whole day. I bought a Comfy Joey pouch from a lady on BabyWearer.com. I am praying this is the answer to my problem.

Contrastly at night she's a doll after she's down. Before that she's a nightmare also. I think from 4-8 is her fussy time because she's tired and cranky but won't sleep. Last night she wouldn't go to sleep until 10:30p.m! The good news is that she slept until 4 a.m. Her first stretch of night is usually 6-7 hours, that's sleeping through the night right??

First day away from Ai-Vy

I had to go into work for a training and was worry about leaving her with Hieu all day. She's been fussy with me all day and I was afraid he can't stand it. I gave him a crash course on how to deal with her when she cries the night before and that morning. I made him promise to call me if he gets frustrated with her.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about. She behaved wonderfully for him. She went to sleep at about 10p.m. the night before and woke up at 4:30!!! I was so amazed. I had to look at the clock twice when she woke up to nurse. She then slept until 8 a.m. for him when she usually wakes up at 6 and fuss for me. She slept again from 9-11 and he called me at lunch time. I thought he was having a problem so I quickly left the training to talk to him. Turn out he just wanted to take her to his company's luncheon. I said go for it but she may wail when she's in the carseat. Well wouldn't you know that she was an angel and fell asleep in his car and through most of his luncheon. She woke up but was content sitting in his lap while he eats. Hieu said maybe she likes the bumpiness of his car and my car is too smooth for her.

It's feels great to be back at work for the day and I was crazy busy. Everyone saw me wanted me to do something for them since I am there. I was running around trying to get everything done and squeeze in a pump before lunch. I didn't get to pump anytime after that and it really hurt by the time I got home. I got a taste of what it would be like whenever I go back to work and it's not too bad. The only difficult part was when I got home and try to decide which kid I want to spend time with. Do I want to hold Ai-Vy and put her to sleep since I haven't seen the poor thing all day or give Ky-An a bath and put him to sleep? The choice is very difficult! That's the main reason why I want to sleep with them. We don't get enough time with them during the weekdays!

We both get out at work at 5:00 p.m. and I have a further commute so I don't get home until 6 p.m. Hieu go pick them up so he doesn't get home until then either. We get 1/2 an hour before Ky-An takes his bath and go to bed. Ai-Vy also is sleepy by that time so we have to put her to bed also. After they go to bed, which is about 8:30 or 9:00 (depending on how fussy Ai-Vy is). We then heat up dinner and eat, squeeze in some personal time and go to bed at about 11 or 12.

My poor son...

I feel like such a bad mom to Ky-An. He's been spending a lot of time at the babysitter's lately because Ai-Vy has been fussy and keep me up most of the night so I am too tired to watch him. This morning I was putting Ai-Vy back to sleep in the closet when he woke up. I heard him chatting with Hieu through the monitor. My heart ache to be with him and snuggle with him because morning wake-ups are the best time with Ky-An. After I put Ai-Vy to sleep, I was tired and fell asleep also. I wanted to get up and play with him for a bit before he has to go to the babysitter's but that didn't happen. I only saw him for a milisecond this morning when Hieu brought him into the room so I can kiss him goodbye. Now I won't see him until this evening when Hieu pick him up...that is if Ai-Vy is not fussy and needs my attention.

Then last night he was stirring and scoot up to snuggle next to me. That's a great sign that he's warming up to me again and I love to hold him. However, Ai-Vy started stirring so I had to turn my back on him to tend to her. She settled down so I turn back to hold him. He was calm and almost back to sleep when she starts stirring again. (It's like she knows!) This happen about 4-5 times and he laid there patiently until I can get back to him again. Whenever I was holding him and hear Ai-Vy stirring, I just pray that she'll go back to sleep but that didn't work because she starts crying. I had to wake up Hieu to tend to Ky-An while I take Ai-Vy to the closet to feed her. I can still hear him stirring in the monitor and have a feeling he was waiting for me. I finished feeding Ai-Vy and put her down on the co-sleeper. I climb into bed and reach for him but he give me the "Nooooo" like he usually does. I think he's mad at me so I let it be. He was cuddling with Hieu but keep on moving around so I know he wants to be close to me to fall asleep but is still mad so I waited. Finally he was so tired, he moved over and snuggle up under my arms to go to sleep. My poor sweet boy..I hope I can be a better mom to him soon!

Update on babysitter

Thanks to Pei Sze for pointing out to me there are worst things your kid's caregiver can do than accidentally give your child bad milk. I guess I was emotional because of hormones. My nephew's old babysitter would strap him to the carseat all day and won't let him out so he can't get to things. My sister didn't realize this until he's been there for a year! Poor kid.

Ky-An slept so bad this whole weekend that I asked my babysitter how she put Ky-An to sleep normally since he seem to sleep okay at her house. I suspect that the inconsistency in our routines may be what's causing his fussiness. After all, all the experts said that toddlers need and crave routines right?

Well I was shock to find out that my 60 something year old babysitter still holds Ky-An until he falls asleep!!!! ARGHHHHH!!! I can't even do that anymore! She said she feels bad for him when he's on the bed and starts fussing for her to hold him. Even though I said he only does ot for 30 second or 1 minute then settle down to go to sleep, she said she still can't stand it. *Shaking my head and laughing.* She said since he's the only one there this summer, she can indulge and spoil him. What can you do when she wants to spoil your child right? If she can stand holding her then that's fine with me. I know I won't be doing it at home (or can't any longer) so he'll have to learn.

She also went out and bought him some clothes this weekend because they looked so cute. Goodness that's so sweet of her. It's one of the many sweet gestures from our babysitters so it make all my doubts about her goes away. She has also insist that we only pay her $100/week since Ky-An doesn't take up much of her time anymore. She offered that when he turned one but I told her to keep the rate since she's cooking lunch and dinner for him. She kept the money but keeps buying stuff for him such as toys and milk (he drinks organic).

My big worry now is when she'll be watching a 6-month old, Ai-Vy, Ky-An, and 2 older girls next year. She keep assuring us that she can handle it and her daughter will be home to help her. I will have to keep a close eye on how the kids are and play it by ears. Even though I have these concerns, I still want to give her a chance because I know no one else will care for and love my kids as much as her.

Ky-An won't sleep!

Ky-An was such a bad napper this weekend, I am not sure what's wrong. He nap for only about 30 minutes each time on Friday and Saturday. Then on Sunday while we were out grocery shopping, I figure maybe he's doesn't need 2 naps that's why he's not sleeping much so we let him skip his morning one. We went to all these stores while I shopped and bargain-hunt. Went to eat Pho for lunch and got him home at about 1p.m. Well I tried for 2 hours until 3 p.m. but he refused to sleep! He just got more and more wired and can't settle down. I finally gave up and took him out of the room. Hieu took him for an hour walk but it didn't help either. He just won't settle down to sleep.

You'd think he'll be tired by the evening so I did his bedtime routine a little bit early so he can get some rest. I was in the bedroom with him for another 2 hours and he just won't sleep. I had to get out to prepare the steaks to cook since my parents are coming over for a late Father's Day celebration and to also celebrate my sister's birthday. Hieu took him for a drive and he finally fell asleep after 40 minutes drive! Hieu said he has to drive to Rosenberg, which is a city right next to us. He finally slept as I was preparing dinner and spent some time with my mom, dad, and aunt. However, he kept crying throughout the night and woke up at 4:30 the next morning!

I hope he's getting some rest at the babysitter. I am going to ask her what her how she gets him to sleep today. Maybe the inconsistency is what's causing him to not sleep. I'll have to work out with her a plan to be consistent with him during naptimes.

As Ky-An is getting more comfortable with his swimming lessons, I let Hieu took over this past weekend and be in the water with him while I sat at the poolside. Poor guy keep looking at me and whined. I guess daddy is not doing it right yet. I am sure he'll be used to Hieu soon enough and as I get bigger, I have to get him to be less dependent on him. He's so sweet though..poor guy. :(