Sarah is 22 months old today!

Moments: Saturday Night Fun

Sarah turns 21 months today!

Parent- Teacher Conference

I had Sarah's 2nd parent-teacher conference yesterday.  I am so glad to hear from the teacher that Sarah is doing very well. She has grown so much since the last conference & especially since she started with this daycare.  Here are her accomplishments and areas for development:

Self-Help
She is now very familiar with the daycare routine - she washes her hands before and after each meal, throws away her leftovers into the compost bin, brushes her teeth after lunch, and even tries to put away her cot when she's done napping (with the teacher's help). Next she will be learning how to put her jacket on/off and help dress herself such as pulling up her pants.

Social/Emotional
Sarah is doing well.  She is very weary of any strangers in the room and likes to maintain her distance with them until she is comfortable (which is a good thing!). She will cry when strangers approach her too fast. In terms of sharing, Sarah doesn't like it when someone snatches a toy away from her. She will fight and will cry out loud. She needs to continue to work on sharing.

Cognitive
Sarah is getting good at recognizing shapes and colors.  She can recognize 5 different colors - so the teachers are moving on to the mixed colors, such as purple, pink, etc. Sarah can also do puzzles and match 2 similar objects together.

Language
Sarah knows a lot of words and her mimicking skills are good. She is able to listen to a word and pronounce it very close to what she heard.  Sarah is able to communicate most of what she needs - milk, eat, more, book, etc.  Her next step is to learn how to use two-word sentences and put 2 different ideas into 1 sentence.  The teachers are also continuing to teach them sign language & words at the same time.  Sarah loves to read books, especially when someone reads it to her.

Fine Motor
Sarah is able to draw with a crayon upright.  In the past, she will always hold it in a slant position so nothing will come out, but now she can draw circles and lines.  She is learning how to weave strings in holes to practice precision and hand/eye coordination.  She is enjoying sensory activities such as sand, shaving cream, and messy paints much more than before.

Gross Motor
Sarah knows how to run, walk backwards, walk up and down the stairs, and kick the ball.  She is refining her skills on hopping, jumping, and standing on one foot!

It's nice to get these progress reports from the teachers every so often...because it helps to know what the teachers are teaching her so we can do the same at home.  Just like when the teachers told me that Sarah is now drinking from an open cup, we switched out all our sippy cups at home.  And now that I know they are trying to get her to take on/off her jacket, we will encourage her to do the same at home.  I am so glad that Sarah is learning so much from the daycare!

Sarah's 2nd Home

We came back from Hong Kong late Friday night, close to 10:30pm by the time we got home. Knowing that Sarah has already slept for the night, we decided to pick her up the next morning.  We arrived at my sister's house and rung the doorbell.  Sarah stood by the glass doorway up the stairs and she had the biggest smile on her face when she saw us.  She was so excited that she giggled.  But as we walked up the stairs to her, she suddenly became confused.  She still recognized us but probably realized that she hasn't seen us in such a long while.  Where have we been? Although babies don't typically have a sense of elapsed time, she probably knew that we were gone for a long time.  She ran back to my sister's arms and somehow became distant.  Only moments later did she open up and went to her dada for comfort.  Sarah then became quite clingy, as if she wanted to punish us for leaving her behind.  She started to whine and whimper, knowing that she is now in her parents' arms.  There was a moment in time that I was afraid that she wouldn't recognize us...but luckily, she did.  From what I heard from my sister, Sarah slept and ate well during the week and was very cooperative.  Barely any crying and no fuss.  I must say that I was a bit afraid that Sarah wouldn't adjust or that she will be hard to manage because it was the first time both SQ and I are away from her.  She has been waking up in the middle night for many nights in a row...not to mention that she started to throw tantrums and cried a lot more than she used to.  Plus, her left eye was a little pink the day before we left...(thank goodness she didn't have pink eye). All of that just made me a little afraid that Sarah would be a handful for my sister and my BIL.  Thankful it all worked out!

Here are some of Sarah's activities during the week:

Visiting her Great-Granny

At the library with her cousin, EK

Love to eat waffles!

Playing with her cousins' toys (yes, a lot of boy toys!)

I am so grateful to have such strong family support and my sister and BIL for lending their hand to watch Sarah.  I am thankful that all my sisters willing come to my rescue every time I call out for help. This is a bond that I will miss when we move to Hong Kong and it gives me great sadness whenever I think about it. :-'(  

Sleep Tight, my baby!

We have always been blessed with a good sleeper. Sarah takes her full naps, whether they are the 2 hour naps 2 times a day or the one 3 hour nap she's taking now.  She never gets fussy when she's tired and she goes to bed without being rocked or carried.  We plop her onto bed and then Sarah manages to fall asleep on her own by licking the crib sheet or blanket (equivalent to a pacifier or thumb, both of which she didn't pick up, thank goodness!).   She sleeps at 8:30pm at night and wakes up at 6:30am in the morning.  When we wake her up in the morning, Sarah rarely cries. She just wakes up, opens her eyes and then she is off to doing whatever we have plan for her.  I am seriously not exaggerating. Sarah never had any issues with sleeping, well, maybe until now...

For the past month or so, Sarah refuses to go to bed at night.  As in any toddler, she wants to play and don't want to stay confined inside her crib.  Even after the whole bedtime routine, she still doesn't want to sleep. She would cry a good 10 minutes before eventually going down for the night.  Sometimes we have to sternly tell her, "Sarah, go to sleep, go to sleep!" By that time, it's close to 10pm, not the time we want to go to sleep.  Just when we think we can finally rest, Sarah wakes up in the middle of the night screaming her lungs out. We've used the Cry It Out method - but sometimes she would cry so hard that she gets congested and eventually throw up.  Then it becomes a big dramatic affair to calm her, change the crib sheets, and change her clothes.  Not something I want to do at 2 am in the morning!  Sometimes she would fall back asleep but not without first having one of us get up to pat her back to sleep. We can't quite understand why she's not sleeping through the night. Perhaps she's growing her back molars that giving her pain? Perhaps she's cold at night? Don't know???  All I know is that I hope this is only a phase and I will get back my good little sleeper back!!  

Sarah turns 20 months today!

  

Saturday Activities

We had 2 events yesterday, which made the day a bit busier than usual.  In the morning, Sarah went to SKC's house in Castro Valley for a play date with CF and SKC.  Sarah checked out SKC's new kitchen and all his food and cooking utensils! It's more complete and impressive than the real kitchen in our house!  The kids enjoyed each other's company, had a couple of "fighting for toys" moments, but everyone had fun!!  Sarah loved the 2 kitty cats!    

After leaving Castro Valley, Sarah took her usual afternoon nap while we went around Oakland/Lake Merritt to enjoy the unseasonably-warm day. The weather was absolutely gorgeous.

In the evening, we went to St. Thomas' School for their annual CNY fundraiser event. My nephews come here to learn Chinese (Mandarin) and my sister, MT, is one of the committee chairs.  The event has a lion dance, food, raffles, and lots of performances by the children.  Sarah saw the lion dance for the first time. I was pretty surprised that Sarah was not afraid of the lion, even though the drums and symbols were quite loud.  She even saw the lion up close! I am so proud of my two nephews for such awesome performances.  It was a fun-filled day indeed.

Sarah's first "ya-ya"

SQ and I aren't one of those parents who get freaked out every time Sarah falls down or hurts herself.  We believe that she can toughen up and learn from the falls and mistakes she makes along the way.  Thank goodness Sarah also isn't one of those babies who are super adventurous to experiment everything. She is a careful baby. For example, we are able to leave our stairway door open without fearing Sarah's falling down.  As much as we wants to follow us down the stairs sometimes, when we tell her not to come down, she actually listens. So when I heard from the daycare teacher that Sarah got a gash on her face (near her left eye) and saw it for the first time, my heart dropped. Oh my! How did Sarah trip and fall like that?!  Silly Girl seemed to be in good spirits when I picked her up though.  When I asked her where's "ya-ya?" she was quick to point to her eye.  Today, the corner of her eye is a little blue, which only means that it would eventually turn purple and it will look like a black eye... :-(   I just hope that this wouldn't leave any scars!

 

Are you kidding me?

Ain't this the truth??!! I'm sure every parent in this world can relate to this cartoon.  This evening, the situation was so similar it brought both SQ and I to tears, crying of laughter!  The name "TOBISHA" was embossed on the screen of my laptop. When I pointed to each letter, Sarah was able to read them all!! She had a little trouble on the "T" but all the others she was able to repeatedly come back with the right letter, even when I mixed the order.  I told SQ to quickly get the camera so we can document this important milestone.  And when the camera was rolling....all we got was a blank stare followed by typical baby gibberish.  O-M-G!  Are you kidding me?!  We couldn't believe how true this cartoon is!  How would we ever prove to other people that Sarah is able to recognize some of the alphabets at 19 months?? You'll just have to trust me.  Either way, I am so proud of my little girl.  She is learning very fast!! 

Sarah turns 19 months today!

18 month check up

Sarah had a cry-fest during her 18-month check up this afternoon.  The moment we walked into the reception area, she began her non-stop crying.  She refused to sit on the weight bucket and she kicked and screamed. She didn't cry with her normal whiny voice, instead she cried HARD with tears rolling down her cheeks. She turned beet red and she clung to SQ like a koala  bear and would not let go.  It was one of our most difficult check ups yet.  But I guess this is normal since Sarah has great fear of strangers (she needs time to warm up) especially if they come close to her.  Ai-yah!  Thank goodness SQ was there with me!  Besides all of the crying, Sarah checked out fine!  She is gaining weight and growing exactly on the projectile curve.  Her height to weight body ratio is on the lean, slender side.  She is developing on track -

• feeding herself
• weaned off the bottle
• walking, running, walking up and down stairs
• follow directions
• knows body parts
• can ask for things with words
• peeing/pooping regularly
• knows more than 100 words

There were 2 things I brought up to the doctor's attention that I was particularly concerned about - (1) Sarah's persistent cold.  Sarah has runny nose and cough for 3 week now that never seem to go away.  Doctor checked out lungs and said they were fine.  I guess she is just getting a cold marathon! :-(  She might be recovering from one and getting another virus strand from another.  Annoying! (2) Sarah's bow-leg.  Sarah's left foot turns inwards when she walks.  This is common and it eventually goes away.  But I think it normally straightens out by 18-months. The doctor does not seem concerned, but I am.  I'm going to really keep a close eye on it...

Sarah's 18 month stats:

Weight :  24 lb 2 oz (44% tile)

Height :  33.25 inches (87% tile)

Head : 48 cm (85% tile)

 

Eating Gourmet

Sarah's daycare center sends out a weekly email to all the parents with the Center's updates, staff's schedules, and every 3 weeks, the menu.  I always look forward to looking at the menu - to see what Sarah will be eating.  One of the great things about Sarah's daycare is that they have a professional kitchen and a chef who cooks meals on-site to all the classrooms.  The menu changes every 3 weeks and reflects the seasonal ingredients. The produce are mostly all locally grown and/or organic. All poultry is hormone and antibiotic free and the salmon is wild caught.  All milk are Organic from Clover Farms.  They work very closely with parents and accommodate for kids who are allergic to certain foods.  Here is Sarah's menu this week and next week!  I must say that I am jealous. They all sound so delicious! Sarah is the classroom's Little Eater.  She is usually the first to arrive at the table and the last to leave. She eats everything.  There is nothing so far (hope it stays that way) that Sarah dislikes.  Is this a reason why Sarah is not eating much during dinner?  Mommy's cooking is not up to par to the meals at daycare!??

Week of: December 12, 2011	BREAKFAST	LUNCH	PM SNACK
MONDAY	Cereal Organic Pears	Baked penne pasta w/roasted Organic butternut squash, leeks & parmesan cheese Green peas Organic Johnagold apples	Assorted crackers Organic oranges
TUESDAY	Bagels w/cream cheese Organic oranges	Spaghetti squash w/sundried tomato & fennel ragout Whole wheat biscuits Organic apples	Assorted crackers Grapes
WEDNESDAY	Scones Organic bananas	Crispy baked chicken Carrot & parsnip puree Shaved brussel sprouts Organic oranges	Assorted crackers Organic pears
THURSDAY	Whole wheat buttermilk pancakes w/pure maple syrup Organic bananas	Cassoulet beans Roasted organic carrots Cornbread Organic oranges	Assorted crackers Mixed organic fruit
FRIDAY	Chef’s choice Organic fruit	Chef’s choice	Assorted crackers Organic fruit

*Vegetarian’s only- Wednesday: tofu substitution

Week of: December 19, 2011	BREAKFAST	LUNCH	PM SNACK
MONDAY	Scones Organic apples	Miso glazed tofu Toasted brown rice Steamed broccoli Organic oranges	Assorted crackers Organic bananas
TUESDAY	Scrambled eggs Whole wheat toast w/Rachel’s jam Bananas	Organic kabocha squash & potato soup Maple cornbread Mixed Organic lettuces w/creamy avocado dressing Anjou pears	Assorted crackers Organic grapes
WEDNESDAY	Cereal Organic bananas	Lasagna w/turkey ragout Early winter salad Organic apples	Assorted crackers Organic pears
THURSDAY	Rachel’s maple granola Raisins Organic yogurt Organic apples	Chickpeas in savory vegetable broth w/ organic rainbow chard, carrots & mozzarella toast Organic oranges	Assorted crackers Organic bananas
FRIDAY	Whole wheat buttermilk pancakes w/pure maple syrup Organic fruit	Chef’s choice	Assorted crackers Organic fruit

A different view

After 18 months, we've finally decided to change Sarah's car seat from back-facing to front-facing.  In the past for many years, the American Pediatrician Association had recommended that parents leave infants in their car seats rear facing until 1 year old.  Then recently, within 1 or 2 years ago, they changed it to 2 years.  But seriously, most car seats are not designed to hold a toddler rear-facing for 2 years.  

Sarah's feet have reached the back of the seat for months now - and we've tried our best to let her stay as long as she can in the rear-facing position. But now, it has gone to the point where her legs are crunched up. So we decided to finally make the switch.  So far, Sarah is pleased with her new view.  She is positioned in the center of the car so she has the center aisle view of the windshield.  No doubt she is a happy camper. However, I must admit that getting her onto the car seat and buckling her up is no easy feat. In the past, we can carry her into the seat, have a seat ourselves next to her and take our time buckling her in.  Now, the position is awkward as we need to hover...and with the door wide open and my back facing out, I can't help but feel a sense of insecurity and paranoia that someone will attack me in the back.. or rob me, or do something malicious.  I guess I just have to train Sarah to learn how to get onto the seat herself! 

Sarah turns 18 months today!

Happy 18 month birthday, my sweet baby!  May you never lose your sense of wonder... 

Soup Baby

Sarah is a soup baby.  She loves to drink soup. She loves all sorts of soup and she drinks them out of the bowl.  She doesn't care if the bowl is hot or whether the soup will burn her tongue or not.  She finishes all you are willing to give her.  She has been practicing drinking liquids from an open cup at daycare, so she's putting her learned skill to good use.

Gilroy Gardens

SQ bought some discounted Gilroy Gardens tickets from Plum District a while ago and they were expiring this weekend.  So we went this past Saturday and brought along my 12-year old niece with us.  We couldn't ask for better weather to be in Gilroy.  It was partly sunny with temperature in the mid-60's.  It definitely made walking around the park very pleasant.  We got there around 11:30 and went out a few rides.  Sarah didn't nap so she was kinda cranky.  She didn't even enjoy her usual merry-go-around ride. This park is perfect for young kids - most of the rides are tailored primarily for the 2.5 to 7 age group.  Sarah is probably still a bit young to enjoy the rides and my niece a little too old - but I think we all had a great day regardless.

Sarah - obviously NOT enjoying her ride

A visit from Charlie Brown and friends

I am glad that my niece enjoyed her time there despite the fact that most of the rides were "kiddie rides."  She and SQ got on some of the more "thrilling" rides and had a lot of fun.  We don't see her often, so it was nice to spend some time with her there.

Flying!!

We completed our day at Gilroy Gardens with a train ride around the park.  It started to get chilly so we decided to end our day a little earlier at 4:45pm to beat the parking lot traffic.  We all really enjoyed the day out in Gilroy... a bit far from SF, but it was nice to get out of the City once in a while. When Sarah gets a little bit older in a few months, we will surely come back again.     

          

CF's birthday

This past Saturday, Sarah attended her little friend, CF's 2nd birthday party.  Sarah always enter the room with a great deal of shyness.  She is clingy, refuses to look at anyone, and loves to bury her face into our legs.  Over time, we learn to accept the fact that she needs time to warm up in a new environment.  Food always seems to help warm her up. We distract her by giving her food.  Then after a bit, she becomes herself again, playing with toys and walking around everywhere.  

CF celebrated her 2nd birthday early and we had a nice gathering among the kids' parents.  It seems like all the kids grew taller since I last saw them, which was not too long ago! They grow up so fast!  Here is an attempt to get as many kids looking the same way as we can.  I have to admit I didn't take this picture.  Despite multiple clicks on the SLR, my pictures had the kids looking in all sorts of directions... 

HFMD

WTH is HFMD, you might ask? Well, I didn't know either until yesterday.  

This past Monday, Sarah was very clingy and cranky the whole day.  We didn't know why.  She was a bit warm, but SQ and I thought it was just because it was a hot day and she did have that furry kitty costume on.  We finally measured her temperature and it was about 100 degrees. Low grade fever.  She was drooling a lot - so maybe she's teething.  We gave her some Tylenol and she slept OK. The next morning, she woke up, again with a low grade fever. She was whiney and just not herself.  We decided to keep her away from daycare so SQ worked from home to watch her.  When I came back from home, I noticed that Sarah has small blisters on her tongue.  They are like canker sores, except she has about 5-6 of them on her tongue. Some were bigger than others.  So I searched the internet on her symptoms - mild fever, blisters on tongue. And low and behold, the results came back:

Hand Foot Mouth Disease = From the Center on Disease Control:  Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than 5 years old.  Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease include fever, blister-like sores in the mouth (herpangina), and a skin rash. Hand, foot, and mouth disease usually starts with a fever, poor appetite, a vague feeling of being unwell (malaise), and sore throat. One or 2 days after fever starts, painful sores usually develop in the mouth (herpangina). They begin as small red spots that blister and that often become ulcers. The sores are often in the back of the mouth. A skin rash develops over 1 to 2 days. The rash has flat or raised red spots, sometimes with blisters. The rash is usually on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; it may also appear on the knees, elbows, buttocks or genital area.


This is what Sarah has.  She not only has blisters in her mouth but also on her buttocks.  Poor thing!!  So we kept her away from daycare for another day.  She is doing much better today because she's actually eating more.  Like the common cold, the virus can incubate in the body for 3-7 days before showing any signs. There is no cure or medicine for HFMD - it just needs to run its course (about a week). Meanwhile, we need to keep Sarah hydrated and well-rested.  Apparently, 2 of her other classmates got the same thing - so it must be going around.  I also emailed my pediatrician and he said that he saw a lot of children with HFMD lately.  The disease is spread via saliva and nose secretions... so remember to wash hands thoroughly and stay healthy!   

Sarah turns 16 months today!