Dear Lila,
Some things you did this month:
-You continued to impress me with your impeccable manners. You say "cue me" (excuse me) when you cough and always, always say "peas" (please): "More peas," "Peas that," "Me, peas," "Lap peas."
-You learned to put together a lot of three-word phrases and correctly identify dozens of objects, letters, numbers and colors.
-You grew into size 5T clothing (the same size GuhGaw currently wears!) and size 9 shoes. At this rate, your older brother will be wearing your hand-me-downs!
-Your favorite books are Moo Baa La La La and Ten Little Ladybugs, so you asked me to read them to you every night at bedtime and recited Moo Baa La La La along with me.
-Your favorite bedtime songs are "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and you asked for those every night at bedtime, too. You requested the latter by saying, "How I," as in "How I wonder what you are."
-You probably broke the record for runniest nose ever. You went through several boxes of tissues this month and I seriously could not keep up with your snot; as soon as I wiped your nose and threw the tissue in the trash, I'd turn around to find more boogers streaming out of your nostrils. Oh, and your snotty kisses all over my face when I was least expecting them--yum! (*gag*)
-You learned how to count to 15 in English and to 10 in Chinese! Nice!
Love,
Mom
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Daddy's Little Girl (Not)
Dear Lila,
Man, you are still being so cold toward Daddy. Last week, he was away for three days for a business trip and when he came back, he knelt down and held his arms out toward you for a hug. You ran toward him . . . and then right around him to get to me. The other night, he was going to read to you while I took a shower. When I came out of the shower, you weren't reading with Daddy in your room but sitting outside of the bathroom door. Daddy said that you had refused to read with him and had been sitting outside the bathroom waiting for me, like a little puppy, the whole time I'd been in there.
One night, Daddy and I were hugging. You did not like this because you ran over to us, grabbed me and said, "No, mine!" And then last night, you and I were cuddling in bed. When Daddy climbed into bed next to us, you tried to push him away and told him angrily, "Go!" When I got out of bed to get some water, you started crying and reaching for me, as if I was leaving you with a stranger forever and not your father. Seriously, you're breaking his heart!
Love,
Mom
Man, you are still being so cold toward Daddy. Last week, he was away for three days for a business trip and when he came back, he knelt down and held his arms out toward you for a hug. You ran toward him . . . and then right around him to get to me. The other night, he was going to read to you while I took a shower. When I came out of the shower, you weren't reading with Daddy in your room but sitting outside of the bathroom door. Daddy said that you had refused to read with him and had been sitting outside the bathroom waiting for me, like a little puppy, the whole time I'd been in there.
One night, Daddy and I were hugging. You did not like this because you ran over to us, grabbed me and said, "No, mine!" And then last night, you and I were cuddling in bed. When Daddy climbed into bed next to us, you tried to push him away and told him angrily, "Go!" When I got out of bed to get some water, you started crying and reaching for me, as if I was leaving you with a stranger forever and not your father. Seriously, you're breaking his heart!
Love,
Mom
Thursday, February 5, 2015
The Kindness of Strangers
Dear Lila,
I grew up in Pittsburgh, a friendly city where neighbors say hi to each other on the street and store clerks go out of their way to help you find what you're looking for. Then I moved to New York City, where neighbors don't even know each other's names and store clerks will stand less than a foot away from you staring off into space while you struggle to hold the door open and push your Cadillac of a stroller through (and when you dare to ask them for help, they glare at you for interrupting their daydream about Chris Pine). I am from a friendly city, so I am inherently friendly. Daddy grew up in New York and while he is not rude, he is definitely not as affable as I am. Like Daddy, you and your brother are native New Yorkers but I hope you inherit more of my open friendliness because, while cliche, a little does go a long way.
We have been having a brutal winter characterized by bitter cold temperatures, endless snow and dangerous hailstorms. The sidewalks are covered in sheets of ice and many of the crosswalks are not shoveled, so pushing you in the stroller to pick GuhGaw up from school has been a big challenge. So today, I decided that we would take the bus to get Connor but that was an ordeal in and of itself. The bus stop is only two blocks away from our house but helping you maneuver the slippery sidewalks and slushy snowbanks--while making sure I didn't fall, either--took awhile and we missed two buses on our way to the stop. Once we reached the stop, we had to wait more than 10 minutes in the freezing cold for the next bus and when it arrived, it was so packed that we could barely get in. That's when the kindness of strangers made such a difference.
Once we got on the bus, a woman helped me hold you while I put my Metrocard in the machine so that you wouldn't fall down while the bus was moving. Then, another woman sitting in the first seat near the door stood up so that I could sit down and put you in my lap. I'd never taken the bus to Connor's school before and the bus driver helped me find the closest stop. After we picked up GuhGaw, we were waiting for a bus to go back home and the first bus that came said, "Next Bus Please" but it stopped for us anyway. After we got on, I noticed that it was the same driver who had taken you and me to the school. He didn't stop at the other bus stops, even though people were waiting at them, until he got to the stop we needed; he actually wasn't supposed to have stopped to pick us up near the school, but I think he wanted to help out the mom waiting in the freezing cold with two little kids. I was seriously touched by his--and everyone's--kindness, which turned what could have been an awful task into a much more manageable one. It makes me feel so good to see such caring people like that and I hope that you and Connor will always do whatever you can to make other people feel the same goodness.
Love,
Mom
I grew up in Pittsburgh, a friendly city where neighbors say hi to each other on the street and store clerks go out of their way to help you find what you're looking for. Then I moved to New York City, where neighbors don't even know each other's names and store clerks will stand less than a foot away from you staring off into space while you struggle to hold the door open and push your Cadillac of a stroller through (and when you dare to ask them for help, they glare at you for interrupting their daydream about Chris Pine). I am from a friendly city, so I am inherently friendly. Daddy grew up in New York and while he is not rude, he is definitely not as affable as I am. Like Daddy, you and your brother are native New Yorkers but I hope you inherit more of my open friendliness because, while cliche, a little does go a long way.
We have been having a brutal winter characterized by bitter cold temperatures, endless snow and dangerous hailstorms. The sidewalks are covered in sheets of ice and many of the crosswalks are not shoveled, so pushing you in the stroller to pick GuhGaw up from school has been a big challenge. So today, I decided that we would take the bus to get Connor but that was an ordeal in and of itself. The bus stop is only two blocks away from our house but helping you maneuver the slippery sidewalks and slushy snowbanks--while making sure I didn't fall, either--took awhile and we missed two buses on our way to the stop. Once we reached the stop, we had to wait more than 10 minutes in the freezing cold for the next bus and when it arrived, it was so packed that we could barely get in. That's when the kindness of strangers made such a difference.
Once we got on the bus, a woman helped me hold you while I put my Metrocard in the machine so that you wouldn't fall down while the bus was moving. Then, another woman sitting in the first seat near the door stood up so that I could sit down and put you in my lap. I'd never taken the bus to Connor's school before and the bus driver helped me find the closest stop. After we picked up GuhGaw, we were waiting for a bus to go back home and the first bus that came said, "Next Bus Please" but it stopped for us anyway. After we got on, I noticed that it was the same driver who had taken you and me to the school. He didn't stop at the other bus stops, even though people were waiting at them, until he got to the stop we needed; he actually wasn't supposed to have stopped to pick us up near the school, but I think he wanted to help out the mom waiting in the freezing cold with two little kids. I was seriously touched by his--and everyone's--kindness, which turned what could have been an awful task into a much more manageable one. It makes me feel so good to see such caring people like that and I hope that you and Connor will always do whatever you can to make other people feel the same goodness.
Love,
Mom
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