I almost forgot I had started this blog over a year ago until a few days ago when I discovered the joy of blog reading after hunting down a rau cau (vietnamese jello) recipe. While the rau cau sucked big time (due to my poor mathematic skills), the blog reading happy person in me became motivated to contribute to this blog again.
So what's the deal with my baaaybee? She's no longer a baby of course. Saya turned 2 recently. I think I must have spent almost a grand for that party (even though it wasn't as crowded as her first party), but the food was incredibly delicious. Back to my lil one'. Well, I am at work right now taking a break from some data processing. Saya is probably at home right now, either watching her "Minnie mouse" shows or playing with her cornucopia of toys. As with other children her age, she has A LOT of toys. Most of it are hand me downs, some were from her birthdays, and then there's the "just-becauses" from Uncle Thinh. I try not to add to Saya's collection of toys, but considering it was her birthday last month, I brought her to Target to let her hand-select one toy.
Well you know how the story goes. You put a toddler in the toy section and all hell breaks loose. Saya was grabbing toys from the shelves left and right. She was terrified of the ABC Elmo, but then again, she loved the tune the character was playing. Of course she had no idea she would only get one toy, but we let her play around with a huge selection to see how fast she got bored of each. Then we arrived at the baby dolls section. To me surprised, Saya was mesmerized by this Target brand baby doll. It was a pretty tricked up baby! It had a bottle that when inserted into the baby's mouth would cause a sucking motion. The baby also cried, laughed, giggled, and snored when certain parts of its body was squeezed. Saya used to hate it when I held other babies, but she was different with this little doll. For one, she was perplexed by the bottle feeding. She would alternate between sticking her finger in the baby's mouth and putting the bottle in the baby's mouth to see why the baby wouldn't suck her finger. Unlike the other toys, she was also very delicate with this doll, cradling the doll in her hand and patting the baby's head. I gave her the option of choosing the fair-skinned or dark-skinned baby and she chose the dark-skinned baby. I also bought her a cute little doll stroller from this awesome dollar store near my house. (it wasn't a dollar, but it was really sweet).
I think the purchase was, in Hak's opinion, a pretty solid investment. The next day Hak's mother tells me that Saya tried to put the baby for a nap and ended up putting herself to sleep. When she woke up from the nap, she noticed her baby did not have a blanket, so she quickly covered the baby with a blanket. Then she told the baby "Mommy go to work" as I always tell her when I leave for work. Saya also learned to use the phrase "uon sua" ("drink milk" in Vietnamese) whenever she gives the baby the bottle. But what's probably most hilarious to us is when she breastfeeds the baby! Saya would lay the baby by her side and cover the baby with a blanket while locking eyes with her doll.
I think buying the doll for Saya gave her some lessons in empathy. When she drops the baby carelessly, I tell her that "it hurts" and "the baby cries." Saya would immediately draw attention to her doll again, cradling the doll with her hands and singing a lullaby for her doll. Of course, there are numerous times when she's not playing with this doll, to which she would say that the baby is "sleeping."
I know this is like preaching to the choir, but when I see Saya do these things that reflect most of what I've done as a mother, it reminds me of how impressionable children at this age can be. I try to watch what I say around her, I also realize that it's what you do that counts the most.
I haven't successfully weaned Saya yet, and despite what others think, she's not too old for nursing. Although she eats a variety of food, it's incredibly difficult for me to force her to eat as much as a typical 2 year old, so I think continuing to nurse her ensures that she's getting some more nutrients. And even though the late night feedings deprive me of some sleep and days off to myself, it's hard to stay away from my baby for a long time also. I enjoy the quiet times that we get when Saya's nursing (otherwise, she ransacks the house all day). I am trying to wean her gently (with the don't-offer-don't-refuse method) and reminding her that big girls don't "maem" (means "nurse" in khmer), but she still requests to nurse every night.
Man, I am getting pretty tired writing this blog. (My lack of sleep and work to blame) I think I am ready for a nap!
