First day of work

This is such a mixed emotions day. It is definitely hard to leave my baby to go to work in the morning after being with him 24/7 all these years. We have been each others' companion for almost 4 years and we both started a new chapter of our lives today.  I can't help but feeling guilty that I won't be the one taking care of him primarily anymore. The joy that he has brought me is incredible and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

I am truly blessed and grateful that I was able to spend so much time with Aaron. From day 1 till now, there was never a dull moment. I wish time didn't go by that fast and we can spend more precious time together. Hopefully he will adjust to the new schedule at school smoothly and I can get used to working again.

my silly boy and his buddy :D

Totally defeated this week

It's never easy to be a SAHM especially when you get sick.  You don't get a break or a day off because there are still chores waiting for you.  This is always the time that I struggle with when my parents/family is not around to help.  I feel so helpless because all I want to do is to lay down and not do anything. I am sure I am not alone that many other SAHMs struggled with this before and I don't want to be a cry baby about it.  As humble and as grateful I should be, sometimes I can't help but think how life would be different if I am in HK with my parents. Would everything be much better as I always imagined? I truly hope that one day they can be around all the time seeing Aaron grow up every day. Don't you always miss your parents when you are sick? :(

Chicken ginseng soup is making me feel a little better

My silly little boy

A huge step in potty training

This is no doubt a day to remember when Aaron was diaper free all day except nap time and at night. I am so proud of my little boy that he is finally understanding the concept of going potty when he needs to.  He has been in diaper way too long and I feel like he could have been potty trained much sooner if he was in daycare.  It's a little bit of my fault to keep him in diaper when he's capable of using the potty. I feel like using diaper is much more convenient and hygienic especially when the outside bathroom is not all that clean.

Anyways, I hope he can stay dry for an entire week before preschool starts so that I can send him to school fully potty trained.  :)

He's becoming such a big boy already :(((

 

First semi-private swimming lesson

Aaron started his very first semi-private swimming lesson with a new teacher called Matt.  He seems to have trust in Matt right away when the lesson starts.  It's amazing to see that Aaron is able to follow commands and do exactly what he was asked to do.  He has been taking mommy and me swimming classes for such a long time I feel like he might advance in a faster pace if I weren't there holding him in the water.

I wish I switched Aaron to the semi-private lesson with the new teacher sooner as he showed disinterest in the previous teacher.  Kids truly do not hide their emotions and would tell you if they don't like certain things or people.  I should have listened to Aaron earlier and found him another teacher so that he could focus on learning.  Lesson learned and I will try to listen to his needs more from now on.

Swimming off with the new teacher right away

He did so awesome that he earned a terrific turbo

Aaron's turning 3

Another year flew by since I had Aaron and he's turning 3 in a blink of an eye.  I truly hope that time can stop and I can have him as a baby forever. He's just way too cute the way he is now and I feel sad that every time I look at his old pictures. He's walking, running, jumping, talking, playing just like any other kids and I can't believe he's mine.

I am so grateful that he's in my life and I am learning how to be a good mother everyday. I might not be the best mother in the world but I am trying hard to become one. I hope Aaron could feel my growing love for him. Happy Birthday, Aaron baby. Mommy loves you :)

Preschool tours

I have been keeping myself busy these days by touring all these preschools for the Fall.  I am so overwhelmed with all the schools and approaches they take that I am not sure what is best for Aaron. I was planning to send Aaron to bilingual school because I feel like he needs to start learning more Chinese; however, I don't feel like any of them after the tours. Most of these bilingual schools are either Montessori or academic focused, which is against my original principle.  I just want Aaron to be a child when he is still little. I don't believe in feeding him academic knowledge so early on when he's probably not ready developmentally. 

I think I've always been wanting to let Aaron play as much as he wants to before going to kindergarten. I don't want him to not like going school from so early on.  He should enjoy his childhood and not have to worry about academics until he's ready.

So far I have seen at least 8 preschools/CDCs and I can't quite make a decision yet. I hope there's one that stands out and I don't have to choose. I think there are still maybe a handful more to look at, hence the search continues. I would really hope to make a decision by this week so I don't have to worry about it by the time we fly home. *fingers crossed* ;)

So defeated

Another long day of being a SAHM. I keep asking myself if I am still suitable to stay at home full time anymore when my emotions are so unstable 90% of the time. I simply can't control my emotions whenever Aaron is acting up, which seems to happen every meal. I am at a loss of what to do as a parent as there is no one teaching/guiding me through this process. I often question myself if I am doing the right thing after punishing him. Am I being too strict with him? I feel like I need to get away from him so that I can get myself back together.

We started training Aaron to eat by himself this week as he has been fed by me all his life. He's definitely old enough to be able to feed himself, but recently he has been more dependent on me than ever. I started noticing kids his age are all feeding themselves and eating so well. I believe Aaron can do the same if I give him the chance to do it himself.  I think I am more frustrated than ever since I started the "training".  It's tough to watch him eat a few spoons and stop eating altogether after 30 minutes. I admit that I am not the most patient person in the world, but let's be honest that toddlers all have a tight schedule. It's not like we can take two hours to eat and skip all the activities. Hence, I took away his food after 45 minutes as the pediatrician suggested. I purposely did not give him any fruits or snacks at school afterward to teach him a lesson.  He was quite whiny at school when it came to snack time watching other kids eating happily.

After we got home he didn't even nap but played in his crib for 3 hours until dinner time. He finished his milk pretty quickly and seemed more hungry than usual. Or was it just because he got yelled at by me earlier? He ate dinner a little better than his lunch, but I guess it will take some time to correct his behavior. I wish this terrible 2 phase would be over soon because I am not sure how long can I stay sane battling with my own son that I love so dearly.

Eating kabab by himself awhile ago

First day of junior preschool

I can't believe this day has finally came. Aaron started the new junior preschool program today at MACC. I am more willing to drop Aaron off at MACC because he is already familiar with the classroom, environment, and the teachers after attending MACC for almost a year. I remember he started going to the Tot time when he was about 19 months and all of a sudden he's already 2 1/2 already. Where did time go? :(

I didn't quite prep Aaron about going to school alone until this morning. I told him that I won't be able to go to school with him, but bow wow and teacher Kim are going to be there. He seems to be ok and even repeats that mama won't be going to school with him today.

We got to school and were greeted by teacher Kim's warm smile right away. Aaron settled in while I finished some paperwork for this program. He seemed like he was already comfortable and all playing with his favorite Thomas. Teacher Kim soon told me to say my good bye and Aaron gave me a hug and said byebye then off I went. He didn't seem to care too much that I was leaving as I've been telling him all morning that I will be back after picking up something from the store. Daphne and I then went to the store and bought the kids macaroons for reward.

We went back to the school on time to pick up the kids and they were happy to see us. Teacher Kim told us they were doing great in school without us and I am so relieved that Aaron didn't have a melt down trying to find me. It's such a mixed feeling that he is going to school by himself yet I am not his world anymore. Please don't grow up so fast Aaron, mama still wants to spend all the time with you. :)

Last day of 2014

Another year flew by and Aaron is growing up faster than ever. I want to enjoy my baby a little longer even though he's no longer a baby. I miss the little baby that I can hold in my arms all day and night even though he's so cute that he's talking and dancing. I guess it's hard not to miss the days when he was younger because I know that those days are gone. I gotta cherish every moment with him when time just keeps flying by.

I am so grateful that I had such a great year spending everyday with Aaron. He simply becomes my sole purpose of life as much as I don't want to admit it. I never knew I can love someone so much until I have Aaron. He becomes my everything and I'd do anything for him. I love everything he is and I can't spend enough time with him everyday. Happy 2015 everyone!