Fun activities

We've been doing a few artsy activities/projects with Aaron as he seems to really enjoy them. I love making memories with him so he can look back later how much we had together. We did our annual clay hand print, tie dye shirt, muffin cup painting, and pumpkin painting the last couple months. I tried so hard not to interfere with his creativity, yet I don't want him to totally ruin the projects as he's still a little kid after all.

Clay hand print @ Art Beat

 

Tie Dye @A Brighter World

Muffin cup painting @Color Me Mine

Pumpkin painting @Artist & Craftsman SF 

Switching swim school

After 2.5 years with Waterworks and making little to no progress with swimming, it's time to try out a new swim school.  We switched to StarSwim in Los Gatos and started having private lesson with Coach Steve. He definitely seems like he knows what he's doing. He is firm yet friendly and Aaron seems to enjoy his swim lessons so much more.

We can definitely see some improvements since switching to StarSwim.  I am not expecting Aaron to become an Olympian, all I want is him being able to swim independently. It's not that much to ask for, right?

Coach Steve is helping Aaron surf. :)

First day of Pre-K

How did my baby start going to Pre-K already? Time has been passing by way too fasttttt. I haven't even been able to catch my breath and he's starting pre-k. It's definitely awesome to see all his growth and development, yet it's so not cool that he's growing up so fast. I don't feel like I ever have enough time to hold and squeeze him when life is passing by so quickly.

Aaron is going to a new classroom, having new teachers, and meeting so many new friends as most of his friends from last year are older and are going to a different classroom.  I have to admit that it's more nerve wracking for me than for him when facing all the changes. I hope he will enjoy another year of preschool and have as much fun as he can.

2016 Summer Camp

This is Aaron's first year of attending summer camp full time. I chose to let him go to his school's summer camp as it will be an easy transition for him when he's already familiar with the environment.  Teachers and friends will be different but hopefully it is not going to be an issue. Summer camp just seems so much fun (swimming, arts, puppet show, petting zoo...) that I wish I were given the chance to do so when I was a kid. I remember all my summers were pretty boring growing up. Staying at home on most days, swimming for less than a handful of times the entire summer, working on summer workbooks as my parents were both working full time.

But I cannot blame them for my uneventful summers as I understand I wouldn't be able to live a comfortable life without their hard work. It'd just be nice if they would spend more time with me like I've always wanted. I hope Aaron would appreciate all the time we spend together and enjoy his childhood as much as possible. Raising a happy kid has always been my goal and I need to keep reminding myself that. :)

Big booboo

It was just another ordinary day of swimming until Aaron fell and tripped right by the swimming pool earlier.  I didn't even think anything was serious until I got closer and saw him bleeding heavily from his mouth and chin. I immediately froze as I didn't know what can I do to stop the bleeding. Fortunately daddy was there when it happened and he helped everyone to stay calm. We took the poor kid to an urgent care and he just wouldn't stop crying the entire time.

I knew it was not going to be pleasant once the doctor determined that he needs stitches.  The rest was just a lot of screaming/crying/kicking during the entire procedure. I couldn't help but feel guilty that I wasn't able to prevent this horrific event. I kept asking myself if this accident could have been avoided if I sat closer to him? Or if I insisted that he shouldn't run around the pool? :( Nothing can be worst than seeing your own kid gets hurt right in front of you and nothing you can do about it. It hurts more to see him in pain than getting hurt yourself. Is this truly the lives of being parents? I remember I once read this quote - "Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." and I am finally understanding the true meaning of it by being a parent.

I am so thankful that we have the best medical insurance and healthcare resources in the area.  Liquid diet and some antibioitics are the plans for the next couple days.  Aaron is one tough cookie and I am sure he will be okay in no time. Thanks be to God.

Happy 4th Birthday

Time flies like an arrow, Aaron turned 4 last week. How did a baby turn into a big boy so quickly? It seems like everything just happened yesterday yet he has already completed his first year in preschool! It is truly amazing how much he had grown and I cannot be more proud to be his mommy.

It can be such a headache planning a birthday party for this little guy.  I want to find something fun and age appropriate for him and his friends which is getting harder every year. I came across this indoor soccer place in Santa Clara that seems to be perfect for his birthday. I booked the place without even visiting as I have been tied up with work lately. I am so glad that everything worked out fine and the kids all had fun running around at the party.

Peppa Pig has been Aaron's favorite character for a long time and I think he totally deserves a Peppa Pig themed party. Who wouldn't love a piece of Peppa Pig strawberry shortcake? :) Happy 4th Birthday my baby!

My 3rd mother's day

Mother's Day was fun when my baby is finally old enough to create little art work for me. He is such a sweet boy and the things he does truly melt my heart. It's simply amazing how little humans can have such enormous effects on you day to day.  I keep reminding myself how blessed I am to have him in my life to experience this amazing journey together.

Parenting can definitely be hard at times but it can also be so rewarding that there is nothing else quite like it in the world.  I need to live in the moment more because he will be all grown up before I know it. :(

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mothers out there!

Long overdue day bed

I know I know, the majority of people move their babies out of the crib by age 2 and I waited till Aaron is almost 4 to start opening his crib.  But I don't really see a problem with keeping him in there as long as he is still comfortable sleeping in it.  I only started to consider opening the crib a few weeks ago when he began climbing out consistently every morning on the weekends.

So here we are, my baby outgrew his crib and it is wide opened now! :) He had the biggest smile the moment he saw his crib turned into a day bed. I hope he will be happy for another year before we figure out what kind of bed to get him next.

Happy April!

Easter break went by way too quickly when my godparents were in town. I couldn't be more thrilled to have them over to be with me at my baptism.  I am truly grateful to have them in my life and I wouldn't want to change a thing.  Having them to be my godparents is no doubt the best decision I've made as no one else out there can be as loving and caring as them to me and my family.

Aaron loves them even though they have only hung out for a little bit.  The amount of love they showed Aaron was incredible. They treated Aaron as if their own grandson and I simply do not know anyone could have done the same for us when we are not even related by blood. I am always grateful that they are always there for me and I love them dearly.

We cramped as many activities as we could on the short 5 days they were here. We went to SF twice, Santa Cruz, Google, Stanford, my baptism, and Easter Sunday mass.  We all had such a blast that we wish that they lived in California. Unfortunately, Indiana is way too far for us to travel back and forth, but we are still planning for a trip back to see them this year. :)

Easter

Easter is coming up in 2 weeks and this Easter will be extra special for me as I am finally getting baptized after all these years. It has been quite a long journey until I truly get myself together to join God's big family. I am so grateful for all the love and support from the RCIA teachers and my Godparents, who will be travelling all the way from Indiana to attend my baptism this Easter. I can't wait to see my Godparents and spend some quality time with them. Perhaps I should plan a trip back to Indiana sometime this year. It has been a couple of years that I haven't been back and I miss them dearly.

Happy early Easter everyone!

Work life balance

Time just went by way too fast the older you get.  It has been more than 3 months since I went back to work and I am finally used to coming to work everyday.  The biggest struggle I have with work is I feel like there is never enough time to do everything I want when I am not working. I never get time to tidy up the house (not to mention the cleaning part), paying bills, running errands, and even watching my favorite shows.

Another challenge is to find time to spend with Aaron when I am exhausted after work everyday. Music and swim lessons are now scheduled on weekdays to free up weekends to do stuff together, but they wore us all out a little too well.  Even though it's tiring raising a child, I keep telling myself that Aaron is growing up so fast that I am going to miss all these days with him.  I don't mind being called a helicopter mom because I truly love hovering around Aaron and give him a hand whenever he needs it.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all have 48 hours a day? ;)