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!

Aaron turned 2.5 today!

I don't know how time flies by so fast after having Aaron. He turned 2.5 today in just a blink of an eye. It's actually a mixed feeling that he's growing up fast. I love watching him grow, talk, play each day and I want to stop the time because I love the innocent little boy the way he is now. Everything he does is terribly cute, well not always but you get the idea. But I know all the cuteness will eventually go away when he's older. I am living in the moment and enjoying him before he becomes all independent.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have Aaron in my life whenever I look at him. He's just a perfect little angel that God has given me. I feel like I can never have enough time with him even though I see him all day long and I didn't know I could love someone so much. I wish he felt the same way about me and become the person he wants to be. Happy 2.5 Birthday, my love!

Aaron's first Trick or Treat

Aaron finally had his first trick or treat this year as he didn't go for one when he was in HK last year. It's actually quite difficult to find him a cute costume as he's not a baby anymore. This is usually the time that I wish I had a girl so that I can dress her up with all kinds of cute outfits. Oh well, I am just thankful that I have one precious little boy after all. I can't imagine life without this little guy anymore. He becomes my world and I do everything for him. I wonder if it is because I am with him 24/7? Does that make a difference at all?

Ok, back to my topic. So I found this cute little costume right before we went back to HK and never really tried it on until we returned. The costume fits him ok besides the hat is super duper huge for a 2 yo. Aaron is at the age that he doesn't just let me put whatever on him. It was tough putting the whole costume on without sweating. By the way, did I mention how warm it is in CA when it's Oct/Nov time? It's unbelievable that we get to live in such mild climate area after all these years in the cold brutal Midwest. Words simply cannot express how awesome I feel living in CA and I seriously wouldn't want to move to anywhere else in the country.

Enough digressing, we went to Valley Fair for Aaron's first trick-or-treat around 5:30 after he woke up from his nap. The traffic was bad and daddy was stuck at work. I knew I had to get him there before all the stores runs out of candies. The parking lot was full and the mall was like a zoo. People were everywhere looking for candies with their kids. As I predicted, most of the stores ran out of candies and Aaron only got to get 4 pieces of candies. How sad! But he didn't seem to care, just be his happy self holding the pumpkin around. Daddy finally came meet us up and we went to dinner at the sushi restaurant before heading home. Overall, Aaron was happy and that was all it matters.

Happy Halloween!

Bronchitis

Aaron has been coughing for a couple days before getting on the plane to HK and I didn't think it was anything serious as he gets sick every now and then. He was in good spirit all along even after we got off the plane. I was thinking to take him to the doctor after we get off the plane anyways to make sure everything is ok.

As I haven't been living in HK for a long time, I don't know how to find a good pediatrician or any doctor in general so I asked my friends who have kids to get their pediatricians' info. Unfortunately, all the doctors my friends recommended were busy/closed. I finally found Dr. Ko in CWB who has good reviews and I took a leap of faith to go with him.

The nicest thing about HK is you can usually get to see the doctor the same day you make an appointment even if you are a new patient. I guess that's the beauty of private practice. You can go to any doctor of your wish as long as you are willing to pay the price. The wait at Dr. Ko was minimal, Aaron was seen right away. Aaron had the routine check and Dr. Ko started lecturing me for not taking Aaron to see a doctor earlier. He was diagnosed with bronchitis and was at risk of developing asthma if it wasn't taken care of properly.

I have never thought that Aaron's condition was that serious as he has been pretty healthy even with his rough start, however, Dr. Ko brought this back to my attention and emphasized the importance to take care of Aaron's condition with extra precaution. I am so glad that I found Dr. Ko as he is not only knowledgeable but caring and thorough with Aaron.  He even noticed little things like Aaron's chest retraction (a condition that he was born with due to the premature birth). I have never met a doctor being so generous with their time explaining everything in detail.  Dr. Ko spent a good 40 minutes with us, which is unheard of with any other doctor I've seen in my life. I wish we had more doctors like Dr. Ko and his thoroughness once again brought up the thought of finding another pediatrician for Aaron in CA, but I doubt I can find anyone even close to Dr. Ko. I hope Aaron will feel better soon so he can enjoy his time in HK.

Still in good spirit playing at the clinic

To be honest, this is quite a bit of medicine for a little kid who is only 2