1 day and 1 Year Old

One day old
One Year Old

Reflections

Looking back this past year from Cael at Day 1 to now... I realized that time indeed has gone by so fast. I wish I could have had more patience with him. He was quite a fussy baby when evenings came and nothing except being held in the arms WALKING and ROCKING would soothe him. Needless to say, that was not something I could do all night long. Cael cried a lot in his first three months. The nights were not easy. I found out that the only way he would sleep at night was when I turned on the vent in the bathroom. The minute I turn it off, he starts wailing. So yeah, I slept in the bathroom a lot, if you can call those few minutes of catnaps here and there sleep. I remember a midnight when he was a week old or maybe two, when I was crying and crying in the bathroom feeling so tired and depressed and stressed, I had just fed him, and had swaddled and put him on a boppy pillow on the floor with the vent on and pumping out his next meal (I gave up trying to latch him on) and I just had to SOS someone and I turned on the laptop and managed to get a friend on the other side of the continent to help with the million questions I had on how to handle this little one. I think being a first time parent is a very daunting task. Nothing prepares you for the sleepless nights, the way to handle your baby, what works. It is a very hands on experience and you learn as you go. I thank God I had family and friends who each taught me a little bit of everything. First of all, it is OK for a baby to cry. That is how they communicate. In the beginning, it was very 'distraughtful' for me to hear the baby cry. The way Cael cries is very scary. He will just go on a long wail without stopping to take a breath. That scared me to pieces so I try to never let him cry. That is a mistake. Sometimes I really think they just need to have a little cry to 'clean' their system out. So yeah, eventually I would just let him cry, but never for very long. Both his dad and I called it his sleep routine. He got over it after 3 months or so. Eventually he started sleeping longer and longer at night. It got much better once he started baby food. I guess his tummy stays full longer. And now I am VERY HAPPY to say that he goes down at 7pm at night and gets picked up at 6.30am in the morning. Sometimes he is awake and just talking to himself and sometimes just laying quietly waiting for me. On the weekends, his daddy likes to pick him up as soon as he stirs. He will then be laying on daddy's chest until mommy's gets up to get his milk.
I am really glad I was fortunate enough to stay home and watch this little one grow. Looking at my friends' newborn baby and comparing her with Cael, I cannot believe how one short year can make such a big difference. He is a big boy now. He communicates (without crying), he knows simple instructions, he claps when I say good job or clever boy, he walks, he plays, he dances, he loves watching Baby Einstein, and so many other things. And I got the privilege of seeing him do his FIRST everything. It is such an honor.

Cael's 1st Birthday

Cael celebrated his 1st birthday yesterday although his actual birthday is tomorrow. He had lots of fun with his little friends and got lots of cool presents. He didn't like his birthday cake and looked very puzzled and suspicious when everyone sang the birthday song.

Cael's got a NEW friend

Baby Isabella was born this morning.

It Happened!

While his mother forgot to watch him for a second, Cael finally got the opportunity to stick his hand into the toilet bowl and played with the YUCKY water. Well, I mean no foreign objects or liquids BUT STILL... So I had to sanitized him. The joys of being a parent.
Today we went shopping for Cael's birthday presents. He will be having a small party in 2 weeks time with his little friends. I am sure he will have a blast!
He is quite bored with eating the food that mommy prepares for him. I think he prefers a lot of finger foods so if anyone has suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment with some ideas!!! I am tearing my hair out.

Snow in Sunny California?

That's right. My husband called me from his school yesterday to tell me that is was snowing. In sunny California. Very unusual. We are experiencing unusual cold brisk weather today. I had to wear three layers of clothing just to go retrieve my mail which is a 2 minute walk from my home. Brrr... The temp is now 44°F (7°C)but feels like 36°F (2°C) and is expected to dip down to 29°F (-2°C) by midnight. Well I have my husband to snuggle with under the comforter but poor Cael will be sleeping by himself. He's been bundled in 2 fleece sleepwears, so he should be alright.

By the way, Cael is 60% walking now. He will take steps by himself. Before, he will only do it in our presence but now he is Mr Independent.

Mary had a Little Lamb

So do I. Cael trails after me ALL the time. Everywhere I go, even to the bathroom. I have had to put a gate up so he doesn't get into the kitchen. But sometimes he looks so pitiful clinging on to the gate looking at me with those sad little eyes I can't help but let him roam free. Of course I make sure that there is nothing cooking on the stove or oven. He loves opening cupboards and taking everything out so I pretty much keep the non-breakable stuff on the bottom drawers so he can play with them. Sometimes I feel bad that he hears the word 'No' to most everything he does.
He learned how to climb down the stairs this week. He mastered climbing up quite a while ago. He can take tiny steps but still prefers crawling. And he will dance to any music. He makes us laugh all the time with his dancing. His latest is 'pole' dancing in the bathroom. He will stand up and grab the handle on the bathtub and start dancing when we start singing. He prefers hip-hop music.

Mess Everywhere!

I used to have an immaculate home. That was before Cael. Now no matter where I try avert my eyes, I see a whirlwind of mess. The kitchen countertop is a mess of Cael's bottles, cups, snacks, baby wipes and other thingamabobs that make their way to live there. The dining table is home to bills that have yet to be filed away. The living room is strewn with Cael's toys which he just doesn't like seeing neatly put away in a basket. The leather sofa thought it was safe because no cats live here to scratch on it, unfortunately it didn't consider Cael's sharp nails. My bedroom has a semblance of tidyness except for that corner that has turned into a small office and yet another basket of Cael's toys. Cael's room, needless to say, is not messy, just that he has more toys. So everywhere I look, it seems that a little person has a lot of stuff. More than his mommy and daddy. This home now belongs to him. Well, I guess if he doesn't mind the mess, I shouldn't complain, eh!
Unfortunately, the eyesore is more than I can bear. I will make it my New Year's resolution to do something about it.

Goodbye 2006, Hello 2007!

2006 was a very 'dramatic' year for our family. We started the year getting adjusted to Sugar Land, Texas and finally finding a church to call home. The end of January marked the arrival of Cael Joshua Matthews. As much as we love him, I have to confess that his arrival was a shock to my system. I can indeed say that I don't think I have ever worked as hard without sleep. Didn't help that this little bitty thing has a pair of lungs that he put to use every evening for a couple hours in the first few months. To be completely honest, there were times I wished he had come with a 30 day return policy those first months.
Then around the middle of the year we decided that we were not enjoying Texas as much as we had hoped so we kept throwing the idea of coming back to CA back and forth until we finally decided to do it. Trying to sell the house was nerve-wrecking as the market seemed to have gone down. But thankfully, the house sold in 30 days. Cael took a while adjusting to the time difference. But we are proud to announce that we have his bedtime routine down to a pat. At 6.30pm every evening (except for special occasions like Christmas and New Years Eve) he gets his bath, his little dance with his daddy, his bottle (to be weaned off soon) and bed. And we won't hear from him again until about 6.30am the next morning (hopefully). By 7.00pm I am usually sitting at the computer de-stressing. But back to 2006.
When we came back, Gerald got his motorbike to commute to LA. And the year ended with a great blessing for us. Gerald got his much awaited for teaching career.
We welcomed the New Year with our friends, which included a family
who just moved back here too from Washington.
So I am hoping that 2007 will be a year with maybe less 'excitement'. A vacation to Malaysia is on the agenda. So is potty training. And yeah I guess kiddies birthday parties since most of our friends now have or will have kiddies. :)