Am I prepared?
Nope.
I am finding myself to be very sentimental, swimming in feelings of ambivalence and anxiety. I worry about reverse culture shock- the heat, the crowds, the rude people on the MRT. I worry about jetlag- more specifically, Eva's jetlag and how we will have to re-train her to sleep through the night. I worry about the unfinished renovation at our new apartment and the 5 days that we will have to stay at my parent-in-law's- I fear it will sour relations.
Most of all, I worry that I will miss Chicago too much.
Isn't it ironic? That I came here with trepidation, and during our stay here have longed frequently to return, and now when I am facing the end, I am trying to cherish the very last few days here before this stage of my life come to a close.
Human nature, I guess.
The past two months have been filled with errands, chores, tasks, assignments. When I am not finishing up grad school, I am packing, when I'm not packing, I'm taking care of Eva. And when she naps, I sneak off to the occasional yoga class to keep my sanity intact.
We are now living in an empty house, have been for the last 3 weeks. No sofa, no TV and not even a single chair. I am typing this now sitting on a step ladder. Yes, relocating sucks in that way. All our furniture is now in a container somewhere sailing along in the Pacific Ocean. (My grumpy mood recently can also be attributed to not being able to watch the World Cup, which I have followed since age 6.)
I think Eva is perceptive enough to sense the change. One day all the chairs are here for her to cruise on, and the next day, big men with brown boxes come and take them all away. Ahh, but now she doesn't have a single obstacle in the entire house. I let her crawl all over. She loves it- better access to all those delicious electrical outlets she loves to lick!
Here's how the little one is doing:
MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS:
I think its tie between "MAMA CUT A HOLE IN MY HAIR" and "EATING A BALLOON."
Yup, the latter is my worst mama boo-boo to date. I buy me/her a graduation balloon, let her play with it in the car and then discover a small piece of it missing. She swallows it before I can stick my finger in her mouth. Don't worry, its been about two weeks since, and we are convinced she's passed it out.
And yes, I attempted to cut her bangs while she sat in the highchair, and um...she moved! Imagine! Yeah, not very wise. When we were at the hair salon waiting for Papa to be done, the stylist offered to cut Eva's hair for free! Woot. Good things come out of silly mistakes, I tell you.
MOVEMENT/NEW ANTICS:
Eva is an official bullet train crawler. She crawls the minute she wakes up until the second she falls asleep. She shoots from living room to kitchen to bedroom so fast sometimes I wonder if she is a mutant. Hah. This has made life very stressful for me & C. Most dangerous move so far: crawling to the kitchen while I am cooking, pulling up and touching the gas knobs. Heart attack ah!
But, also along with mobility, the girl is finding new ways to express herself. She often crawls to me while I am walking around and clings onto my leg, burying her head in my calves. Sooo sweet. And today I was in the shower, she crawled to the bathroom door and started banging on it to say hello. This is when my heart melts and I become a pool of mush.
SEPARATION ANXIETY:
The clingy stage has begun. She is shy around strangers and sometimes cries if they come to close. She protests when she sees me leaving the house. She wants to find me immediately when she wakes up in the morning and cries when C takes her away so I can rest a little more. She wants me, me, me....and its so very lovely and heartwarming but also terribly difficult to get anything done!
FEEDING:
Ahh, this has been and still is, our area of difficulty. Eva is healthy, but skinny. She's inherited C's metabolism and small head/frame, and my distaste for food when I was young. She clamps her mouth so tight sometimes during meals that we have to trick her into eating. The only thing she really really likes? Hazelnut gelato.
Eva clings to Mama
Eva checks out the multipot. Ummm??
Eva post hair-cut with stylist Yuki (right)
Waving hello at brunch
Eva with the balloon she had as a snack. grumpy face due to Mama saying "Nooooo!"
Nope.
I am finding myself to be very sentimental, swimming in feelings of ambivalence and anxiety. I worry about reverse culture shock- the heat, the crowds, the rude people on the MRT. I worry about jetlag- more specifically, Eva's jetlag and how we will have to re-train her to sleep through the night. I worry about the unfinished renovation at our new apartment and the 5 days that we will have to stay at my parent-in-law's- I fear it will sour relations.
Most of all, I worry that I will miss Chicago too much.
Isn't it ironic? That I came here with trepidation, and during our stay here have longed frequently to return, and now when I am facing the end, I am trying to cherish the very last few days here before this stage of my life come to a close.
Human nature, I guess.
The past two months have been filled with errands, chores, tasks, assignments. When I am not finishing up grad school, I am packing, when I'm not packing, I'm taking care of Eva. And when she naps, I sneak off to the occasional yoga class to keep my sanity intact.
We are now living in an empty house, have been for the last 3 weeks. No sofa, no TV and not even a single chair. I am typing this now sitting on a step ladder. Yes, relocating sucks in that way. All our furniture is now in a container somewhere sailing along in the Pacific Ocean. (My grumpy mood recently can also be attributed to not being able to watch the World Cup, which I have followed since age 6.)
I think Eva is perceptive enough to sense the change. One day all the chairs are here for her to cruise on, and the next day, big men with brown boxes come and take them all away. Ahh, but now she doesn't have a single obstacle in the entire house. I let her crawl all over. She loves it- better access to all those delicious electrical outlets she loves to lick!
Here's how the little one is doing:
MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS:
I think its tie between "MAMA CUT A HOLE IN MY HAIR" and "EATING A BALLOON."
Yup, the latter is my worst mama boo-boo to date. I buy me/her a graduation balloon, let her play with it in the car and then discover a small piece of it missing. She swallows it before I can stick my finger in her mouth. Don't worry, its been about two weeks since, and we are convinced she's passed it out.
And yes, I attempted to cut her bangs while she sat in the highchair, and um...she moved! Imagine! Yeah, not very wise. When we were at the hair salon waiting for Papa to be done, the stylist offered to cut Eva's hair for free! Woot. Good things come out of silly mistakes, I tell you.
MOVEMENT/NEW ANTICS:
Eva is an official bullet train crawler. She crawls the minute she wakes up until the second she falls asleep. She shoots from living room to kitchen to bedroom so fast sometimes I wonder if she is a mutant. Hah. This has made life very stressful for me & C. Most dangerous move so far: crawling to the kitchen while I am cooking, pulling up and touching the gas knobs. Heart attack ah!
But, also along with mobility, the girl is finding new ways to express herself. She often crawls to me while I am walking around and clings onto my leg, burying her head in my calves. Sooo sweet. And today I was in the shower, she crawled to the bathroom door and started banging on it to say hello. This is when my heart melts and I become a pool of mush.
SEPARATION ANXIETY:
The clingy stage has begun. She is shy around strangers and sometimes cries if they come to close. She protests when she sees me leaving the house. She wants to find me immediately when she wakes up in the morning and cries when C takes her away so I can rest a little more. She wants me, me, me....and its so very lovely and heartwarming but also terribly difficult to get anything done!
FEEDING:
Ahh, this has been and still is, our area of difficulty. Eva is healthy, but skinny. She's inherited C's metabolism and small head/frame, and my distaste for food when I was young. She clamps her mouth so tight sometimes during meals that we have to trick her into eating. The only thing she really really likes? Hazelnut gelato.
Eva clings to Mama
Eva checks out the multipot. Ummm??
Eva post hair-cut with stylist Yuki (right)
Waving hello at brunch
Eva with the balloon she had as a snack. grumpy face due to Mama saying "Nooooo!"
4 comments:
Finally! An update.... Was wondering if you've been too busy, lost your password to the blog, etc....
Eva sounds totally like a mummy's girl, daddy should be jealous! Enjoy each of these precious moments. Cos these little tykes grow up too fast. :P
Sad as you are to leave Chicago, we can't wait to have you back on this side of earth (rude MRT commuters, sweaty char kway tiao sellers, etc all included).
Make sure you call when you are back (and a little settled). A catch-up is definitely necessary! :)
i don't think i can say it enough. but eva is such a sweetheart. reading your updates make me want to be a mom so much (trust me, that's the only time i feel like that) -laughs
love you three.
all the best with moving.
i'll write you soon.
oh my she's grown.
see her and the 2 of u real soon!
ahhh I still have readers!!! :D
glad to know that you guys still visit here despite my long absence...
yes, I can't wait to catch up and makan w everyone!
Jamie: you gave me a real compliment here :) enjoy melboune! much love
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