Dear Trevor,
These entries are becoming less “monthly” as it has become increasingly difficult to find some time to sit down and share my thoughts on paper. I wish I had more time in the day to do all that I need to do, but I am thankful for the time that I have with you and your brother, Grayson.
Since my last entry, I have left my job at Netflix, which was simultaneously a difficult and easy thing to do. It was hard to leave after nearly seven years there and the friendships I have developed, but at the same time, I was ready to go given how things had transpired over the last four months. It was no longer a nurturing or even particularly, friendly environment and it was time to leave. Lucky for me, I was given quite a generous severance package so that I could spend some quality time as a stay-at-home-Mom (SAHM) to you and Grayson. It's been something Ba-Ba and I have considered even before you were born but financially, it just didn't seem to be feasible. So, in some respects, I have to thank Netflix for the opportunity that this ugly situation has afforded our family.
As a result, I got to spend a whole month with you before your brother arrived, which was truly a blessing. We got to enjoy the nice February weather by taking many trips to the park and mall. You enjoyed pushing your stroller around almost as much as you enjoyed sliding down the slide and being pushed on the swings. I hope in some ways you'll remember those last few days of your “only child” arrangement.
We welcomed Grayson on March 20th at 11:05 a.m. His labor was a lot shorter than yours (9 hours compared to your 22 hours), even though he was a larger baby (8 lbs 15 oz vs your 8 lbs 6 oz). Ba-Ba brought you and Yee-Po to visit me each day and you enjoyed running around the hospital room and sharing my hospital snacks. You were equal parts fascinated by and indifferent to Grayson. We brought him home a couple days later and you adjusted very well to him. And even though there are a lot more frantic cries of “Gentle!” in our house now, we couldn't imagine our life without the two of you. You ask to hold him and we set the Boppy on your lap and place Grayson on the Boppy. Usually this only holds your attention for five minutes, but it's just long enough for Mommy to snap some pics. You also like to give Lo-Lo (what we call Grayson) unsolicited kisses, which is really sweet.
You haven't exhibited any jealous tendencies, but there have been a few more middle of the night wakings lately that may or may not be attributed to this change in dynamic in our household. Ba-Ba and I hope that it's a passing phase.
You are so energetic now and everyday, you seem to learn something new. You're really into mimicking people, such as crossing your arms when you see someone else do it. My favorite is when you cross your legs and lean one hand against the wall. The other week you discovered pockets in your pants and you would pose with one hand in your pocket and cross your legs and we call it your “GQ Pose.” It's simply adorable.
You're also much more vocal now and in the past month and a half, you have learned to say:
Car – you pronounce it with a Boston accent – Caaahhhr – which we just love but can't quite figure out where you picked that up
Poe-poe – you say it in such a sweet, pouty way when we put you to bed and you don't want to go to sleep that I have a really hard time resisting you
Please – pronounced without the L
Duk – Chinese word for “can do” or “yes”
Oi – Chinese word for “yes”
Po-Po – Chinese word for Grandma (Ma-Ma's Mom)
Nung-Nung – your version of Gong-Gong, which is Ma-Ma's Dad
Ow-foo – your version of Kow-Foo (Ma-Ma's brother)
Bo-Bo – Chinese word for ball
Nana – Banana
But-But – Chinese word for pen
Apple
Outside
Shoes – Kind of sounds like you're saying “issues” or “it's shoes”
Up
No
Ah-bot – your version of robot
Moe-Moe – Chinese word for hat
Me
Boat
Nose
Maw-Maw – Chinese word for horse (usually accompanied by you pushing one of us over so you can climb on our back)
Some new signs that you've learned include:
Cereal
Cracker
Diaper
Hurt
Where
Tree
Moon
Snow
Wind
Sleep
Cry
Yes
Sorry (you no longer sign it the same way as Please)
Airplane
Boat
Soap
Nice
Clean
Dirty
Bug
Flower
You still really enjoy playing with cars and balls, and in true boy fashion, you like to climb on furniture and pretty much anything that you can knock over. You have this fearless nature about you that I know is going to cause a lot of lost sleep on Ma-Ma's part, not to mention send Yee-Po into hysterics over your safety. You've started to exhibit a mischevious side and are definitely testing your limits. Often times, when you are doing something you know you shouldn't be doing, like touching Ba-Ba's CD changer or climbing on the stairs by yourself, you will pause in mid-act to look sheepishly at us as if to see what we will do. Most of the time, we can just tell you to put something down or sit down or walk away and you will do it, but there have been occassions when we've had to put you in Time Out. It's not a pretty thing but we hope that it will teach you to know your boundaries.
You enjoy taking walks around our neighborhood with Yee-Po when the weather is nice. And we've taken to letting you play in the backyard as well, where we have amassed a curious collection of sports balls from various neighbors who have chosen not to retrieve their lost balls for some reason. You're getting better at throwing the ball and definitely have improved in the kicking department.
You continue to delight us with your charm and wit and sweet nature. Even when you had Roseola (baby measles), and you were running a fever of 101+ degrees, you were still a very chipper kid. It made it that much worse for Ba-Ba and me that you were so agreeable even when your body was burning up. We are truly blessed to have such an easy going kid, we often remind ourselves.
Hopefully, it won't be so long until my next letter. Until then, know that Ba-Ba and Ma-Ma, along with Lo-Lo and Yee-Po, love you very much. Our lives are so much richer with you in it.
XOXO,
Ma-Ma
