Ethan Goes off the Deep End

On the second to last day of swim lessons the kids got to jump off the diving board into the deep water. Yikes! I didn't think Ethan would do it, but he saw his friend Asher go during the last session and he wanted to do it, too. Enjoy the video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB2jJspvLHo

She is on the Move

This past month Kate has officially become mobile! She can crawl rather fast and she pulls up on furniture and is pretty close to cruising. It's fun to watch her explore, but don't keep your eyes off her for too long. I've already found on on the first step of our staircase and at the patio door about to nibble on some flip flops. Maybe I need to get her some more teethers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g9mnQJ1oVA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECCk8DTlLwI

She is also quite the eater, now that her ear infection is gone. All of a sudden she is eating table food! Her menu has expanded from purees and baby crackers to bits of scrambled eggs, bananas, bread, pasta, split peas, chicken and ground beef. If it's soft enough to chew, she can eat it.

Welcome Dela Cuestas!

Just as Grandma and Grandpa Snyder left for Dallas, my Uncle Mars and Auntie Sylvia stopped by for an overnight visit on their way to a Couples for Christ conference in Urbana-Champaign. We've had so much family this week--what a treat! It had been over a year since Ethan had seen his Great Aunt and Uncle. And this was their first time to meet Kate. They were so delighted to meet her and couldn't put her down!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and visit us!

Welcome Snyders!

This week Grandma and Grandpa Snyder came for a visit! Ethan loves his relatives and couldn't wait for their arrival. We did all sorts of fun things while they were here. They came to watch Ethan at his swimming lessons, took a tour of the wind farms out in corn field country, and went to the zoo.

We had a lot of down time, too. Here is Grandma with Kate during some afternoon playtime.

We don't get the chance to see David's parents all too often, so their visit was so very special. Thank you for making the trip to see us!

Swimming!

Ethan started formal swimming lessons this week. For $30 he will go to swim class everyday, Monday through Thursday for two weeks. The 30 minute session gives him some good one on one instruction since his section only contains four students! Parents get to watch from the sidelines as their kids learn anything from the basics to the more advanced techniques. Here, Ethan gets the hang of holding on to the wall and kicking his legs.

They also teach him how to float...

And they often do group activities together, holding hands in a circle as they move about in the water.

I love this aquatic center because it has a zero depth pool where Ethan can comfortably go as deep into the water as he likes.

Homesick

A few weeks ago I went to my local Sears store to return a recent purchase. It was first thing in the morning, so the store was still quiet, almost empty. As I approached the customer service desk I noticed the woman working the counter was not white. Not only was she not white, she looked Asian. As we greeted each other, it became apparent that she was Filipino. I could hear it in her voice. Though hard to hear at first, her light accent was unmistakable. I don't often meet other "pinoys" in my town, though I know there is a considerable Filipino contigency here in Central Illinois. I just usually never meet them.

There are one of two things that can happen when two Filipinos meet: they can either acknowledge that they are both Filipino. Or they can ignore their common thread altogether and remain two strangers in what could be a moment of connection. We chose the latter.

As I walked away I could only think that hearing her voice made me feel like I was home. It's a distinct rhythm and lilt that characterizes the Filipino speaking English as a second language, and Tagalog is definitely a distinct language of its own. Hearing her voice instantly brought me back to the large family gatherings at my Auntie Sylvia's house where on any given holiday or special occasion you'd walk in the door and be engulfed with the fragrant cooking and language that still surrounds who my family is today.

It's a strange thing. Sometimes I forget who I am. I am a first generation Filipino-American, and as such I have had one foot here, one foot there in two different worlds for a good part of my life. However, I've been steeped in white, American culture for so long, that I forget about this whole other side of me. And in one brief exchange at a Sears counter it all came flooding back.

I've spent a good deal of my life wishing I was someone else and striving to become something I will never be. Not because it was something to be desired, but because my "otherness" was always so apparent it was hard to feel accepted. You cannot hide skin color, nor can you easily hide socio-economic status or background. And perhaps this was all self-inflicted paranoia stemming from the hyper sensitive lens of an adolescent. I was, after all, a minority in a sea of pretty, rich, white girls. But now, nearly twenty years later, many things remind me of that "otherness", that "I'm not like you", or "we don't have that in common". But it's not about skin color anymore, just about other things.

Maybe I haven't really grown up at all. Maybe I'm still that insecure adolescent who felt infinitely different than everyone else around her. Or maybe I've just been in the Midwest for too long.

Home for Sale

Many of you know we are in the process of selling our house, and that we've moved into our new one! I thought I would at least document that here on the blog for posterity...


It's been a weird journey. We thought we would have sold by now since the other houses in our neighborhood have sold very quickly. But after a month and a half and about 20 showings and 3 open houses, no offers yet.


For those of you who have never seen our house, our realtor arranged for a virtual tour. Just go to http://www.206orlando.com/ and click on "virtual tour" to "walk through"our home.


In the meantime, here is a picture of our new house.


We've been slowly getting it in order. The hardest part is decorating! I have NO talent for that whatsoever. Many of the rooms need new paint and window treatments, and the kitchen and bathrooms need cabinet hardware. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but with two small children I have less energy to do home improvements than I did when I was pregnant (some of you may remember me telling you stories of installing toilets and vanities while I was 5 months pregnant. All in good time...

Like Father Like Son

I looked out our patio door yesterday, and this is what I saw...

9 Months

For Kate's 9 month birthday she went to the doctor. She had been recovering from an ear infection the previous week, but after a full round of antibiotics one ear remains infected. This will put her at four ear infections in three months. The doc said we ought to think about the possibility of putting tubes in her ears. Not fun, but we have had our share of sleepless nights due to her sickness, and she of course has not been happy either. If this surgical procedure will keep her healthy, then I'm all for it. Right now, we are treating this infection with a different antibiotic, and if she gets another one any time soon, she'll be off to the ear, nose and throat doctor for the procedure.

Other than ear aches, Kate is CRAWLING! And very well, too. She is even pulling herself up to a standing position. It will only be a few more months till she starts walking, I'm sure!

Kate is also TEETHING. In addition to her two bottom teeth, she has three upper ones coming in, and a third bottom one. All at the same time...ouch!

Time is going by so fast...On the one hand, I can't wait till she's older so she can do more, explore, try new things. But at the same time she is so cute right now and can't disobey, talk back, or fight with her older brother. Everyday, I constantly remind myself that a year from now everything will be different, and that I need to cherish both Kate and Ethan TODAY, everyday...

Happy 5th Anniversary

June 5th marked 5 years of marital bliss! To celebrate, we got a babysitter to watch the kids while we took a picnic lunch to a nearby state park and spent the afternoon biking and canoeing...

We couldn't believe how wonderful it was to be alone! And quiet! It was a refreshing two hours of just us and nature. We decided that this should be our annual anniversary celebration. It costs practically nothing, and being outdoors is probably the one thing David and I really do like to do together!

It's been a wonderful five years of marriage. And it's just the beginning, I know! I wonder what lies ahead.

Chicago Getaway

Our two days in Chicago were exhausting! Remind me never to go sightseeing at the end of May...LOTS of school field trips! I don't think I've ever seen so many school age children in one place before. By that, I mean Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier. My fatigue is probably the reason why I have so few pictures! Some highlights from the trip...


Our lovely view from the apartment we rented. Right on Michigan avenue across from the Museum Campus.

Goofing off after naptime...

At Buckingham Fountain.

Back home in Normal enjoying Grandpa Cuesta's homemade mango smoothies. He brought several Philippine mangoes grown on his Florida farm. Yum!

Kate, try this

A video of Kate trying to feed herself a Mum Mum "rice rusk" (whatever that is). I apologize for the abrupt ending of the clip...my camera malfunctioned!

8 months

Kate is pretty close to crawling.

She continues to expand her culinary palette!

She sleeps from 8pm to 5am, nurses, then goes back to bed till 7:30.

She takes two, sometimes three naps

She is really squirmy! She could barely sit still for me to take these pictures!

Here is the typical progression of her movement when I put her down on her quilt. She is usually sitting in the middle of it, in this case with Ethan watching a video.

Then she slowly makes her way BACKWARDS...

Pushing up...then falling down, ever so gradually moving backwards...

Until she soon finds herself on the kitchen tiled floor!

Up on all fours. It won't be long now till Ethan has some real trouble to contend with!

Our $40 Vacation

Yep, that's right.

For $40 dollars we spent two nights and three days at Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort in Utica, IL next to Starved Rock State Park.

"How is this possible," you may ask?

TIMESHARE PROMOTION.

"Oh no! You didn't fall to prey to those blood thirsty sales reps pushing over-priced, useless condos and "amenities" that you'll never use?"

No, we didn't :)

This past January we went to the annual Kids Expo in our town where we signed up for this promotion: 2-nights at Grand Bear Resort and their indoor waterpark. The only caveat? Sit through a 90 minute presentation to learn about vacation opportunities through Silverleaf Resorts. We couldn't pass up the opportunity, considering hotel rooms at this resort average about $150/night depending on room and season. So we took our chances. I don't think we would do this again, since our 90 minute off-site presentation ended up being a 4 hour excursion! But we were able to enjoy the waterpark and some hiking at Starved Rock. Here are the pics!

On our way home we stopped for lunch at a local drive-in. David was surprised to find that I had never been to a drive-in before. The waitress didn't come out in roller skates, but everything else was definitely old school!

It's a Bug!

This is what we do on sunny days while Kate takes her morning nap. We go outside and look for creepy crawly things... That day it happened to be a caterpillar.

Just for fun

A slide show of recent pics of Kate and her tiny toy box

(http://www.slide.com/r/RnVxvUhz0D8UCV8eYspJ7S8VEI4tUH7T?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original)

Playtime with Kate

Ethan's favorite pastime is trying to make Kate laugh. We love to watch. Now you can, too! Enjoy this clip...

The Neighborhood Gang

The nice weather has brought out all the kids on our block. We have children ranging from 6 months to 16 years!

It's wonderful to go outside and see the kids playing. I don't know what it is, but it totally warms my heart. For the past couple of days Ethan has played with the boy next door, Jaden, who is 5 years old. He's also played with the kids two houses down from us, Naomi (5) and Daniel (7). Ethan LOVES to hang out with the older kids!

All this has made David and I very sentimental and nostalgic about this neighborhood. You see, in about one month we'll be moving to a new house! We're only moving a few miles away within the same town, but we will be sad to leave some of Ethan's friends behind. Jaden is also moving in about two weeks! Our neighborhood has experienced quite a bit of turnover as houses have been selling rather quickly. I guess it's our turn, huh?

We found a lovely house to call our new home. More details on that later...

Sent From Above

I like to think that God sends me little gifts.

Yesterday, still recovering from whatever cold/sore throat I had, I needed to go to Walmart to do some grocery shopping. Though I woke up, with a foggy, dull headache I needed to get some food since our fridge and cupboards were bare! David was done with classes and so he was able to stay home with the kids. I quickly got myself into the car for an hour or so of "me" time (if you can call grocery shopping without the kids "me" time!).

As I was standing in the dairy aisle contemplating what butter to buy, blowing my runny nose and rubbing my dry, itchy eyes, an old man further down the aisle said to me smiling, "I saw you yawning just a few minutes ago back over there. Rough night?" I chuckled and proceeded to tell him that I was sick, and my 7 month old was sick, so we were both up several times the previous night.

Such a little thing to strike up a conversation. I would never believe it, but it's so true about that whole "smile" thing, and how it's a wonderful gift to receive. This old grandpa began to share a little bit about his children and grandchildren, and after those ten minutes I had laughed, connected with a generation so far removed from me, and walked away forgetting that I even had a headache.

Thanks, God, for lifting my spirits and making me feel better!

Potty Training STINKS

For the past month we've had a second go around at potty training Ethan. I hate it. I can't believe how much I hate this.

We've tried a few approaches. In January we attempted the "one day approach", pumping him with juice and salty snacks while letting him run around in just cotton underwear. The philosophy behind this is the more he eats and drinks, the more opportunity he has to go, and in 5 hours you can get your kid to use the potty chair. While this did indeed give him the urge, he did not like peeing on himself. He did not like sitting on the potty either. As a result, he would withhold. Oh, the pain he was in! He would only relieve himself in his diaper at naptime or bedtime when he could finally relax. I mean, this was causing some serious physical issues! He could really hurt himself, I thought. We ended up trying this approach for one week. While he did go in the potty a couple of times, the longer we trained the more he withheld. It was terrible. We decided we needed to back off and regroup.

Three months later here we are. We decided we needed to take a more laid back approach, focusing on giving him a positive attitude about the porcelain throne. We decided to put away the potty chair and just use a cushioned seat on top of the real thing (Ethan is so tall that none of the potty chairs we found seemed big enough for him). How about a reward system? What kind of rewards? Do we force liquids and salty snacks on him again, or just make sitting on the potty part of his routine? We decided to just incorporate it into his routine, use training pants to avoid messy accidents, and make a rewards chart where he put stickers everytime he successfully uses the pot.

We've been doing this for about 3 weeks now. He's still sometimes negative about the toilet, but at least we can get him to sit there. And the only times he has used the toilet was when we put him there ourselves and let him sit there for an extended amount of time (like 30 minutes!). We read books, sing songs, and lately we've put his portable DVD player so he can watch a video. This is REALLY sad, but we just don't know any other way. We say to ourselves, "If he could just eliminate in the toilet once, he'll get it!" No. Not really. I don't think he's made the connection between the physical sensation of "having to go" with actually walking over to the bathroom and using the toilet. Our only comfort is he knows how to pull down his pants and training pants.

I don't know how long this is going to take, but according to everyone I've talked to, it takes a long time. And it takes patience. I thought I was a patient person, but this experience has definitely challenged me in that area. Truth is, I don't have patience at all. I really wish someone else could do this for me. David has taken most of the responsibility for this, but I'm the one who spends the most time with Ethan. It is work I must do.

I know Ethan WILL learn to do this one day. I just need to remember that this, too, shall pass. And perhaps a year from now I'll hardly remember blogging about this...