An Ode to Gollum

Now that Xiao Mei has joined us, there have been some challenges with Gollum the cat. He hasn't caused any problems yet, but there has been some foreshadowing of problems that could arise- particularly once XM starts crawling. Gollum is not the friendliest of creatures.

Last night, Gollum left our household to join up with one of our friends who used to have a Sphinx cat. It was kinda sad on the one hand, but not so much on the other. (I'm sure people will say that about me when I die.)

To celebrate/mourn his leaving the house, I have written this little poem.

Gollum:

No hair, all mad;
Now you're gone we're only a little sad.

You have to be king of where you're at,
Top of the pyramid, of man and cat.

Now that Xiao Mei has arrived,
Your status here has certainly dived.

Hissing, growling, nipping at guests;
Going to a new home will likely be best.

Sticking around eventually you'll spray;
and there's a good chance you'd get shot that day.

You are one of those entertaining guys,
But we also like our new baby's eyes.

Best of luck old friend.

Garden Blogging

Yang planted a garden a few weeks ago. We have peas, beans, cucumbers, pumpkin, cantaloupe, onions, corn, carrots, strawberries, summer squash and zucchini growing in our back yard. Yang picked out all the seeds to plant, but that doesn’t mean he will eat any of the veggies.

As you can see, Yang has a pretty impressive system. He has the irrigation rows, complete with “straw” (in this case, it is grass clippings) to slow the water flow.

I’ll post more pictures as the garden grows.

This is the prettiest flowering plant in our yard. Unfortunately, it is located at the corner of our house, not visible from the street or any windows. Maybe we’ll relocate it when we tackle landscaping the yard next summer.

A's Visit

My best friend from Georgia, A, and her boyfriend, M, visited us for a few days this week. We went to the Rose Garden, but unfortunately the roses aren’t quite ready to bloom. It was cold and rainy so we didn’t stay long. We also went to Multnomah Falls. We ate out more than we should have and we watched more TV than we should have. It was a blast!

Baby Xiao Mei was a rock star. She let me drag her around in the cold and rain, take her to restaurants and on long car trips with little protest. A and M were gracious guinea pigs in testing little XM’s limits.

It’s always fun to get together with friends from high school. A and I were friends through all our teenage-angst years. We understand each other in a way not possible with people I met after I was an adult. We usually see each other once a year or less, but it’s like no time has passed at all. When I hang out with her, I feel like I’m 16 again.

Happy Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, Xiao Mei slept from 11 pm to 6:30 am. Thank you baby girl! My own mother spent the day indoors to stay safe from the gunfire in Beirut. I called my parents last night and I heard gunshots in the background.

Fourth Trimester

My fourth trimester ends next week. Xiao Mei will be three months old. For me, the end of the fourth trimester marks the end of the transition from pregnancy to mommy, from completely dependent newborn to a slightly more independent baby. I assumed by this point I would be more or less back to normal, physically and emotionally. I assumed that by now I would be an awesome, capable mommy and the bug and I would be in sync. I assumed by now I would have my head above water. Ha ha ha ha ha. “Funny Yin, you’re crazy,” say the voices in my head.

Here is my fourth trimester report card:

Emotional: Thankfully, the crazy highs and lows of the first few weeks are finished. Life is more rich and beautiful with XM in it. I can’t imagine life without her—she’s an old friend. I already feel much more emotionally mature than I did before I had XM. There is much more at stake in life now. It is challenging and frightening.

Synchronicity: It seems that as soon as we get a routine established, XM will change things up just for fun. Nevertheless, we are on a rudimentary schedule. She nurses approximately every two hours, and usually wakes up and goes to bed at the same time each day. She consistently gives me five to six hours of sleep before she wakes up for her night-time feeding. She does not nap at the same time during the day, but we are getting closer to a nap schedule.

Physical: Yikes. Did you ever wonder what a belly like a bowl full of jelly was like? I never wondered, and I never cared. Tragically for me, I now know exactly what a belly like a bowl full of jelly is like. It’s icky. Santa must be a woman, post partum. I assumed the icky belly would be gone by now. It’s not.

I inadvertently launched my return to running last Saturday. Yang was home with XM, so I took the opportunity to go for a walk around our neighborhood. I was feeling good, so I wandered quite a ways away before I started making my way back home. Well, it started raining. Hard. The rain poured into my eyes and down my back, my runners filled with water, and my socks were squishy. I thought I was a good Portlander, one who would not be bothered by the rain. I’m not. So, I started running and kept running until I reached home. My legs still hurt, three days later.

I hope one day I will return to the size and shape I was before I had XM, but I’m not holding my breath.