Request

My dad had a heart attack two days ago and underwent triple bypass surgery yesterday (in Beirut, Lebanon). My mom reports that the surgery went well, but my dad is in a lot of pain. He has several weeks (months) of recovery ahead of him. Please pray for him and my mom (or send good thoughts their way).

Nie Article

If you are following Nie's recovery, you have probably already read this article. If you are not, this is a great place to start.

Excuse me while I go dry my tears.

Amen, Mr. Friedman

Palin's kind of Patriotism.

I've tried to avoid politics on this blog, but . . . I am very, very afraid of Mrs. Palin.

Ok, back to the personal and mundane, as usual.

Book Babies

I made a wonderful discovery last week (thanks to A, my jogging partner). My local library hosts "book babies" once a week. For 30 minutes every Thursday morning, babies and parents can meet for music and story time.

At first I was skeptical - I thought a free event at a public library would be a bit sketchy. But, it's wonderful. The teacher is delightful, the room is clean, the toys are age appropriate and clean, and the other babies and parents that attend are very nice (no shifty eyes in sight).

Most importantly, XM LOVES it! She is fascinated with other babies, she enjoys the songs (especially clapping at the end of each song), and she loves the bubbles dispensed via a fantastic bubble machine (I have to get one of those). I think the interaction with other kids and adults is good for her.

Hooray!

Patience, My Love

Xiao Mei cried when I lifted her out of her crib this morning. That was my first indication of the day to come--she usually greets me with a smile. I assume she is teething, but I don’t really know the cause of her discomfort. She has been whiny and clingy. She screams if I leave her alone for too long.

By 11 am, my to-do list eroded down from things I wanted to accomplish to things I must accomplish. The more rushed I felt, the louder XM screamed.

Mercy, child.

By 4 pm, the living room looked like a tornado hit, documents and client files buried the table, and XM clung to my ankle, crying, as I prepared dinner. My temperature was rising faster than the preheating oven, and thunder pounded inside my head.

I surrendered.

I picked up my darling girl and cuddled her on the couch. For ten minutes . . . thirty minutes . . . an hour. As I released my expectations for the rest of the day, I heard a stretching, creaking sound. It was the sound of my capacity for patience expanding. Like tectonic plates, slowly shifting and moving, it was transforming an individual into a mother.

Tomorrow I will do better.

Second Childhood

I am so excited for the holiday season! We have a wonderful reason to celebrate and decorate again now that Xiao Mei joined our family. (Yang and I have been scrooges the last few years). I may even get a Christmas tree! *gasp*

Before then, we are looking forward to an excellent Halloween!

You want to feel better about yourself? Read this post.

I am a horrible homemaker. There, I admit it. I assumed once I became a mother, I would naturally become a good homemaker--a domestic goddess,even. Ha.

“But Yin,” you are saying to yourself, “you are almost mumble-mumble years old. You’ve had years, nigh a decade, to become a good homemaker.” Um, yeah, about that. You see, I never really had to be a good homemaker before. When we were DINKs, we ate out for lunch and most dinners. When we decided to cook at home, it was easy to shop for all the ingredients that day and have all evening to cook the delicious meal—what a novelty it was. (Yang is wondering, “when did we cook at home?”). Also, a house doesn’t get that dirty when one leaves at 7 am and returns twelve hours later. So, cleaning once a week did the trick. (Yang is wondering, “we cleaned the house once a week?”).

It’s different now.

I now know how quickly a house gets dirty when one actually lives in it. I now realize that it can be a bit difficult to plan menus and shop for the whole week (on a budget). I now realize that it’s challenging to cook dinner with an almost eight month old who thinks she is one year old. No matter how long I wait, the dirty dishes from breakfast and lunch sit there until I do something about them.

Here’s evidence that I’m a crappy homemaker. Notice the food still in the high chair.

Notice the darling baby girl crawling on a dirty floor.

Notice my kitchen counters at 4 pm. (Yes, that is a Campbell’s soup can. I am a horrible cook, but I’m trying. Tuna casserole anyone?) Also, please note that rather than cleaning up my kitchen, I chose to plop my behind in front of the computer and type this post. Ha!

So, to all you awesome moms and dads who cook meals for your family and keep a relatively clean home, my hat is off to you! You are awesome. You are my inspiration. I’ll get better, right? I won’t be cooking with Campbell’s soup cans forever, right?

You know who else is my inspiration? Nie Nie. The first time I heard about her was when Runningfan posted about her accident. After that, I read all of Nie Nie’s archives. I know I will never be like her, but she makes me want to be a better wife, mother, and homemaker. That woman is amazing, and I pray that she recovers.