Category Archives: Uncategorized

The boys certainly have classes they attend (judo and music) but they also have so much free time at home and in their play-based school. Most of our friends have huge backyards so when the kids have playdates, they can get lost on their own for hours at a time.

It’s sad that bullying linked to lack of socialization through freeplay.

Today you turned 1! Already you are walking, having learned at 11 months of age! But you are still learning how to crawl. How you wish to follow your older brothers everywhere! You are living up to your name, Niko Niko. I don’t know any other baby who smiles as much as you do or who is as happy as you are.
Yesterday, our families came to celebrate one day early and we had Thai food, sushi and Filipino food. Your birthday cake was a chiffon cake with custard filling but for some reason, we forgot to let you taste it! Today, we had a mango cake for you from Masse’s Bakery but even though you love mango for breakfast, you did not like the cake (your first taste ever of one)! So, Papa and Mama had to eat the entire thing themselves.
Baba gave you a beautiful handknit pullover with zipper and matching hat; Mimi and family gave you a Paddington Bear book and CD from London (to go with the bear they gave you for Christmas, also from London).
We can eat you up, we love you so!

Yesterday, Niko started taking more steps with me and Papi. Here he is trying to grab some books!

He turned 11 months on the 31st of December and he doesn’t even know how to crawl. He refuses to crawl! It is so strange to have a baby who is already beginning to walk and has barely crawled.

So, the day started out with me rushing the kids to school so that they wouldn’t miss their morning circle time again this week. The other morning when they did miss it, we did our version of circle time in the car, because it was way too cold to go outside while we waited for their teacher to let them in. Thankfully there was no traffic, Niko didn’t need a diaper change right before we left the house and I had gas in the car. Afterwards, I had planned to take Niko on some errands but on the way home he fell asleep. Needing to do lots of work, I figured I could sneak in a couple of hours, maybe even just 1 hour, while he napped in the car (in the garage, of course – the warmest part of our house in winter, and yes, with a baby monitor).

As soon as I stepped out of the car, he woke up. I decided I’d focus on the “now” and enjoy my time with him rather than think about the work that I had to do. I would put him down for his real nap soon enough. We had a good 30 minutes of playing and cooing and nursing. Then, I took him upstairs. Niko is a great napper in the crib. As long as he has his thumb, he can put himself in a deep sleep within 10 minutes. But it wasn’t meant to be – when I really need him to do this, he senses it and ends up resisting. He resisted for 1 1/2 hours today. Just cried and tossed and turned in the crib while I sat next to him, stroking him, turning him from tummy to back, humming, shushing, singing and trying at the same time not to think of work or of my shoulders and neck that were killing me because I was so tense from his crying. I normally would hate to let a baby cry, but I knew that he was tired and since I didn’t leave him, he was still being consoled. Well, it was a battle of wills. Poor Niko, he must be teething because he refused to suck his thumb. He tried to self soothe by sucking the back of his hand and then by babbling to himself, but everytime it would seem to work, he’d jerk himself back awake. After about an hour, I actually gave in and looked for the pacifier I had bought years ago and never used. I gave it to him. He was intrigued and sucked on it a couple of times. But I guess as soon as he realized it felt like a nipple but there was no milk, he got angry and flung it across the room. So, who won? He did, of course. As soon as I picked him up, he was all smiles and 4 teeth. Within 30 minutes of picking him up and nursing him, he fell asleep on the boob. So, I put him back in the crib with no fussing. Thirty minutes later, he woke up.

With days like this, I just can’t seem to figure out when I will get anything else done. And it’s going to be Christmas in a couple of weeks. I don’t even have the energy to look for gifts. Does anyone really need anything anymore? Will the kids realize if they have 1 gift and not 3?

We spent part of the afternoon in Pinole today. Miles has been bugging me for a couple of weeks now about why he can’t “do homework like Jaden and Ethan do”. I told him that he does the equivalent, all day long – he loves math games and spelling games, and he is now reading. So all day long, I am asking him math and spelling questions. But, today, he asked again so we photocopied some of his cousin’s homework, for him to do. He loved it and got everything but one question right. And this was Grade 1 homework. It cracks me up that he WANTS homework.

Today, Niko started waving. It’s cute to see him do it, he has such fun watching his own arm go up and down. He has been sleeping consistently in his crib (when he’s not in our bed, that is) now that he has outgrown the hammock. I’m a bit sad that he is too big for it now, thinking that he is our last (I’m hoping not) baby. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to be in the moment of his babyhood with everything else going on; time goes so quickly, it sounds so cliche but it does fly when it concerns kids.

He hasn’t really crawled although he inches forward and backwards. But he is pulling himself up and cruising along the couch. One day soon he’ll just walk and it’ll shock me, although there are days I wish he would do it soon. I just know that when that day happens, it will be bittersweet.

Evergreen and Paolo visited us today. It was so nice to see them again, just a few months after their wedding. They looked good and relaxed.

Speaking of relaxed, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving at our house. Dad Quale, Olma, Noel and the Sarmientos all joined us. We had two tables with 20 people total for dinner! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s all about being with family and friends and food. My cousin, Olma, took some wonderful pictures of our Thanksgiving celebration. Thanks, Olma!

I cooked a 24 lb. heritage turkey and made beef wellington as well as green beans, mashed potatoes and butternut squash soup and cranberry sauce. The boys and CQ made two apple pies. Kelsey made cheddar twists and popovers; Virna made wild rice and two pumpkin pies; Mom made flan, salad and a hummus dip. Olma made a bean casserole; Ate Dea brought cookies and Kuya Noel brought ice cream. Everyone was stuffed and there was plenty of food to take home. Tonight, I made turkey soup with spinach, chick peas, diced tomatoes and Virna’s wild rice. Mom Quale is in Japan but she gave us a loaf cake before she left and we had that for dessert. Tomorrow we’ll have turkey enchiladas! Having started eating meat, it was nice to taste the food I prepared this year. I was very proud of the turkey as I’d never cooked such a big one before and have only cooked one turkey, back in college. Our turkey came from Deck’s Family Farm and it was delicious.

The day after Thanksgiving, we drove to Union Suare to walk around. We had lunch at Lori’s Diner inside Walgreen’s; the boys had a great time having milkshakes and grilled cheese sandwiches. We then surprised them by going to the Tilden Carousel on the way home. Surprisingly for us, we were the first in line for their opening night. Miles rode a black horse; Teo rode a toad; and CQ and Niko rode a rooster. It was Niko’s first time at the Tilden Christmas Carousel. We have been going there during the holidays since Miles was born.

This morning, we went to the Alhambra Valley Tree Farm to cut down our first tree. It took two hours to decide on one and about 2 minutes to cut it down. It’s not a symmetrical tree, but it’s a perfect tree. After dinner, we decorated it. This is the earliest we’ve ever gotten a tree but CQ is not going to get much time off this year and our weekends are already booked.

This morning, Niko figured out how to raise himself by leaning against our couch. He was very proud of himself and does it all of the time now! I was able to videotape him during his second time. Miles was the only one who witnessed it the first time (as he also did with Teo)!

Today was also his first day tasting blueberries. Yum!

Back in 2001 when we bought our first house (and weren’t married yet), I remember a few things about the previous owner that I had thought strange then.

Once, after CQ had walked over a huge FedEx package that was wrongly delivered to us to their house, she screamed at him for ringing the doorbell and waking up the baby. Then she shut the door to his face. He was stunned but before he could react, she reopened the door and apologized. We laughed about the crazy lady who lived a few houses away.

Before taking over their house, our new one, she gave me a fat binder with “useful info”. Along with appliance manuals, she had a stack of preschool literature from nearby schools. I almost threw it away, wondering why would I keep it.

Then, she and her husband were kind enough to give us a tour of the home’s appliances after we bought their home. At one point, she gushed over the washer and dryer, reminiscing how her husband gave it to her for their anniversary. I felt sorry for her, thinking how sad it was that she received appliances for their anniversary.

On our first day at the house, upon opening the fridge, we found a bottle of champagne left for us.

That was 2001.

We are now on our third house on this block, and when we left that first one, I made sure to leave a good bottle of champagne for the new owners.

Then, in 2006, soon after Teo was born, a FedEx delivery person rang the doorbell. Teo probably would not have woken up from the sound, but he sure did after Chunk of Love started howling. I got very angry with the guy explaining how his ringing caused the crazy dog to bark, causing my baby to wake up. Since 2006 we have had electrical tape covering our doorbell. I have even asked delivery people to not even knock. My parents use their key when they come over so that the dogs don’t bark from the knocking.

Soon after that incident, I found the folder of preschool literature and actually perused it. At first, I laughed to myself thinking how anal my neighbor was. Then, I slowly realized that her written remarks were quite useful and found myself looking into the same schools. We almost sent Miles to the same school, except we ended up choosing Waldorf over Montessori.

So, now it’s 2009. Since Niko was born and both boys started school, I have been doing laundry nonstop. I really wanted a front loader. This week, I took a chance and bought a secondhand Whirlpool Duet Front Loader (thank you, Berkeley Parents Network!). Front loaders use water and detergent more efficiently, and they can do huge loads without blinking an eye. I was giddy from hooking it up by myself and trying a load. Today, I had one part replaced, so while I could’ve probably bought a new one for a couple of hundred dollars more (Home Depot is having a sale!), this one is as good as new (knock on wood) and should last us a long time (knock on a different piece of wood). When CQ came home, I showed him how to do a load, and after pressing the start button and hearing it hum, I started caressing the top of the washer, saying “I loooveee this washer.” That’s when I remembered our old neighbor. Then I recounted the washer story to CQ.

He laughed and said, “Happy anniversary.” It was last week, on the 21st.

Instead the kind of play-based learning featured in nurseries and reception classes should go on for another year, the Cambridge Primary Review says.

Actually, it’s not his first Cheerio. But, it’s the first time he picked one up and ate it by himself!

Ok, so back to reality. Fall is here, school has begun and so have the colds and coughs. Poor Niko. He is always so smiley but yesterday, he cried all night long, had a stuffed up nose so couldn’t nurse lying down and had a yucky cough. I was worried that he was having a hard time breathing. But after giving him some tylenol and rocking him in the carseat, he fell asleep for a few hours (lucky for me!). I took him to the doctor’s today and we found the culprit. He has a raging ear infection in one ear, probably from the cold he has had for a week now. So the infection may have caused the fever. I guess this isn’t technically the flu then. Normally we wouldn’t ask for antibiotics, but the little man is so miserable and it takes a lot for him to get grumpy. If the infection is bacterial and causing the fever, I would hope the antibiotic clears it up, so he can concentrate on getting rid of the cold and cough.
This is his first time on antibiotics and he’s not even 8 months old. I hope it will help him because we really hate giving the kids unnecessary drugs.
As I type (on my G1 phone), he is sleeping somewhat soundly in his carseat. The elevated head of the seat helps to keep the congestion controlled by not allowing the fluid to sit next to his eustacean tubes.