December Babblings

A belated Merry Christmas, dear blog readers!  Happy new year, too!

Baby Bunny and I both got two and a half weeks off from school/work!  We've been home, playing with lots of new toys, watching too much TV, eating lots of yummies, and sleeping a lot!

We've acquired a lot of new toys.  Many were gifts from friends and relatives.  Some were "new to Bun Bun".  Lately, she is really into puzzles and blocks.  婆婆 found an old train set in her garage she had forgotten about.  Now, it's under the Christmas tree and entertaining Bun Bun as it goes round and round.  The girl has way too many toys.  One project over Christmas break was to put some of them away, then cycle them out again.

Bun Bun is still obsessed with Curious George.  She requests him on TV every chance she gets.  Lately, she's been introduced to Noddy and the Toyland.  She loves Noddy, but her loyalty is still with George.

With both of us on vacation, 婆婆 is also on vacation.  This means she's at home cooking up all sorts of yummies.  Today, we got 包子 (steamed buns) and 芋頭糕 (taro cake)!  Yum-O!  Looks like we'll be signing up for a membership at the local YMCA this year!


Since September, we've had to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch the school bus and get to work.  It's been such a treat to sleep in, at least until 8am!

Bun Bun has been babbling lots more than ever before.  She's making some sounds that seem to have meaning (to her) and sometimes mimicking something she hears.  She's been making the "guy" sound.  Her vocal vocabulary now includes "Hi", "Aye" (for bye), and "O... oh".  The other day, when we were visiting Grandparents, she very clearly said, "Pop-pop" to address her Grandfather!  And, I think I heard her approximate, "Again!"  We hope for great progress this coming year with her speech.

Physically, she has made a lot of progress.  She's starting to run!  At school, she's been riding and peddling a tricycle, jumping, and kicking balls.  I signed her up for more swimming in January and February.  These will all help her build up core strength.

Excited Baby Bunny running the train around the Christmas tree!

November Ramblings

For me, the fall semester marches on.  As always, work has been very busy, but not stressful.  I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving break, in 2.5 weeks.  After break, it's just another 6 days of classes before the week of final exams.  I sense some of my students burning out already.  Some have given up, most likely because they know they haven't been doing well, so why bother.  A good number are still very much in the game and have been working as hard as possible.  I applaud them and cheer them on to the end.

Christmas break is always welcoming.  This year is no different.  I am looking forward to seeing Bun Bun's excitement grow with the lights, sounds, and smells.  No doubt, the kids and teachers in her class will be excited.

This Halloween, she did get a little more into it.  Well, at least I kind of had her dress up (as a Pink Poodle) and took her trick-or-treating to just a couple of neighbor's homes.  She doesn't eat candy, neither does Daddy, so guess who has been consuming more chocolates than usual?

Overall, Bun Bun has been doing well in school.  She continues to receive all of her therapy while she's at school - occupation, physical, speech therapies, and special instruction.  She's been gaining a little more core strength day by day.  She seems more comfortable climbing up and down stairs, alternating legs.  Lately, she's learning how to jump.  It's another one of those physical activities that I take for granted.  Speech continues to be her biggest challenge.  She is able to articulate, "Hi!" and approximates "Uh-oh", "Bye" and the Chinese "Aye-ya!"  Of course, she continues to sign.

Someone's post on Facebook said something to the effect of Down Syndrome is a journey I never expected to take, but I sure like my tour guide.  There is a lot of truth in that.  I personally think I have the cutest and sweetest tour guide.  Do I wish she doesn't have DS?  Sometimes, only because I think about her future and all sorts of the challenges she will face.  I am comforted to believe that she will be OK.  We do all we are able now, take it one day at a time, and overcome one hurdle at a time.  For now, I will cuddle and kiss her every chance I get.

Bun Bun, the Pink Poodle.  Halloween costume made by 婆婆!

Bun Bun's Chinese outfit, purchased in San Francisco 2 years ago.  This was her "dress up" outfit for school, the day before Halloween.  It fit pretty well here, but I'm sure she'll quickly outgrow it.

Dancing Bunny

Baby Bunny doing some fancy moves this morning while we waited for the school bus!

Bun Bun at School

It is almost the middle of September, about time for a Bun Bun update.

Baby Bunny missed the first three days of pre-school that started at the end of August.  The night before her first day, she spiked a fever and was very much out of commission for at least the first half of the week.  With it being a short 3-day week followed by a long Labor Day weekend, she was definitely well rested for her official start of school.

Bun Bun has been attending a pre-school with typical kids ranging from ages 3 to 5.  I am not sure how many, if any, other special needs kids there are in her class.  There are 20 all together.  She is one of the youngest.  According to her really nice teacher, Bun Bun is the smallest by size.  In fact, her classmates call her "Baby".

Every morning, we get up at the crack of dawn to get ready.  The school bus picks her up at 7:20am and round up 4 other kids to make it to school by 8:30.  Yes, it's a very long ride.  If we drove ourselves, it would only take about 20 minutes.  Unfortunately, Bun Bun is the first to be picked up in the bus route.  Since she's also the last for drop off, she's on the bus for over an hour on the way home.  Bun Bun has gotten used to the routine, somewhat, and she is able to sleep on the bus a little bit.  She now gets to bed before 8pm!

Earlier this week, her teacher emailed some updates.  Apparently, Bun Bun is doing pretty well and adjusting nicely.  She participates in all of activities like circle time and sits nicely with other kids at the table for work and meals.  Because she still struggles with core strength, keeping up with her peers has been a challenge.  She will walk in tow with the other but gets distracted by people because she feels she has to wave and say hello to them.  Yep.  That's Bun Bun.

Today, they were playing dress up.  Her teacher took a picture...

Here are a couple of pictures of us waiting for the school bus with her backpack.  The first picture was taken seconds before she fell over from the weight of the pack.  She needed some TLC to soothe over the boo boo.

School

It's been a busy August.  Now, it's back to school for me, and Bun Bun starts a new pre-school.  More updates later...

Here's a video of Bun Bun having fun at Tot Lot!

Dimple

When I was little, I wanted dimples.  My best friend had two of them on either side of her cheeks, and I thought they were the best things ever!

You can only imagine how tickled I was when I saw that little dimple that appears right by the edge of Bun Bun's lips when she smiles.  I think that one little dimple is even better than having two cheek dimples.  Of course, 婆婆 has two and says that Bun Bun got one of hers.

I love how that dimpled smile greets me in the morning and one of last things I see at night.

This is an old picture, but a good one that shows Bun Bun's dimple.

All wet!

What's the fascination with water for little kids?

It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday in southeastern PA.  Bun Bun and I took the afternoon off and headed out to Longwood Gardens.  They have a couple of Children's Gardens - one outdoor and one indoor.  The one indoor has tons of water fountains.  Some just shoots out water.  One makes blub-blub-blub bubbles every 10 seconds or so.  One just shoots down like rain.  I guess it's a good thing to have to cool kids off on a hot day.  (Don't think it's a good idea in the colder winter days.)  Since I had an extra change of clothing for Bun Bun, I figured I would just let her go at it and have some fun.  It didn't take her long to be completely soaked.  The poor child had to be dragged away kicking and screaming.

Playing with the water fountains in the Indoor Children's Garden at Longwood Gardens

Third Birthday Extravaganza!

We've had a blast of a weekend celebrating Bun Bun's third birthday!  It started on Sunday with cake, presents, and a baby pool!  Bun Bun got the best presents (EVER!) from Pop-pop - a bag of potato chips and a box of tissues.  If you know Bun Bun well enough, you'd know that she LOVES salty snacks (just like her daddy) and wanting to pull out all the tissues from a tissue box (Mama would never approve!).

On Monday, we went down to the beach.  Bun Bun had a blast standing by the shore watching and waiting for the waves to wash over her toes.  She let out shrills of excitement with each splash.  There was even a little girl (probably 5 or 6) that joined us in the fun.

A week before Bun Bun's birthday, I was reminiscing the events three years ago:  the swollen ankles, July 4th party at a friend's house, Tuesday morning prayer meeting, the high blood pressure at the doctor's office, preeclampsia, and meeting Baby Bunny for the first time.  You can read those old blog posts:  10 Weeks, Part 1 and Part 2.  Today, I encountered a blog post by John Simmons on how to deliver the Down Syndrome diagnosis to the newborn's parents.  I thought it was one of best pieces ever written.  We have already encountered some of the things Mr. Simmons wrote about and will look forward to many of the rest.

Happy third birthday to my favorite Bun Bun!  I'm looking forward to another year being amazed by little you!

New to Bun Bun

We've acquired some toys for Bun Bun from yard sales.  She now has a little play house and a sand/water table.  The girl loves to be outside.  Thankfully, there hasn't been too many mosquitoes, and we're close to the house to avoid deer ticks in the wooded areas of the back yard.

Bun Bun turns 3 next Monday!  That's hard to believe!  For the rest of the summer, she will continue to go to preschool two days a week.  Come September, she will be attending another preschool 5 days a week, from 8:30 to 2.  It'll tire her out in the beginning but I think it'll ultimately be good for her.  She will even ride a yellow school bus!

Miss Smarty Pants tested herself into a regular preschool.  Even though she will still need speech, occupation, and physical therapy, she is "age-appropriate" for cognitive skills.  She is able to match pictures (e.g. card with a bear to picture of a bear in a book), correctly point to various objects, self-correct, and problem-solve.  She is amazing!  Recently, I found her correctly answering this electronic toy she has.  It would partially show an animal and ask for identification by the first letter.  Even if she has memorized all 26 animals, it is still very impressive.

Bun Bun checks out her little house.

Looks bigger inside

Pretend ice cream and cones

Sand and water table

Bun Bun explores coneflowers.

That's good reads!

Asian tulips at Longwood Gardens

Lunch with Mama at Longwood Gardens

Baby Bunny and Daddy Selfie!

Little Girl

Daddy took some pictures of Bun Bun over the last couple of weeks.  Somehow, she looks more and more like a little girl, rather than a baby.  This makes me sad.  I know I can't keep her little.  When she sits on my lap, I can read over the top of her head any more.  It has actually been a long while since I was able to do that.  Everyone says that she looks different.

Next month, after she turns three, she will be attending pre-school officially.  Her services (physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy) will continue through the school.  Good folks who have been coming to the house for all of that (Rachel then Noelle, Carmela, and Pam, respectively) will be switched over to a new crew.  This is all part of the Early Intervention campaign.  Then, when Bun Bun officially starts kindergarten in the public schools, it'll be another transition.

I've decided to keep her at the same pre-school she currently attends.  It's through the same place where her birth-to-3 therapists are centralized.  Almost all the teachers, even those not in her class, know who she is by name.  She has started to make friends.  By the way, her BFF is a little girl, probably about the same age, named Helena.  I overheard Helena telling her dad that Bun Bun is her sister.

Bun Bun's new bike helmet!

Dandelion!  There were a lot more earlier in the spring.

Doesn't Bun Bun look "older"?

Big Girl will be getting ready to conquer the potty this summer!

Sickies 2.0

Poor Bun Bun.

She came down with another respiratory infection.  This time, she was knocked down with fatigue and no appetite.  For a child who loves to eat and eats everything, turning down the yummiest of all yummies was a bad sign.

At the doctor's office, her pulse/ox (measuring oxygen levels in the blood) was very low.  The doctor was concerned enough to send us to the ER for chest X-ray and rule out pneumonia.  Thankfully, the X-rays showed no pneumonia, just some viral infection.  After waiting around for almost 5 hours, we went home for lots of bed rest.

Two days later, we went back to the doctor's office.  Bun Bun's breathing wasn't improving.  She was still very lethargic and refused to eat.

Back to the ER.  This time, we were there to stay.  Bun Bun's pulse/ox was even lower.  Doctors wanted another X-ray, just be sure there was really no pneumonia.  A couple of tubes of blood and snot-suctioning later, RSV was confirmed.  Respiratory syncytial virus is usually bad news for babies, especially preemies with poorly developed lungs, and immune-compromised people.  Otherwise healthy individuals exhibit typical cold symptoms and  recover very quickly.  A very small percentage of children with RSV ends up with bronchiolitis; this was Bun Bun.  The virus affected the bronchioli, the smaller branches in the lungs, causing inflammation and breathing difficulties.

Four days of being hooked up to pulse/ox monitor, having nurses suck snot out of her nose, IV fluids,  constant vital sign check-ups, and eating nothing but crackers, Bun Bun is on the mend.  Phew.

For the first time today in over a week, Bun Bun ate her dinner, just half of what she usually eats, but it's a great start.

Modern medicine is truly amazing.  I am so thankful that CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), one of the best hospitals in the world, is just a 30-minute car ride away.  I am so glad that they were able to determine the cause of Bun Bun's illness.  Instead of pumping her with antibiotics right away, they waited for a diagnosis.  Antibiotics are one of the greatest inventions in the 20th century; collectively, they kill bacteria, but they do not kill viruses.  Even though antibiotics do not harm any human cells, they kill the bad bacteria that make us sick but do end up killing the good bacteria in the human gut.  Good bacteria have significant benefits.  In the intestines, they create what scientists have called the gut microbiome.  Research has found that when disturbed may lead to various diseases.  Stayed tuned...  I have just started reading a book by Martin Blaser, "Missing Microbes."

First ER visit...  I think we watched all 6 episodes of Baby Signing Time, twice!

Still managed to smile and laugh a little bit.

Not so happy second ER visit.  Here, the nurses had put an IV in her hand.  Daddy thought her arm reminded him of Hellboy.

Poor Bun Bun:  so lethargic, only had appetite for hard pretzels and crackers.  She's got oxygen cannula going up her nose.  She definitely did not like that.  

The turn-around.  Cheese-It's and Curious George: it's a winning combination.

Sickies

Baby Bunny and Mama have the sickies this week.  I'm pretty sure the transmission occurred through a cup of vanilla and chocolate ice cream we shared on Sunday at Longwood Gardens.  Once again, Baby Bunny is only afflicted with a running nose and coughs, Mama is down with fever, chills, stuffed nose, probably bronchitis and sinusitis at the same time.  That says something about the immune response of a 2.5-year old versus a 41-year old

This weekend we celebrate Easter.  I have a long 4-day weekend.  The weather has gotten more seasonal compared to the warm 80-degrees on the day we visited Longwood.  Being cold and sick, we'll likely wait until May to go back and see the tulips in full bloom.  That's suppose to be spectacular.

Looking forward to seeing all the tulips in full bloom later this spring.

Bun Bun in her spring dress.

Snuggling with Mama before she succumbed to some respiratory bug.

Becky

When Bun Bun was a day old, we were given the news that she may have Down Syndrome.  In my earlier blogs, I spoke about how devastated we were but that we were still madly in love with our Baby Bunny regardless.

I have never met anyone with Down Syndrome before.  I've seen them out and about with their families, and some bagged my groceries at the supermarket.  The only people I really kinda knew were those on TV, like Chris Burke who played Corky on "Life Goes On" in the 80's and Lauren Potter who currently plays Becky on "Glee".  We've been fans of "Glee" pretty much since the beginning and always looked forward to watching.  I think Becky became a regular on the show while I was pregnant.  So, when we knew Bun Bun has Down Syndrome, we often thought about her and how amazing she was.  Because of Lauren Potter/Becky, we were greatly encouraged by how much this young woman (now 23 years old) was able to accomplish.

Last night, the students at the University invited Lauren Potter to speak here, and I got to meet her and her big brother, Brandon.  Lauren read from a manuscript to a fairly large size crowd.  She talked about her dream of becoming an actress and her experiences on "Glee".  She took questions from the audience and was actually very articulate and witty.  I jumped at the chance to meet her afterwards and talk to her big brother a little bit.  Thanks to a student I knew, I cut in front of the line (milking my professor status), thanked her for visiting us, and got a picture taken with her.

Cutting in front of the line and meeting Lauren Potter

New books for Baby Bunny!  Between some Jane Austen and Moby Dick, she's going to be the most well-read pre-schooler!

92 Signs!

Bun Bun is now up to 92 signs!  She's learning her colors, too.  She can point out yellow.  I think she really misses George and the Man with the Yellow Hat!

Daddy thinks this is Bun Bun's "worry" look.

Hunger Strike

It's been a very busy couple of weeks, hard to believe the spring break was just 2 weeks ago.

Spring break is when I pack in all the appointments for everyone.  I get a break from teaching and meetings with students, but I still need to catch up on grading and finishing up miscellaneous things I didn't have time to do. 

For Bun Bun alone, we had a dentist and eye appointments.  She did very well for the dentist - no cavities; although, she didn't like to be held down and have metal probes in her mouth.  Who does? 

At the eye appointment, a young opthalmologist fellow managed to entertain while examine her eyes with his iPhone (playing some songs by a popsicle with a bag of frozen peas playing the drums, jamming about eating healthy...).  No tears there.  Sadly, he did find that Bun Bun needs glasses.  She is near-sighted.  Much of this could be genetics (from her daddy, of course!) but could be from her obsession with the iPad.

The girl loves watching Curious George and Signing Time on the iPad.  She also loves playing with some of the apps and looking through pictures of herself.  It has been one way to keep her entertained while she eats her meals.  It has also been a very bad babysitter. 

Bun Bun typically likes to lunge forward in front of the devices just like she stands right in front of the TV, maybe because she has been having trouble seeing all along with her near-sightedness and/or it's just something all kids do.  With the diagnosis, we've decided to deny her of TVs and iPads, cold turkey.

Hence, the hunger strike!

For about a week, it was very hard to coax to eat her meals without George or Signing Time.  She would demand a look through 婆婆's bag to double and triple check to be sure that 婆婆 really didn't bring her iPad.

It has gotten better.  She has been reading books and drawing a lot more.  Now that it's finally starting to get warm outside, we'll be letting her run around in the yard.  Hopefully, her eyesight won't get worse. 

Those glasses?  We'll wait until May to reassess.  I'm pretty sure she will need something when she officially starts pre-school in July.

Spring Break!!!

Yahoo!!!

Legacy

I suppose it is kind of morbid to talk about death, but this post isn't really about that.  It's a reflection on a sermon series from Alistair Begg, "What Is Your Legacy".  Uncle Ali preached from 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and reflected on the people in his life that have left godly legacies.  This got me thinking.

What will my legacy be?

Will I be missed when I'm not around anymore?

Will people say that I did the best I possibly could for my family?  My friends?

Will former students say that I left deep impacts on their lives and careers?

Most importantly, will anyone say that they saw Christ in action because of something I said or did?

John and I recently had to write an one-page testimony, in part, to officially join the membership of our church.  It forced me to think about the people who had impacted my decision to trust Jesus.

Almost 25 years ago, a young woman fittingly named Liberty was the youth group leader at the church we were attending.  She was soft-spoken and epitomized gentleness.  At least, this is what I remembered most about her.  One week before my mom, sister, and I were to be baptized, she sat me down and asked me what "grace" meant to me.  I told her that it reminded me of ballerinas because they were GRACEful.  I can only now imagine what Liberty thought when I told her this.  She patiently explained that it's like someone coming to me if I were in jail and told me that he would set me free and take my prison sentence instead.  Indeed, this is exactly what Christ did on the cross to free me from the penalties of sin.  I think that's when the heart knowledge of God really began to take root in me.  Liberty's legacy is one seed sown in this heart.

There must have been countless souls who prayed for me and my family over the years.  I may never remember or even know who they were.  Yet, their prayer lives are the legacy that they will leave behind.

What will my legacy be?  I now ask myself.  I hope I will seize every opportunity to leave a good one.

I hope some day, I will see Liberty again and thank her for her faithfulness.

One Year

Over the weekend, Bun Bun and I were watching TV and the Purina Incredible Dog Agility Challenge came on.  I suddenly remembered watching this with Bun Bun exactly one year ago and teaching her the sign for "doggie".  That was her first sign!  Since then, she has picked up dozens and dozens more.  I have to do another assessment soon and see how many she has now.  Still hoping for her to talk soon though.  She has been trying to say "bubble".  It comes out as a quiet whisper.  But, it's a good start.

Last week, we were at the doctors.  Bun Bun weighed in at 10.955kg or 24.15lb.  She feels so heavy and is getting taller.  I will have to measure her this week for her growth chart.

Everyone has been under the weather though.  Bun Bun was diagnosed with left ear infection.  Both her daddy and I were down with some strange bug making us feel fatigues and achy.  Fortunately, my symptoms lasted for just a day.  Daddy is still on the mend.  Bun Bun is on antibiotics and making a good recovery.  She has school tomorrow.

We've been plummeted by snow this winter.  Yesterday, we got another 4 inches which we weren't able to clear off from been sick.  Our wonderful neighbor helped us out!  It's so great to have wonderful neighbors.  We are expecting freezing rain tonight and another storm this Sunday.  This has disrupted school.  One of my classes has only met twice; two classes have been canceled.  The students are happy, but professors are falling behind and stressing out.

Snow and a flat tire

14.3 inches.

This was how much snow that came down in 12 hours on Tuesday!

I made it to work before it all started.  By 10am, things outside looked white.  My class ended at 11, and the university had already decided to cancel all classes for the rest of the day.  I was going to head home.

No problems?

The drive home was treacherous, but not terrible.  Everyone was driving slow and being very cautious.  Half way home, my car sent me a message: "Very low tire pressure."  Oh no!  I still had about 5 miles to go, on the highway.

God must have been watching over me.  I slowly drove to the Sears Auto Center near home and got my tire replaced.  There were two nails!  One bent over like a hook and pierced through to the side.  There were 3 large holes!

By the time I finally got home, about 2.5 hours since leaving work, there was about 5 inches of snow on the ground.

Phew...

We got another snow day on Wednesday.  I missed one lecture for a class that still hasn't met yet.  So much for the first week of the semester.

Here are some cute pictures of Bun Bun.  I think we had just finished eating breakfast.  She was waiting for play time.

 

Happy New Year!

A belated happy new year, blog readers!

Yesterday, Baby Bunny turned exactly 30 months old, or two and a half! 

It was a "Polar Vortex" day when the thermometers read 6 degrees fahrenheit, but the nasty winds made it feel like 20-some degrees below zero.  It was chilly!  Effects of global climate change - a topic for another day...

We all ventured out anyway with fuzzy hats and layers of clothing.  We went to check out a pre-school program for Bun Bun.  Yes, we have enrolled her in a Mom-Morning-Out program once a week, for now.  Today was officially Bun Bun's first day of school.  I think she had a blast.  The teachers all thought she did great.  She didn't cry when we left her there.  In fact, she got right down to work on a puzzle.  When we went to pick her up, we found her letting out shrills of laughter; she was having a ball (literally and figuratively) in a moon bounce.  This will be a great start for her daily pre-school program and some academic routine when she turns 3 this summer.  We hope in the coming weeks, there will be room for her to attend on Fridays.  The program likes to keep the ratio of students per teacher low.  Right now, they only have spaces available on Wednesday.

Here are some pictures from today and from over my vacation.

Moon bounce at school today!

First day at preschool

Baby Bunny tackling one good book.  I suppose she'll want to watch the trilogy afterwards.

I think she's more fascinated with flipping the pages in books.  She's got in her hand the Anne of Green Gables series, her name sake and my favorite books.

Stacking with Daddy!