Potty training!

Day 6

Progress is being made!

Will keep you all posted!

Cute

Of course I am biased.  Bun Bun is really cute... those big brown eyes, little button nose, rose petal lips, and oh! that little dimple.  These are the typical features of a cartoon character.  She has gotten by quite a lot in her short little life on being cute.  Lately, I've been putting her hair up in pig tails.  CUTE!

Is she ever not cute?  Oh yeah!  When she throws temper tantrums or when she just flat out refuses to do what she's told, she can get quite ugly.  She's still little and can get away with being ugly.  After all, she's more or less still a baby and will act like one.  Most people expect that and will tolerate it.  And, like I said, she can and has get away with a lot just by being a typical toddler and looking cute.

Now that she's four, growing taller and not so much a baby anymore, it hit me the other day that there will come a day when being cute won't do her much good.  There will be a day when she's not so cute anymore.  It won't be cute when she's 10 or 12 and throws a temper tantrum.  It won't be cute when she's 15 and refuses to be consoled because she didn't get what she wanted.

Better start putting my foot down and train her right.

Eating a whole meal all by herself.  She loves rice.

Birthday Girl

Another year came and went, for Bun Bun.  It's hard to believe my little peanut is 4 years old.  I can still remember the smell of the NICU where she stayed for 3.5 weeks after being born.  Sigh...

Bun Bun had two wonderful birthday celebrations.  She celebrated with a big milestone - she ate a whole meal all by herself.  Being an only child and one with special needs, we do EVERYTHING for her.  We dress her.  We feed her.  We still carry her from place to place (mostly because we don't want her going bare footed though).  I brush and floss her teeth.  We wash her hands (well, otherwise she wouldn't do it herself).  I bathe her, wash her hair.  So, for her to have eaten an entire meal all by herself was a big deal.  After all, she's been doing it at school.

For 4th of July holiday weekend, we flew down to NC and visited Grammy and Pop-pop.  They had just moved down recently.  We also had a nice visit with Bun Bun's aunts, meeting one for the first time.  Unlike me, Bun Bun did very well on the plane.  She was entertained on the ride down with her magna-doodle pad and movies on the iPad.  On the way home, she slept for a little bit.  The plane ride was about 75 minutes each way.  Not a bad trip to test out how she'd respond to changes in altitude and that weird take-off and landing sensation.

Just another ride to go some where fun.

Happy birthday to me!

Emily

About 3 weeks ago, Bun Bun came home from school with an invitation to a birthday party.  It was Emily's 5th birthday celebration.  It was going to be a pool party.  Several thoughts came to me.  1.  So, this is the start of the parade of birthday parties now that she's in school.  2.  It's one of those "invite the entire class" invitations.  Did they know Bun Bun has special needs?  3.  Should we accept the invitation?  How will Bun Bun fit in?  She can't really do all the things her peers do.  4.  I'm going to have to go with her and will probably end up chasing after her the entire time.  What will that be like?  5.  It's a birthday party!  Bun Bun needs to be with children her own age, especially kids she already knew.

I debated back and forth whether to let her go or not.

Then, several things happened.

About a week after we got the invitation, I had a meeting with Bun Bun's teacher and her crew (OT, PT, Speech, Special Ed).  Everyone commented on how well Bun Bun has been paying attention to her activities.  Something seemed to have clicked.  She has been particularly attentive during speech therapy, so much so that she's been making tremendous progress with mimicking and repeating sounds with her therapist.  She sits nicely during circle time and watches her teacher.  She doesn't need her special little chair anymore.  Bun Bun's teacher mentioned that she usually sits next to Emily and sometimes leans on her and uses her as a pillow.

Emily?

Bun Bun needs to be with children her own age more!  This kept ringing in my ear.  OK.  I guess it'll be all right.  I should just let her go.

So, four days before the party, I finally called Emily's mom and told her we were coming.  I said we because I knew I had to stay.  Our conversation turned out to be very unexpected.

Pleasantly unexpected!

Emily's mom asked who we were since there were two other girl with Bun Bun's name.  I told her we were the one with the Down Syndrome.  Thinking more about it, I'm not really sure why I said that since there are plenty more other descriptions that fit, probably better.  As soon as Emily's mom realized who we were, she let out a shrill of excitement.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're coming!"

She went on to tell me that Emily's older sister has a best friend with Down Syndrome.  And, when she was a little girl, her best of all best friends was a boy with DS.  (I guess having friends with DS runs in that family.)  Needless to say, I felt really good and reassured that Bun Bun will be all right.

The party was yesterday.  Bun Bun had a FANTASTIC time.  When we arrived, Emily ran up, all wet in her bathing suit, and gave her a big hug.  Bun Bun jumped into the pool, and the giggles of joy were nonstop.  She ate a slice of birthday cake all by herself.  Everyone couldn't be nicer.  The poor child cries big crocodile tears when we had to leave.  She really loves playing in the pool.  At the end, Emily gave Bun Bun a kiss on the cheek as we said goodbye.

Emily will be headed to kindergarten in the fall.  I hope this is not the last we'll see of her.

Summer

With just about 2 more weeks left of school for Bun Bun, we're making plans for the summer.  She will be going back to the Mom's-Morning-Out program that she had attended last year, but just 2 days a week.  That's plenty enough to prevent 婆婆 from going crazy.

We'll try potty training again this summer.  Please pray for us!

Bun Bun will be flying in an airplane for the first time this summer.  I'm not going to think about it until we get closer.  We're traveling down to see grandparents who just moved South.

Bun Bun standing tall on her slide/climber.  She looks a lot like Daddy in this picture.

Ah-E!

Tonight, I heard Bun Bun say "Daddy" when we were looking at some family pictures.  Now, her version of "Daddy" is the more approximated "Ah-E"!  But, I will take it.  To me, it was as clear as a bell.  She pointed to pictures with Daddy and said, "Ah-E"!  It's a huge milestone for Bun Bun.  This calls for celebration!

The child has undergone some major changes in just the last 2 or 3 weeks.  At school, she has been a lot more attentive.  She has been following verbal directions a lot better.  She transitions from one activity to the next with much less fuss.  She sits and listens to her teacher during circle time.

At home, she marches herself up to the bathroom when I tell her it's bath time.  She might whine all the way up the steps, but Daddy no longer has to drag her.  Through most of the winter, she was watching Signing Time and learning the ABC signs.  This prompted her to attempt saying the letters as she signs.  She knows pretty much all the letters in American Sign Language and the numbers 1 through 10.  Her annunciation of vowels and some of the easier consonants (like P or M) are much better than the harder ones, but you can still make out that she's trying to say F or W.  Her speech therapist has noted some significant progress in her willing to imitate and vocalize some words.  In fact, all of her therapists have noted some great progress over the month.

We are still working on "Mama".

"And she will..."

A proud Bun Bun with her stacked blocks.  She wears glasses mostly just at school.  This newer pair makes her look older but smarter!

Family photo with "Ah-E"

Bun Bun's new wheels!  The new trike is still a little bit too big for her.

Here, we were waiting for the Popovich Pet Theater Show to start.  Bun Bun stayed attentive through most of the show even though I could tell she was getting really tired; she couldn't stop clapping.  Glasses helped her see the stage far away.

Easter 2015

My favorite time of the year!  Spring flowers are starting to bloom.  One lonely little daffodil blooming in the front of the house.  Buds are slowly appearing on trees.  Everything seems late this spring.  We've had a long, cold winter with moderate amount of snow.

It is finally somewhat warm enough for Bun Bun to play outside.  It's nearly impossible to coax her back in.  Bun Bun's has been working on her core strength a lot over the winter.  She is now able to climb on on the slides by herself, pretty much without assistance.

We had an Easter egg hunt after church yesterday.  Here she is executing her skills and feeling quite proud.  She's thrilled to be swinging on the swings for big kids, no more those bucket seats for babies.

Big kids swing!

Watching my favorite shows in my easy chair!

And she will...

"And she will..." has been ringing in my ears, a lot lately.

This was something one of the NICU nurses said to me when Bun Bun was just a few days old.  I wish I remembered her name, but I can still picture her face.  She said it with a big smile and a chuckle.  It was probably in response to me being impatient about Bun Bun not yet learning to suck, swallow, and breath.  In those days, it took her almost an hour to drink a tiny amount of milk.  She would keep falling asleep; preemies are always really tired.

"And she will."

She did!  Bun Bun has come a long way from those days.  She can chug down a whole glass of orange juice all at once now.  If she was really hungry, can gobble down her dinner in no time.

Bun Bun turned exactly three and a half earlier this month.  Talking is still very much a big challenge for her.  She babbles a lot, now with more varied syllables than a mere two or three months ago.  She is still able to communicate using signs.  She can understand almost everything you tell her or ask of her.  She can imitate some words.  We hope she will be able to speak coherent words soon.

And she will.

Last summer, after failed attempt at potty training, we will have another go at it when the weather gets warmer.  We hope for better results this time.  Not having to buy diapers will be a good change.  I've been trying really hard not to call her Baby Bunny any more.  Maybe she will do what big girls do - go potty on the big toilet and transition her out of the crib into a toddler bed.

And she will.

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.