This time next year, MM will be in Pre-K. How time flies!

She still seems so babyish in many respects. There is still a lot of baby fat in her face, in her arms, in her cushiony soles. Yet, she is getting more and more articulate each day. From that fact alone, I know she’s growing up, fast.

MM is all smiles these days. No more wailing when we drop her off at the daycare. No more sulking around all by herself.

I’m so glad that we took her to the audiology test one year ago, which picked up the hearing problems she had at that time. Since the doctor put the tubes in her ears to clear up the mid-ear infections, her whole personality has changed. I can’t imagine what would have happened if her ear infections had gone undetected.

I sometimes wonder why people write. For me, writing does 3 things.

1. Writing is one of the best time-killers around. I write primarily to amuse myself and make me happy.

2. I like to put thoughts into words. There’s a joy in sailing the sea of words.

3. I hope to leave something behind for my kids. Hopefully, through these posts, they will get to know me better even when I’m no longer around.

Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, XF spotted an old notebook that we used to keep track of our monthly expenses the first few years we were in the States. As I turned over the yellowish pages, a lot of memories started to rush back to me. The way in which we skimped on everything almost pained me now that I looked back on it.

MM’s favorite toy these days is a jigsaw puzzle Publix sent us. At first, she needed a little help putting it all together. Now, she can do it on her own. And whenever she makes all the pieces fit, she would proudly present it to me or her daddy: “Look, Daddy. Look, Mommy.” Cute!

They must be the noblemen among their kind. They are tall, long-legged, lean-bodied, their white skin bespeckled with black spots. I ran into these dogs when I was taking my daily walk the other day, and was struck by their elegance right away.

Last night, in the middle of the night, YY walked into our bedroom, complaining that she had trouble falling asleep. She scared the wits out of me. I’m a light sleeper these days. Any noise that falls on my ears when I’m asleep wakes me up.

It must be very liberating to learn something new each passing day, whether it’s learn to fold paper swans, which I learned to do today at the JapanFest, thanks to XW for walking me through the process, or to learn to cook a new dish. When one learns something new, one perches oneself on the other side of the lawn–the greener side–for a brief moment. In that moment, another facade of life unreveals itself to us. All of a sudden, life becomes interesting.

Last night, YY refused to drink the soup we had for dinner. The soup was already served to her in her bowl. “You just said there were fish cakes in it. You didn’t tell me all the ingredients.” She shouted, slamming the kitchen door after me as I went out to take a walk in the neighborhood.

This is what you get for slaving away in the kitchen for long hours to prepare dinner. Your kids will quote his/her consumer rights and then slam the door in your face!