Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it.
This year has not been all that great for us. We really didn't do much for the New Year. I was planning on doing a bunch of stuff, but all of my plans got cancelled because of a sudden death in the family. My uncle (my mother's oldest brother) passed away this last Friday morning. He was not in the best shape, but no one saw this coming. He was not sick or anything before this. He apparently went in his sleep so no one really got to say good-bye to him. I guess it's a peaceful and painless way to go. I am a bit worried about my aunt and my mother and how they are taking this. My uncle was the only brother my mother had in the US. He was actually the one uncle that I liked the most out of all the uncles and aunts that I know from both sides of my family. I remember when I use to spend time with them, taking them shopping, and just helping them with stuff.
Sorry to start off on such an unhappy note. Now, on to the more interesting subject. Nicolas. He had his first dentist visit at the beginning of February. I was expecting him to be a handful since he doesn't really like us messing around in his mouth with a toothbrush. I was expecting him to be a very uncooperative little one. Michael went with him and to both of our amazement; Nicholas was an angel at the dentist. He actually kept his mouth open the whole time for the dentist to clean his teeth. He had his hands inside his pockets and didn't move a bit. The only time he was a little of a problem was when they tried to take an x-ray of his front top teeth. He didn't like those things in his mouth so when Michael let go, Nicholas spit them back out. Michael ended up having to hold the x-rays in Nicholas's mouth. Nicholas needs some work on his front top teeth. We were given a few options on how they could fix his tooth. It was oral sedation, IV sedation, restrain, or general anesthesia. I am not going have him go through the restraint or the IV sedation for sure. I don't mind the other two. I want him to have a good impression of the dentist and not be afraid of going there. So far, his impressions of both his dentist and doctor have been fine. I am not ready to have that change any time soon.
Can you believe that he is now tall enough to open the freezer without any assistant from his little chair or toy cars? He can do it all by myself. Michael saw him do it first and he was so amazed. Michael had Nicholas do it just to show me. We both cannot believe how fast and big this little one has grown. The next thing you know, he'll be attending kindergarten. He can also say a few more words now. He has another speech therapy appointment this Friday. It's a follow up from his first appointment. They want to see how well he is progressing. For sure, he can say the word "mine" and he knows what it means. Everything that he touches and that he likes, it's his. And when you ask him for it, it's always going to be "mine" "mine" "mine". He usually will not give it up. You can try asking him nicely, but if he doesn't see the authority in you, you're basically out of luck. And when you try to take it away from him by force, you'll be hearing an extremely loud screaming toddler. I've been trying to teach him how to say the words "please" (in English) or "give me" (in Chinese) when he wants something, but he doesn't seem to be picking up on it or he's too lazy to say them.
I got a new electronic musical keyboard for Valentine and I love it, but I'm not the only one who seems to have grown in love with it. Nicholas loves to play on it. When he first saw it last Thursday, he was so happy. Then you let him play with it, he was like in heaven. It's a really cool keyboard. It takes you step by step on how to play a certain song. Currently, there are 100 songs that I can learn, but I can also download more songs off the Internet as long as they are MIDI compatible, whatever that means. I am currently trying to learn how to play "My Heart Will Go On." Nicholas just likes to play with it. Michael is also playing with it. He's trying to master the more difficult songs since he use to play on a keyboard. Me, I prefer to start off as a beginner.
Okay, on to the new little one. The baby is doing fine. I get to name this baby since Michael got to pick Nicholas's name. I have not thought of any names yet because I want to know if it's a girl or boy first. This eliminates half of the names that I need to choose from. And I get to find that out this Friday also. I can't wait to find out. I would like the baby to be a girl since I already have a boy, but no matter what, we'll still love the baby lots. So far, I'm still doing okay. I am not too sure if I am having any contractions yet or I'm just paranoid. I think I can feel some, but it seems to only happen during the evenings and when I'm sleeping. This is why I'm not too sure if they are contractions or not. I called the doctor today, but because it's a holiday for most of us (not me. Boo hoo hoo), they are not open today. I will try again tomorrow and I'll have to see what they would like to do from there. I really fear going back on bed rest, but I know that it's good for the baby. If I don't, there's a really high chance of a miscarriage or premature birth. But just the thought of staying in bed 24/7 again for 20 weeks or so is just frightening. Oh, yeah, the baby is now kicking. A week ago, they were very light and faint kicks, but now, this little one is extremely active. The baby seems to be kicking all the time. I forgot how cool it was to feel the baby kick instead me. To me, it's a reassurance that the baby is healthy and active.
Well, I am thinking that I will be writing again after this Friday. Maybe not a long one, but something to tell everyone the sex of the baby. So until then, have a wonderful day!
Okay, since Michael didn't put this update up before Friday, I thought that I might just add to this instead of writing a whole new one. Well, we went to get an ultrasound of the baby Friday and now we know the sex of the baby. It's a BOY!!! I really wanted a girl, but two boys are fine still. Everything else so far is fine as far as my complications. I did go to the hospital on last Tuesday because I started feeling contractions again. They released me after monitoring me for a few hours. I have been feeling them ever since but not too many, maybe two to three a day. I am tracking them so that I can show my doctor what is going on with the contractions. Because of the contractions, Michael would like me to stay on bed a bit more just to help prevent actual bed rest. I am a bit more positive towards no bed rest for now after Friday's ultrasound appointment. My cervix is at normal length this time. I think even if I do get put on bed rest, it won't be anytime soon. I am going to see my doctor in about a week and we will most likely be discussing this. All I can do right now is hope for the best.
Well, Nicholas had a minor accident on Friday. He was running around outside at my parents' house and somehow fell. He supposedly landed face first on the cement floor. He has a bruise on his forehead and his nose is a bit bruised up also. He doesn't seem to be too bothered by the bruises right now.
Well, not much more to talk about right now. I will try to write again after my doctor's visit to update everyone.