Last Day of School

Dear Connor,

So this past week was both your first and last week of preschool. Even though many little kids start going to school when they are around 2 years old, a part of me thought it might be too early for us to put you in school and that part of me may have been right--you cried on the first day of school, you cried more on the second day and you cried a LOT today, so much that the director called me 45 minutes after I dropped you off and told me to come back and get you. Yikes.

On the second day of school, PoiPoi dropped you off and you were fine. But then after awhile, you started to cry for me and Daddy and didn't stop until PoiPoi went back to your school early to join you, your classmates and their parents for your class's holiday party. Once you saw PoiPoi, you stopped crying but you were hesitant to participate in the party festivities, preferring to stand next to PoiPoi and the other parents instead of sitting in a circle with your classmates. 

I dropped you off today and you didn't even want to go into the classroom. You kept asking to go down the stairs instead and only walked into the classroom after I promised I would go in with you. You clutched my hand so tight as we walked down the hallway that you'd think we were walking toward a torture chamber, not a bright, sunny room filled with books, toys and art supplies. Once we were in the room, I hung up your jacket and backpack on your own labeled hook and you motioned for me to hang my jacket on the hook next to yours. When I didn't and said I had to go, you started crying loudly and grabbed onto me, desperate for me not to leave you. Your teacher came over and tried to distract you with toy trucks but it didn't work. I didn't want to leave you like that but I'd read that when dropping you off at school, I should act like me leaving is no big deal so that you would see that it is no big deal. So I kissed you, told you I'd be back to get you in a few hours, left you wailing in the arms of your teacher, walked out the door and then crumbled into about a million pieces out in the hallway. It was SO hard for me to leave you when you were so upset. I could hear your wails all the way to the elevator and wanted to wail along with you. Were you going to be okay? Should I go back to the classroom? Would your teacher let me stay in class with you today? These questions were racing through my head but when the elevator arrived, I took a deep breath and stepped inside. All kids go through separation anxiety and this was just something that you and I would have to work through. Right? 

Maybe, but now might not be the time for us to work through it. Shortly after I got back home after dropping you off, the director called, said you were inconsolable and that I had to come back and get you right away; I could hear your loud sobs clearly in the background. PoiPoi was already near the door so she threw on her jacket and raced over to your school so fast that she was drenched in sweat by the time she got there. When you two got back home, you gave me a big hug and looked so, so sad. I held you tightly and asked you about school:

Me: You didn't want to go to school today?

You (softly): Uh-unh.

Me: You don't like school?

You: Uh-unh.

Me: You don't like your teachers or your classmates?

You: Uh-unh.

Me: Did you want to come home?

You: Uh-huh. 

I had called the director while PoiPoi was going to get you and she said that while many kids cry during their first few days of school, they often stop after 15 to 20 minutes and are able to join the rest of the class. You, however, cried and cried and cried and nothing--no toys, no books, no songs--could get you to stop. I definitely don't blame you. Except for your time in the NICU right after you were born, Daddy and I have never left you anywhere with people you don't know. You have always been with us, your grandparents or your nanny. Looking at it from your perspective, it must have been terrifying for you to be so suddenly left in this strange room you'd never been in with adults and kids you'd never seen, with all of the people you love and trust nowhere to be found. I am so, so, so sorry for making you feel so scared and abandoned and I'll try my hardest never to make you feel that way again.

The school director said we should take you out of school for now and wait until you're a little older. After seeing how traumatized you were this past week, that's what we're going to do. I was excited for you to start school this week but there's no rush. In a few years, you'll be going to school full-time so I don't mind keeping you at home with me for just a little longer.

Love,
Mom

What's That Smell?

Dear Connor,

We had this funny exchange yesterday:

Me: Connor, do I smell poop?
You: Smell good!

Love,
Mom

First Day of School

Dear Connor,

Today was a big day--it was your first day of preschool! There was something a bit surreal about this important milestone. I was getting your backpack ready last night--writing your name in permanent marker on the inside label, tucking in an extra outfit in case your clothes get dirty, putting in a sandwich bag of one of your favorite snacks (Pepperidge Farm pretzel goldfish crackers)--and it just felt so weird, that I'm really at that stage in my life: a mom making sure my son is ready for school. I can't believe you are already starting school. But you are--and you were one super-excited student this morning! 

When I went to get you out of your crib and told you that you were going to school, you started jumping up and down and shouting, "Yay school! Yay school! Yay school!" And you couldn't wait to put on your new backpack:

Daddy, PoiPoi and I all took you to school and the drop-off was much harder on me than it was on you. You didn't cry--but I almost did! When we arrived at your classroom, you found a toy car, plopped down on the carpet to play with it and barely looked up when Daddy, PoiPoi and I said goodbye. We left the room (I honestly don't think you even noticed--harsh!) and I felt several things: proud, because you handled the separation so well; sad, because you handled the separation so well (you were going to miss me, weren't you??); unnerved, because I had never dropped you off anywhere other than at your grandparents' homes and felt strange leaving a place without you; fear, because of what just happened in Newtown (I found some comfort in the fact that your classroom is located in the back of the third floor of the building, rather than front and center on the first floor); and happy, because I know you'll love school.

So how did your first day go? There were no tears at the drop-off but your teacher said that after your class had gym time, you started crying for me back in the classroom, curled up on a carpet and FELL ASLEEP! Out of all of the things that I thought you might do on your first day--cry, throw a tantrum over a toy, climb all over the classroom tables--falling asleep was not one of them! I guess all of the first-day excitement and activity was just a bit too much for you. But you did seem to enjoy school and talked excitedly about it when I asked you about it afterward. I hope you have many more fun school days ahead of you--and no more sleeping! We are not paying your school all this money for you to take naps! 

Love,

Mom

Cute Connor-isms

Dear Connor,

I am with you pretty much all day every day, yet I can still spend hours looking at photos and videos of you after you've gone to bed. And why not? You are ridiculously cute! Here are some of the adorable things you do now:

-You like to surprise Daddy or me by tiptoeing toward us, whispering "uh-prise Daddy, uh-prise Mommy" and then throwing your hands up in the air and shouting, "Uh-PRISE!"

-I taught you how to do an exploding fist bump and you even make an explosion noise when you do it.

-Your new favorite game is pulling a blanket over your head and saying, "Dark here!"

-When I say, "Connor, muscle!" you bend your arms, clench your fists, shake them and your head and say, "Grrrrrr!"

-When I ask you to show me your smiley face, you smile this big cheesy grin. When I ask you to show me your cute face, you smile the cheesy grin and tilt your head to the side. When I say, "Connor hug," you smile and wrap your arms around yourself.

-When I clean up one of your (many) messes, you tell me, "Good job, Mommy."

-You congratulate yourself, too. I taught you how to ask for things politely by asking, "Can I have some [whatever item it is you want at the moment]." When you do this, I say, "Good job!" So sometimes, you start whining for something like a cookie, I ask you how you ask for it nicely and you say, "Can I have some cookie good job!"

-I gave you a piece of pear yesterday and you took it and ran to your playpen to eat it. You then immediately ran back to me and said, "Ank-yoo [thank you], Mommy!" before running back to your playpen. So polite!

-You have been mesmerized by the colorful Christmas lights Daddy hung up in our dining room and point to each little light and say, "I see purple! I see green! I see ye-whoa [yellow]! I see boo [blue]! I see red!"

-When I ask you how old you are, you chirp "Two!" You also hold up your hand and wiggle your fingers because I don't think you possess the motor skills to just hold up two fingers yet, hehe :)

Love,
Mom

Feeding Ernie

Dear Connor,

One of the things that I love most about you is how caring you are. One day, you threw a ball at your frog rocking chair and hit him directly in his face. You immediately ran up to the frog, patted his face and said, "Sorreeeee" (granted, you shouldn't have thrown your ball at him in the first place but at least you were apologetic!). 

And today, you took such good care of your stuffed Ernie doll. While I was cooking macaroni and cheese for dinner (btw, you won't eat cheese by itself but you love macaroni and cheese and always chant, "Mac and cheese! Mac and cheese!" whenever I make it for you), you sat Ernie at the dining room table and said, "Ernie, dinner." I told you that dinner wasn't ready yet so you gave Ernie water in the meantime. You carefully placed your water bottle in his mouth and said, "Ernie, open wide! Open wide! Almost done!" When dinner was ready, you and Ernie sat next to each other on the same chair and you made sure that I fed Ernie ("Mommy, Ernie mac and cheese") and then you ("Mommy, Connor mac and cheese"). You even put one of your bibs on Ernie to make sure he didn't make a mess. It was so cute, I think I actually felt my ovaries swell!

Love,

Mom

Voluntary Timeouts

Dear Connor,

It's a simple concept: When you do something bad, you get a timeout. Daddy or I make you stand up and face this blank section of our dining room wall with your arms up against the wall (yes, as if you're under arrest and we're going to frisk you for weapons).

The point is to punish you and make you think about what you've done. The problem is that I don't think you understand this. Sometimes, you give yourself a timeout when you haven't even done anything wrong by voluntarily going over to that section of the wall, putting your arms up and saying, "Connor timeout" when we haven't even told you to. Um yeah, if you're giving yourself timeouts, I don't think they're working . . .

Love,
Mom

Yum Yum

Dear Connor,

We were sharing a snack this morning when you licked your arm and said, "Mmm, Connor tasty!" I agree, you are pretty delicious!

Love,
Mom

Football Fan

Dear Connor,

Today, you asked me if you could "watch foo-bawl [football]." Daddy was so happy!

Love,
Mom

Big Hug

Dear Connor,

Do you know what's pretty awesome? When you smile, walk toward me with your arms stretched way out to your sides and request, "Big hug, Mommy!" I melt every time.

Love,

Mom 

Mochi's Member

Dear Connor,

Mochi was taking a nap on his back today and his, er, member was sticking straight up in the air. You saw it and exclaimed, "Whoooa, Mochi pee-pee!" Hahaha!

Love,

Mom

Sticky Surprise

Dear Connor,

You were playing with one of your Little Wheelies cars today when you suddenly said, "uh-oh" and held it up for me to inspect. I noticed something on one of its wheels, took a closer look and realized that it was a giant booger. 

Motherhood is full of such fun surprises like this!

Love,

Mom

Talking Skills

Dear Connor,

You are becoming quite the talented little talker (I myself can and have talked many people's ears off, so I guess you get your verbal skills from me, hehe). In just the past week, you learned how to say the following phrases:

"Take off my bib." (instead of tugging madly at your bib and whining, "Ow ow ow!" when you're done eating)

"Connor do it." (you are becoming so independent!)

"Mommy do it." (but you are also still a little bit lazy sometimes)

"Can I have some?" (you technically lump all of the words together and say something more like, "Canihasum?"

I'm proud of you!

Love,
Mom

Big Appetite

Dear Connor,

You are only 2 years old but you are already developing the insatiable appetite of a teenage boy. Last week, you ate an entire bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and then ate most of my bowl of cereal, too. The other day, you finished a big portion of stir-fried pork and eggplant with rice and then polished off a lot of pork and eggplant from Daddy's plate. We went out to brunch today and you had scrambled eggs, sausage and toast. I actually ordered an adult-sized portion for you (there was no kids' menu) and you ate almost half of it. After awhile, I thought you were full and turned my attention to Uncle Thien but you kept tugging on my arm. Apparently, you weren't full and I wasn't feeding you fast enough because instead of waiting for me to give you some more food, you suddenly reached over my arm, grabbed a huge fistful of scrambled egg from my plate and shoved it into your mouth. Geez. 

Love,

Mom 

Questions For Connor

Dear Connor,

I would like to ask you the following questions:

-Why do you lie when I ask you if you've pooped? You always avoid eye contact and chirp in a high-pitched voice, "No! No!" I don't understand. First of all, I can tell when you've pooped. In fact, all of our neighbors can probably tell when you've pooped because it smells a whole lot. And you usually accompany your poops with telltale grunts and scrunched facial expressions. Second of all, once you've pooped, it means your diaper is full of poop. It's gross. It's yucky. I mentioned that it smells. Why wouldn't you want to tell me you pooped so that I can change your diaper and get rid of it?

-Why do you spit out a bite of food only to ask for more of the same food? We were sharing a plate of honeydew (your current favorite fruit). I gave you a piece and you spit it out on the floor but then asked for another piece. So I gave you one and you spit that out on the floor, too, and then asked for another one. Do you see how this does not make sense? Either eat your food or stop wasting it!

-Why do you have to sit in whatever chair I'm sitting in? We have three dining table chairs but you always try to push me out of the one I'm in so that you can plop your little butt on it. Thanks a lot, buddy.

-What were you dreaming about the other night when you giggled in your sleep? It sounded like a fun dream!

-Why do you find ears--particularly my ears--so comforting? Some kids have a cherished stuffed animal or a security blanket, but you like to hold my ears. When you are scared or tired or just feeling affectionate, you often grab my ears or shout, "Ear! Ear! Mommy ear!" if you can't reach them. At night, when my ears aren't available to you, I see you on the video monitor, clutching your own ears while you fall asleep.

-Sometimes, you lay face down on the floor, close your eyes and quietly wiggle your body back and forth for several minutes. Um, what are you doing? Is it some form of toddler meditation?

-Why do you have to touch everything???

Any insight into the above questions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Love,
Mom

School Escort

Dear Connor,

It seems like every time I hear about a heartbreaking missing child case, the child disappeared while he or she was walking to school, which has convinced me that I am going to take you to and from school every single day until you leave for college. 

Love,

Mom

Taking Care of Mommy

Dear Connor,

I'm the mommy and you're the kid, so I take care of you. But you took really good care of me today. When I was eating a bagel with peanut butter, I got some peanut butter on the corner of my mouth. You spotted it, said "uh-oh," got a tissue and wiped it away for me. Later in the day, I got a paper cut and put a Band-Aid over it. When you saw the Band-Aid on my finger, you gave it a little kiss. Thanks, sweetie!

Love,
Mom

New Words

Dear Connor,

Daddy and I have inadvertently taught you a couple bad words. One time when we were all in the car, another driver cut us off and honked so Daddy angrily growled, "F*** it." You heard him and now whenever we're in the car and you hear another car honk, you say the same thing in the same growling tone as Daddy did (I admit, it's funny. But it's a bad word so you shouldn't say it!).

The words I taught you are a little less offensive but still bad: shut up. Mochi was going nuts one day and barking like crazy at some kids playing behind our house so I yelled at him to shut up. So now when Mochi barks really loudly, you often yell at him, "Shuh up!" Oops.

Fortunately, you have learned a lot of good, useful words in the past month, too: race, mark, set, go (you say these when we race your toy cars), gen (again), bed, tub, kick, jook jook (Chinese for rice porridge), ayoo (where are you), ago (where did it go), cah-yo(avocado), cin-mun (cinnamon), treasure, top, story, winny (windy), raining, slippy (slippery), bummy (bumpy), fedder (feather), toys, acorn, aboose (caboose), open, buh-yah (peanut butter), ride, kick-it (cricket), farm, punkin (pumpkin), fire truck, I get it, sweater, giraffe, hippo, tar (guitar), honeydew, couch, neck, gone, fan fan (Chinese for rice), tiss-yoo (tissue), play, der it is (there it is), pink, shower, choong liang (Chinese for shower), puzzle, connor (crayon--I don't know why it sounds like your name when you say crayon), pick-ow (pillow), hold, grass and dinner. You also learned the word "crescent" today, which I think is pretty impressive!

Let's stick to the words in the last paragraph and not the ones in the first two, okay?

Love,
Mom

Daddy's Name

Dear Connor,

You hear me calling Daddy by his first name Alex all of the time and have recently started calling him "Ow-ex," too. You've been going up to him and saying, "Ow-ex! Ow-ex!" Daddy is not happy about this!

Love,
Mom

Huh?

Dear Connor,

I tried to teach you how to tell time on a clock today. You looked at me with the same blank expression I have on my face when Daddy tries to explain to me what he does for a living.

Love,

Mom

Flip Flop

Dear Connor,

You have a regular-sized stroller and a toy doll stroller. You're supposed to sit in your regular-sized stroller when we go out and push your doll stroller around the house. Instead, you insist on pushing your regular-sized stroller during our walks and plopping your big butt in your doll stroller when we're playing at home (you've actually ripped the seat of the doll stroller because of this). *sigh*

Love,

Mom

Potty Time

Dear Connor,

After dinner tonight, you set your play kitchen on its side, opened the refrigerator door, sat down in the refrigerator and said "Oi neow" (Chinese for peeing). I guess you want to start potty training!

Love,

Mom

Funny Stuff

Dear Connor,

Every day, you find new ways to make me laugh. Here are just a few of the funny things you did over the past week:

-When we went to the playground, you saw a pigeon walking by the swings and began imitating it. You ducked your head down a bit, stuck your arms out behind you and started walking just like the pigeon was walking.

-Daddy asked you if you wanted to be tickled. You smiled, lifted up your shirt and stuck your tummy out toward him. I guess the answer was yes!

-You learned how to say "a course" (of course) and say it all of the time so matter-of-factly. "Do you want a peanut butter sandwich?" "A course." "Do you want to play with your trains?" "A course." "Do you miss your friend Chelsea?" "A course." (awww)

-When you're playing with my phone or one of your toy phones, you hold it to your ear and say, "Hewwo! Doing?" (as in, how are you doing?)

-After you sneeze, you say, "Achoo! Sneeze!" Guess you want to make sure everyone around you knows you sneezed!

-You know you have to say please if you want something but sometimes you forget and just start whining so I'll ask you, "What do you say?" So sometimes when you want something, you say, "Say please! Say please!" instead of just saying, "Please!"

-When we're out and a vehicle drives past us, you wave excitedly at it and shout, "Bye-bye car! Bye-bye bus!"

-You love to watch the video of yourself drinking two smoothies at once and ask to see it whenever I sit down at the computer by shouting, "See cup! See cup! See cup!" Anyone who walks by our house when you do this probably wonders why there is a little boy screaming out a bra size. 

Thanks for all of the laughs, little guy!

Love,

Mom

Fun Ride

Dear Connor,

Who needs to go to Disney World? We went to the mall today and you had a blast just riding the escalator. You'd never been on an escalator before and kept pointing at it and shouting, "Stairs! Stairs!" whenever we passed by one so I took you on one to the second floor of the mall and then we rode it back down to the first floor. You were beaming from ear to ear the whole time! You looked so thrilled that Daddy took you up and down the escalator a second time but then we had to go and you started crying and screaming when we walked away from the escalator. But don't worry, sweetie! We'll be back the next time Mommy and Daddy have a craving for Cinnabon.

Love,
Mom

Thomas Party!

Dear Connor,

You're obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his train friends, so picking the theme for your birthday party this year was easy! We had your party at City Treehouse on Saturday and decorated the party room with Thomas banners, balloons, plates and napkins. And while I said last year that you were getting a standard-issue round birthday cake this year after it took me five HOURS to make your monkey cake for your first birthday, I couldn't help myself and decided to make a Thomas cake for your second birthday. With help from Aunt Elizabeth, it only took three hours to decorate and turned out awesome. And from the look on your face when you saw it, I think you thought it was pretty awesome, too:

A week before your birthday, I started teaching you the "Happy Birthday" song and you learned how to sing the whole thing (albeit, out of tune) by the day of your party. You even know to blow out the candle at the end of the song (even if there isn't an actual candle in front of you when we sing it). Your birthday is over now, but you still occasionally request that we sing the song by chanting, "Hat day! Hat day!"

City Treehouse is a pretty cool space. There is a large treehouse and slide, a fun little cave to crawl into and a huge water table with lots of toys, which is where you and your friends spent most of your time. 

Happy birthday, sweetie! I hope you enjoyed your party!

Love,

Mom

You're Two Years Old!

Dear Connor,

GongGong was cleaning his basement the other day and found an old photo of me when I was two years old. GongGong said he hadn't seen that photo in years and was especially struck by it because the little two-year-old girl in it has grown up and now has her own two-year-old. Happy birthday, Connor! You turned 2 years old today and I couldn't be prouder to be the mom of such an amazing little boy. 

This was a big year for you. You learned how to walk. You learned how to use utensils and drink from a cup. Your vocabulary exploded and you learn dozens of new words every week. You know all of your letters and can sing most of the alphabet song (minus an H here and an R there). You can count to 20 (though you say "twenty" instead of "eleven" so you count like this: "nine, ten, twenty, twelve . . . nineteen, twenty!"). You can identify a dozen shapes and most of your body parts. You can name a few dozen animals and imitate the sounds they each make (your impression of a chicken always makes me laugh). The concept of colors still seems to be a challenge for you but you know blue, purple, yellow and green. 

You have learned so many things, including--unfortunately--how to throw a monster tantrum. The terrible twos are not just a myth in our household and you actually got a head start on them when you were about 18 months old. You are such a cheerful little guy but that changes the second I refuse to give you another cookie when you've already had three, or take away something you're not supposed to play with or tell you it's time to leave the bookstore. You scream. You yell. You cry. You throw things. You throw yourself on the ground and flail around like a crazy person. Sometimes you get so mad, you even try to hit me. Dealing with you when you get like this . . . yeah, it's not fun.

But temper tantrums are to be expected and what is fun is watching you become such an incredible person. You are so smart and pick things up so quickly. You are so curious and want to explore everything. You are polite, always saying "peas" (please) and "ankyoo" (thank you) and sharing your toys with others (most of the time). You are loving and affectionate and totally make my day when you give me one of your sweet kisses or tight hugs. You are so active and energetic (seriously, can you share some of your endless energy with me?). And best of all, you are so full of joy. You are always smiling and laughing and looking at the world around you with big, bright eyes. That's my favorite quality about you and I hope it is one that you will always possess. 

Happy birthday, sweetheart. I love you more every day. 

Love,

Mom

Hiccup Cure

Dear Connor,

Daddy had the hiccups tonight so I told you to scare him and make his hiccups go away. You then walked up to Daddy and said, "Roooaaarrr!"

Too cute!

Love,

Mom

Your Cup (Doesn't) Runneth Over

Dear Connor,

Two days ago, I switched you over from bottles to cups. I'd read that some toddlers are very attached to their bottles and don't want to give them up but you were eager to start drinking from a cup. You were a little too eager, actually. During the first few attempts, you grabbed the cup from me excitedly (spilling milk all over yourself), brought the cup to your mouth too fast (spilling milk all over yourself) and tipped it up too much (again, spilling milk all over yourself--thank goodness for big bibs). 

But then this afternoon--success! When I handed you your cup, you carefully took it with your left hand and used your right hand to shoo me away. You even turned your body away from me a little bit because you really wanted to drink your milk on your own--and you did! You slowly brought the cup to your lips, tipped it up just slightly and expertly drank all of your milk, this time only spilling a few drops into your bib. I was so proud of you! And from the smile on your face, I could tell that you were proud of yourself, too. Yay!

Love,

Mom

New Tricks

Dear Connor,

Man, you have recently learned to do a lot of new things:

-When I say, "Cheers!" you tap my cup with your bottle or sippy cup.

-When you hear the song "If You're Happy And You Know It," you follow all of the commands and clap your hands/stomp your feet/nod your head whenever the song prompts you to.

-If I tell you to rock your stuffed animals, you cradle them in your arms and sway back and forth.

-You and I make deals sometimes, i.e. if you hurry up and finish your breakfast, we can go for a walk, deal? Now when I say, "Deal?" you shake my hand and say, "Deal!"

-When I say "Surprise face!" you widen your eyes, make an "o" with your mouth and put your hands on your cheeks.

-You learned how to walk on your tiptoes and seem to really get a kick out of doing it. You tiptoe around the house pretty often now and always say "a-toe, a-toe" while you do it. 

-When you want what I'm eating, you ask for it by saying, "try" or "some" because when I'm eating, I always ask you, "Do you want to try it?" and "Do you want some?"

-You've discovered the fun in spinning around and running in circles until you're dizzy.

-You love to dance and recently started doing the crazy A Night at the Roxbury head-bopping dance whenever you hear an upbeat song.

-You also love to sing and enthusiastically sing along to the songs on your Fresh Beat Band, Mickey Mouse and Elmo CDs. Your favorite pop songs right now are "Starships" by Nikki Minaj, "We Are Young" by Fun., "Marry You" by Bruno Mars, "I'm Glad You Came" by The Wanted and "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction and you love singing along to those, too. You're usually off-key but that's okay; I think you inherited that from GongGong!

-Your newest words are: trumpet, work, che che (Chinese for car), peen peen (Chinese for diaper), rain, owl, aboon (balloon), march, song, mote (remote), aceball (baseball), juice, engine, phone, chicken, building, oshun (lotion), fast, button, hot dog, cheek, beach, oameal (oatmeal), shirt, shorts, pants, chirp, shoon (Chinese for boat), arm, finger, elbow (you think your armpit is your elbow, though), street, school, more, ameal (animal), beyah (better), paw, mess, play, teemo (piano), camra (camera) and mail 

Pretty impressive, little guy!

Love,

Mom

Sesame Place

Dear Connor,

If Disney World is supposedly the happiest place on earth, Sesame Place is a close second. You're a huge fan of Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster and the whole Sesame Street gang so you, Daddy and I took a trip to hang out with all of them this past weekend at Sesame Place. We watched the parade, saw a couple shows and even had breakfast with Elmo, Big Bird (or as you call him, "Burger") and The Count (btw, you do the cutest impression of The Count's cackle).

The weekend was not without a few tears (your friend Hailey accidentally pushed you onto the ground when she hugged you too hard) and a few tantrums (yes sweetie, I know there were a lot of toys in the gift shop but you're not allowed to sit in the middle of the store and play with all of them) but overall, it was a wonderful trip, especially when Daddy and I saw how much fun you were having.

Love,
Mom

Hello There!

Dear Connor,

I was washing dishes in the kitchen this afternoon and you were sitting on the couch in the living room when you called out to me. Here was our conversation:

You: Mommy!

Me: What?

You: Mommy!

Me: What?

You: Mommy!

Me: What?

You: Hi!

Love,

Mom

Word Master

Dear Connor,

At your check-up on Friday, the medical assistant asked me if you know more than six words. I laughed at her because in just the past month, you learned how to say the following new words:

scared, snow, trees, tall, high, fun gow (Chinese for sleep), coming, sticker, coin, splash, cloud, train, tunnel, purple, jia jia (Chinese for dirty), spoon, nunu (noodle), dog, cat, tiger, che che (Chinese for car), syril (cereal), ago (let go), try, spin, dizzy, slide, swing, noise, pack pack (backpack), Gong Gong (Chinese for grandpa), petul (pretzel), baguh (bagel), bayee (berry), stawbee (strawberry), track, toys, efant (elephant), boken (broken), pen, chow chow (Chinese for smelly), chaht gnah (Chinese for "brush teeth"), sai gwah (Chinese for watermelon), park, squirrel, work and slurp (you exclaim this whenever you eat noodles and slurp them into your mouth)

You also learned the names of many of the Thomas & Friends train engines and can identify each of them when you see their picture (Thomas, CeeCee (Percy), Gordon, James, Toby, Emily). 

More than six words? Woman, please. 

Love,

Mom

Love Bite

Dear Connor,

Our dog Mochi is half German Shepherd and half Labrador, so he is a BIG dog. He is pretty gentle and laidback for the most part but he can be aggressive from time to time so even though I'm not afraid of him, I have always been a tiny bit afraid that he might bite me one day if he gets too worked up (you never know with dogs, no matter how friendly they are). But it turns out that I should have worried less about Mochi and more about you--you bit me today!

I was standing at the kitchen island cutting grapes in half for you and you were hugging my leg. You began nuzzling your face against my thigh and then--ouch! I felt a sudden sharp pain in my leg because you had sunk your little vampire fangs into my thigh! I screamed out in both pain and surprise, which scared you so much that you burst into tears (I had to hold you for several minutes before you calmed down and found it extremely ironic that I had to console you after you bit me!).

I wasn't mad at you because I know you didn't bite me out of anger. You just did it for fun but it wasn't fun for me! When I lifted my shorts to see the damage, I saw blood and your teeny, tiny teeth marks on my leg. Geez, Connor! Good thing you got all of your shots!

Love,
Mom

Keep On Truckin'

Dear Connor,

Today was an exciting day for you--Daddy turned your car seat around so that you now face the front of the car. No longer are you limited to staring at the sky through the rear window! Now you can see what we see, from the iconic Manhattan skyline as we cross the Williamsburg bridge to the crazy man in the Honda swerving into our lane without signaling (yeah, don't do that when you drive). You also have a full view of the many vehicles we pass on the streets and highways and were so excited to see them all today that during our entire 45-minute drive to Manhattan, you kept exclaiming, "Truck! Bus! Bus! Taxi! Truck! Car! Bus! Truck! Truck! Mommy, TRUCK!" 

I'm sorry, sweetie, what was that? Did you see a truck? I couldn't tell! 

Love,

Mom

Good Catch

Dear Connor,

You know you're a mom when your toddler throws up and you use your hands to catch the vomit. 

Love,

Mom

First Love

Dear Connor,

When Daddy and I were in college, Daddy told me that he loved me just a few weeks after we'd started dating (Yes, that is kind of fast and no, you shouldn't "play it cool" with a girl. Girls don't like that, trust me.) We were hanging out on our dorm building's large stone balcony (Yes, we lived in a fancy dorm--in an old mansion actually--and no, your college digs aren't necessarily going to be as luxe.) and talking about random things. Daddy was talking about me meeting his parents and said, "They're going to love you just like I do." And then Daddy blushed when he realized what he'd revealed. 

I remember feeling surprised and happy. And I felt those same things today when you walked over to me while I was sitting on the couch, laid your head in my lap, looked up and smiled at me and said that you love me, too.

Well, you technically said, "Ayoo." But I know what you meant :) 

Love,

Mom

So Sorry

Dear Connor,

Earlier today, you were insisting that I pick you up but I was trying to get your lunch ready so I told you I couldn't hold you. This made you angry so you started crying, screaming and throwing yourself on the floor. (You are a bit of a drama queen.) I yelled at you to stop throwing a tantrum and you kept crying but said in your sad little voice, "Sorreeeee." I asked you, "Why are you sorry?" and you replied--while still sobbing--"I don't knoooooow." Typical male response!

Love,

Mom

Another Visit to the ER

Dear Connor,

Back in March, I wrote you that letter about our trip to the emergency room. I wrote that I never wanted to go back to the emergency room with you ever again. But the emergency room was exactly where we were this past Saturday. While we were visiting Uncle Ray, Aunt Sylvia and their new baby daughter (with whom you were completely smitten, by the way!), you thought it would be fun to jump on their couch and then hurl your whole body backward. You thought you were just going to flop back onto the fluffy couch cushions but you ended up hitting your head on the edge of the air conditioning vent. You immediately started crying so I pulled you into my lap to comfort you and you gradually stopped crying. You even started playing around again. But then Daddy noticed the bump on the back of your head and when he parted your hair to inspect it, we both saw something that made our hearts stop: blood.

You bump your head all the time. All the time. But you'd never bumped it so badly that you started bleeding. Daddy and Uncle Ray carefully cleaned your wound and said it didn't seem serious but I was freaking out because:

a) there was blood
b) I tend to freak out around blood
c) I'm your mom and will freak out every time you get hurt, blood or no blood

So Daddy and I rushed you to the emergency room where a doctor examined you right away and said exactly what Daddy and Uncle Ray had said: Your wound wasn't serious. Even though there was blood, there wasn't a laceration and you didn't need stitches. The doctor just cleaned off the rest of the blood, applied some antibiotic cream and sent us on our way. It was all over faster than I could ask, "Are you sure he doesn't need an X-ray?"

So . . . whew! You were actually pretty oblivious to your injury the whole night, so I guess it really wasn't that bad. You had cried for about a minute after you first hit your head but after that, you were laughing, running and goofing off like your usual self the rest of the evening. However, I was--and still am--pretty shaken, which was not helped by the fact that you hurt your head again yesterday. Daddy was sitting at the dining table and you were running toward him when you tripped, fell and hit your head on the corner of a dining table chair leg. There was thankfully no blood this time but you do have a big red scar on your forehead now. 

And I'm going online to order you a helmet right this second.

Love,
Mom

Online Love

Dear Connor,

You were playing with my phone today and managed to log onto the dating website Match.com. You already have several girlfriends but that is apparently not enough, you little player!

Love,

Mom

Potty Mouth

Dear Connor,

You learned how to say the word "short" today! And as with the words car, truck and frog, your pronunciation of your newest word is not G-rated. 

Me: Connor, are you tall or short?

You: <expletive that is a four-letter word for poop>

Yeah, we better work on that one, too.

Love,

Mom

Fay Da Fan

Dear Connor,

We often go to a Chinese bakery named Fay Da near our house and you love the steamed buns there. And I mean LOVE. As soon as we step foot inside the bakery, you start shouting at the top of your lungs, "Bao bao! Bao bao! Bao baaaaaaaooooooo!" Um, can we use our inside voice please? You scream for the buns as if I haven't fed you in days and don't stop until you have the pillowy white bread in your chubby little hands. I always have to rush to the counter and order the buns as fast as I can while ignoring the stares from EVERYONE in the store. And when we're home, you start yelling, "Bao bao!!!" even if you just see Fay Da's signature yellow plastic bag.

PoiPoi said I should teach you how to say "Fay Da" because then the bakery could hire you to stand outside and advertise for them by shouting, "Fay Da bao bao! Fay Da bao bao!"

Love,
Mom

Cookie Catastrophe

Dear Connor,

You asked me for a cookie.
I gave you a cookie.
You started whining for a second cookie before you'd even taken a bite out of the cookie I already gave you.
I told you to eat the cookie you had first.
You cried.
I explained to you that you already had a cookie in your hand and that you had to eat that one before I'd give you another one.
You cried harder.
And harder.
My patience wearing thin, I yelled at you to stop crying or I would not give you anymore cookies ever.
You stopped crying but whimpered while you ate your cookie.
You finished your cookie and started whining for another one.
I handed you a second cookie.
You shook your head, started crying and wouldn't take the cookie because you apparently didn't want it anymore.

Oh. My. GOD.

Love,
Mom

Bad Words

Dear Connor,

When you first learned how to say the words "car" and "truck," sometimes you combined them into one word and said what sounded like "cock." We'd be walking down the street and you'd point at vehicles and shout, "Cock!" Oh my. Thankfully, you don't do that anymore. But now you say the word "frog" and it sounds as if you're saying a very different, very bad four-letter word that also begins with f. We better work on that.

Love,
Mom

22 Months

Dear Connor,

You are 22 months old today! I can't believe you are almost 2 years old. Here is an update on the things you've been doing and learning recently:

-You continue to learn new words every day. The latest ones are sun, moon, rocks, bobo (rainbow), stroller, slippers, cup, sad, itchy, shark, frog, puppy, mouse, cycle (motorcycle), fan, chair, snack, cheese, cereal, sneeze, smee mee (excuse me), all done, all clean, jump, airplane, fay gay (Chinese for airplane), voom (vacuum), mouth, hands, hair, elbow, tummy, burp, straw, yummy, yucky, stairs, drum, sky, yay, hooray, home, soup, shiny, funny, bunny, mango and gai gai (Chinese for chicken).

-You can say, "It's so cool!" which is, well, so cool!

-You've learned the color blue--and only blue. Whenever I ask you what color something is, you always reply, "Blue." Aunt Yuan said her sons also said everything was blue at first. Is this a boy thing?

-You know the word oi neow (Chinese for peeing) and say, "Poo poo!" after you poop. If you could learn to tell me these things before you pee or poop, we could master potty training in no time!

-You can kind of ask the questions, "What should we do?" and "Where did it go?" You hold your hands up in the air and ask, "Do?" and "Go?"

-One of the newest phrases you've picked up is "how about." When I ask you which snack you want to eat or which book you want to read, you scan the pantry/bookshelf and say, "How about . . ." before picking something out. You sound like such an adult!

-You can say your name but when I ask you what it is, you still say, "Me!"

-You can identify and say all of the names of the shapes on your shape puzzle and put all of the pieces in the correct spots. When you see certain shapes in our house or when we're out, you often point them out and call them out by name.

-You can count from 0 to 12.

-You love it when we play our squeeze game. You sit behind me on the couch and wrap your arms around me, I lean back onto you and we both shout, "Squeeze!"

-When I hold my hand out to you and say, "Shake!" you shake my hand. 

-You can blow bubbles with bubble wands.

-You can also blow out candles on a cake and even try to blow out the candles when you see a picture of a birthday cake in one of your books. 

-You love to read and can spend an hour in your room flipping through your books. I have always been a big reader--and was the type of kid who would read with my nightlight long after I was supposed to be asleep--so I am especially proud of you for this!

-You've been into cars, trucks and trains for awhile and have recently become obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. You have a few Thomas books and I made the mistake of letting you watch an episode of "Thomas & Friends" on TV once. Now you constantly point to the TV and say, "Thomas! Thomas!"

-You've suddenly become very shy when you meet new people or when we go to new places. Last week, we had brunch at a restaurant for my birthday and you ran up to the front door of the restaurant but became scared when I opened the door and you saw all of the people inside the lobby. I had to carry you into the party room where my friends were waiting and when you saw all of them, you clung to me and buried your face in my chest. You do this all of the time now but fortunately, you always warm up after about 10 minutes and start running around and chatting with people like your usual friendly, outgoing self.

-Whenever you want to be tickled, you come up to me with a big grin on your face, wiggle your two pointer fingers in the air and say, "Ticka ticka ticka!" It is too cute!

Love,

Mom

Coming Out

Dear Connor,

When you get older, I hope a news anchor's sexual orientation is no longer "news."

Love,
Mom

Healthy Habits

Dear Connor,

You don't like eating pizza, macaroni and cheese or ice cream but you love tofu, spinach and hummus. And today, we went to your friend Chelsea's birthday party, where you rejected the birthday cake Daddy tried to feed you and kept requesting grapes instead. You definitely inherited my taste buds and not Daddy's--and I'm so proud!

Love,
Mom

Fireflies

Dear Connor,

We went to our friends' barbecue today and feasted on chicken wings, beef brisket, homemade char siu, grilled corn and fresh watermelon. Daddy and I caught up with our friends and you had so much fun running around the big yard with the other kids. My favorite part of the day, though, was when we came home and were walking up the steps to our front door. It was already dark out and past your bedtime but we stayed outside for several minutes so that I could point out the twinkling lights turning on and off all around us: fireflies! This was the first time you'd ever seen them and you were so thrilled, pointing whenever you saw one light up and exclaiming, "Oooooh! Oh wow! I see!" 

I have always loved seeing the first fireflies of summer. Summer is my favorite season and I get excited when I spot those first fireflies because that means summer is officially here! And I'm so glad that I got to share one of my favorite moments with you tonight. 

Love,

Mom

Mommy Stare Down

Dear Connor,

I think I may have already mastered the mommy stare down. You were being bad and pissing me off so I glared at you and you instantly stopped whining and said, "Sorrr." Nice!

Love,

Mom

Num Yummy

Dear Connor,

It was a bazillion degrees today (happy first day of summer!) and the last thing I wanted to do was cook, much less cook a giant pot of steaming soup. But you need your iron and you love cream of spinach soup so that is what I made for you for dinner tonight. I chopped the spinach, diced the onion and potatoes and watched everything simmer in chicken broth while I slowly whisked in the cream, all the while mopping my brow every few minutes so as to not get any sweat in the soup (we have air conditioning but it's rendered useless when one is standing directly over a hot stove). 

When the soup was done and I fed you the first spoonful, you smiled, smacked your lips and literally said, "Yum yum num num num num num!" Best compliment a cook could get! 

Love,

Mom 

Strange Behavior

Dear Connor,

You've been engaging in some unusual activities lately. Yesterday, I was sitting at the dining table when you came up behind me, lifted up my shirt and started blowing raspberries on my back. You blew about 10 raspberries and cracked up after each one. Then today, you walked up behind me, literally stuck your face in my butt and started laughing into my butt crack. I tried walking away but you grabbed onto my legs and followed me, pushing your face into my butt and laughing the entire time. You're lucky I didn't let one loose, you little weirdo!

Love,

Mom

Father's Day Gifts

Dear Connor,

You must have been really tired yesterday because you slept in until 10am this morning. That meant Daddy could sleep in until 10am, too, and I think he appreciated that gift almost as much as the Mets game we took him to in the afternoon!

Love,

Mom

Morning Kiss

Dear Connor,

I wasn't feeling well and didn't get much sleep last night so Daddy let me sleep in a little this morning and took care of you when you woke up. After he got you out of your crib and changed your diaper, he put you down on the floor and you came running into our room saying, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Hi!" You then pushed the footstool we have in our room next to the bed, climbed up onto the bed, crawled over to me with a sweet little smile on your face and gave me a big kiss. I can't think of a better way to wake up!

Love,

Mom

I'm Okay!

Dear Connor,

Your newest thing: When you tumble or fall but aren't hurt, you let me know by getting up and saying, "Okay!" I appreciate the reassurance, little guy!

Love,
Mom

First Time

Dear Connor,

You experienced several "firsts" over the past few days:

-You just learned a lot of new words: it's stuck (you say this whenever anything is stuck and/or broken), clock, back (when I ask you where your back is, you look over your shoulder, say "back" and try to touch your back), knee, toes, house, where, step, look, bike, boat, saur (dinosaur), bear, bug, poo-poo, door, nap, heart and taxi (a word every true New Yorker needs to know!)

-Yesterday, I turned on an episode of "Team Umizoomi" (We still have a no-TV rule in our house but the one exception is that you can watch while I brush your teeth. You hate brushing your teeth and I have to wrestle with you to do it and I just do not have the energy to wrestle with you anymore so now I turn to the magic box to transform you into the hypnotized zombie baby I need you to be while I clean your little chompers.) and you were so excited that you literally jumped up in the air. You'd been trying to jump for a couple weeks now but your feet could never make it off the ground until yesterday. I am very proud of you but will also miss watching your amusing, bouncy almost-jumps. 

-Daddy and I took you to your first art class today where you were introduced to the awesomeness of Play-Doh (you enjoyed rolling it into a ball and then smashing it flat) and painting with real paint (your teacher was very impressed and even compared your creation to Picasso's work). Unfortunately, you also had your first in-class meltdown when you kept wanting to push the classroom chairs around and we wouldn't let you. You cried and screamed so much that we had to take you out of the class early and you didn't get a chance to play with the stickers and glue. You missed out, buddy. 

-You've always called me "mama" but you were in your stroller while we were in line at a bakery this morning and you wanted me to kneel down and talk to you so you called out, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" You then called me "mommy" the rest of today so I guess we have made the switch. I liked "mama" but "mommy" sounds really sweet when you say it, too. 

-You were so tired today that you actually fell asleep in the tub while I was giving you a bath. I'm sorry I had to wake you up. I know you were startled and confused when you woke up and found yourself naked and covered in soap bubbles. It was the first time you fell asleep during your bath and probably also your first "Wtf?" moment. 

Love,

Mom

Gluttony

Dear Connor,

Sometimes you tell yourself that you're only going to eat half of the giant cranberry orange muffin you have sitting in front of you and then you look down and realize that you've eaten the whole thing. Oops.

Love,
Mom

A Day In The Life

Dear Connor,

This is what our day was like today:

7:30am: You wake up and when I go into your room to get you, I find all of your stuffed animals on the floor--as I do every morning. We usually keep them in your crib and you snuggle with them when you go to bed at night but when you wake up in the morning, you always toss them out of your crib and onto the floor. I don't know why you do this every day but all I have to say is, you better treat your future girlfriends with more respect than that! 

8:15am: Daddy leaves for work and I tell you to say goodbye to him. You say, "Bye-bye, see you soon!" We have never heard you say "see you soon" before and spend the next few minutes trying to get you to say it again. You look at us like we're crazy and can't understand why we're so excited. But it was your first three-word sentence! And it was so cute!

8:30am: You have milk, oatmeal and a banana for breakfast.

9am: Even though you have eaten all of your breakfast, you still hijack my breakfast and eat almost half of my bowl of cereal. 

9:30am: You have crumbs all over your clothes, so I take them off and go upstairs to get you a clean outfit. When I come back downstairs, I find that you have discovered your nipples and are squeezing and pinching them gleefully. I run to get my camera to capture this hilarious moment of self-discovery.

10am: You want to listen to your Elmo music CD yet again but I think my ears may actually start bleeding if I have to hear "Elmo's Song" one more time so I tell you that Elmo is on vacation and play your Mickey Mouse CD instead. You're fine with this and happily sing along to Mickey's version of "Zip-a-dee-doo-da."

11am: We leave the house to walk to your music class at Gymboree. Every time you see a bus, you get really excited, point at it and scream, "BUS!!!"

11:30am: You never sit still during music class and today is no different. You run around like crazy and actually knock two different boys over at various points during class. When you were little, I used to panic about big kids accidentally knocking you over and now I panic because you are the big kid accidentally knocking little kids over. I'm not sure which one is worse.

12:30pm: After class, we go to Gymboree's open gym time and you run around for another half hour, thankfully with no more collisions. You can now climb up all of the ladders by yourself with ease, which you had not been able to do the last time we went to open gym a couple of weeks ago. I am proud of you but also like that you still occasionally reach out for my hand when you're feeling a bit unsure on a particular surface. I'm not ready for you to completely independent from me yet! 

1pm: We get seaweed rice balls from the Japanese market down the street and eat them on a nearby bench. 

2pm: When we get back home, I leave you downstairs while I use the bathroom. When I come back downstairs, it's very quiet and I know you've done something you shouldn't have. And I'm right: you found my name stamp on the mail table and have stamped my name all over your left hand. I freak out a little because the ink does not immediately wash off--but at least everyone will now know who you belong to! 

2:30pm: You take a nap. I intend to do chores while you sleep but I lay down on the couch to rest for a little bit and end up falling asleep myself. When I wake up, it is almost 4pm, whoops! I probably shouldn't have revealed that, though--I always tell my non-mom friends how much work it is taking care of a toddler and I don't think they will sympathize with me anymore if they know I occasionally take midday naps. 

4:30pm: You wake up from your nap and eat a hard-boiled egg and a small bowl of sweet potatoes. I also give you a handful of Cheerios but instead of eating them with your hands, you bend over your highchair tray and pick each Cheerio up with your mouth, as if you are a bird. Um, all right. 

5pm: We read several books (you have memorized many of them and can recite certain parts from memory when I get to them in the book) and play with your shape, number and letter puzzles (you know all of your shapes and numbers but letters are still a challenge for you, I guess because there are so many to remember). We have a pillow fight and you crack up every time I throw a pillow on top of you. 

6pm: I make dinner: a grilled veggie burger and sauteed spinach for me, fish nuggets and pureed spinach for you. I give you strawberries and blueberries for dessert but you are more interested in squishing them with your fingers than eating them.

7pm: You are sitting at the dining table while I clean up the kitchen and start banging the table with your hands for fun. You hit the table a little too hard, though, and hurt your hands. When you have a booboo, you usually run to me and ask me to kiss it for you. This time, you whimper a little, look at the palms of your hands and kiss each one yourself. Awww, you can comfort yourself now! 

8pm: I take a shower and then give you a bath. We sing songs and play with your tugboat. Daddy gets home and admires your rockin' shampoo mohawk.

9pm: We snuggle in your rocking chair, read a few books and build dinosaurs with your Legos. When I pick you up for our goodnight hug and kiss, you are so tired that you point to your crib and say, "down" (as in, "please put me down"). I oblige, blow you a kiss and say my nightly mantra to you: "Good night! Sweet dreams! I love you and will see you in the morning." 

See you in the morning, buddy. I can't wait to have another fun day with you!

Love,

Mom

Mr. Personality

Dear Connor,

How much does a person's personality change over a lifetime? If you're an active toddler who loves to run and jump, will you be into sports when you're in high school? PoiPoi says I was a shy, quiet, well-behaved little kid and now that I'm 30, I'm still pretty shy, quiet and well-behaved (no speeding tickets or arrests on my record, thankyouverymuch!). What are you going to be like when you get older? We have no way of knowing but here are some of your main personality traits now: 

-Playful: You love to smile, laugh, play and goof around. You love getting tickled and crack up whenever I make silly faces and funny sounds. One of your favorite games is covering your face, saying "uh-oh" and smiling slyly when I realize that you've "disappeared." I call out, "Connor! Where did Connor go? Has anyone seen Connor?" and you uncover your face and laugh when I look surprised and say, "There you are!"

-Funny: You still make me laugh with your hilarious Connor-isms. For example, I am trying to teach you how to say your name but when I ask you what your name is, you point to your chest and say, "Me!" Also, when I say it's time to go to sleep, you fake snore and say, "Gaaaw chee, gaaaw chee."

-Affectionate: You love to hug and kiss me and Daddy, your friends, your friends' parents and your stuffed animals. When you want a hug, you hold your arms out toward someone and say, "Hug!" There have been a few times, though, that you've reached out toward someone and when he/she goes to hug you, you suddenly change your mind and turn away. That's just cold, dude. 

 <--- Going in for a kiss

-Empathetic: If you hear another kid crying, you immediately stop what you're doing, look at the distraught kid and get upset, too. You start whimpering and fake crying, I guess because you are feeling the other kid's pain. We were in Barnes & Noble the other day and when you heard a baby crying, you ran through all of the aisles until you found her. It's really sweet that you care so much about others and your empathy is a trait I hope you'll always have.

-Super Smart: You know how to say a few dozen words but you can identify more than a hundred objects when I ask you to point them out in your books. You know most of your numbers, shapes, foods, animals, vehicles and--most importantly--your Sesame Street characters. 

-Elmo Lover: Speaking of Sesame Street characters, you LOVE Elmo. When you were a newborn, Daddy and I could always get you to stop crying if we sang, "Elmo's Song." It was like a magic switch that instantly calmed you down. "Elmo" was also one of your first words and I recently bought you an Elmo music CD that you now want to listen to ALL OF THE TIME. We seriously listen to the entire CD at least three times a day and you always request it by running over to our stereo and chanting, "Elmo! Elmo! Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!" It's gotten to the point where I have to tell you that Elmo is sleeping and will sing for you later (the first of what I assume will be many white lies I am going to tell you over the years). 

-A Little Lazy: You can hold your own bottle when you drink your milk. You can climb up the stairs and walk down them, too, when I hold your hand. But you often insist that I hold your bottle for you and carry you up and down the stairs. Sorry, buddy. You're not a baby anymore!

-Physically Fearless: You can now climb onto the couch, rocking chair and dining table chairs with complete ease. But it doesn't stop there. Having mastered those domains, you have started climbing onto the top of the couch, the armrests of the rocking chair and from the dining table chairs to the actual dining table when I am not looking. You can imagine how many heart attacks I have now.

 <--- My little daredevil

-Peanut Butter-Averse: Peanut butter is one of the best foods ever. It is perfect on cinnamon raisin toast, in cookies, as frosting for a chocolate cake and straight out of the jar. I don't know anyone who doesn't like peanut butter. Except you. I've fed it to you a few times and you always reject it. I hope that changes. Sad is a childhood with no peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

-Total Mama's Boy: Mommy is still your #1. Your face lights up like a Christmas tree when you see me and when you're scared or have a booboo, it is me you always run to for hugs and kisses. And when someone else hugs me, you get really upset, turn red, start screaming and try to push the other person away. Then you jump into my lap and hold me super tight. A bit possessive, are we?

So far, you are turning out to be an amazing little man. We'll work on the peanut butter thing.

Love,

Mom

Surprise, Surprise

Dear Connor,

Ever since you were born, many people have asked me what are the most surprising things about motherhood. Here are my top five:

5) The unbelievable amount of baby products available to moms these days

-The first time Daddy and I stepped into a Babies 'R' Us to start shopping for you, we had to leave after 10 minutes because there was just So. Much. Stuff. You want a baby bathtub? There are plastic ones, inflatable ones, ones with slings, ones with rubber seats, ones with motorized water jets to create freakin' whirlpools (really!). When we asked a store employee about strollers, he asked us if we were looking for a lightweight stroller, an umbrella stroller, a jogging stroller or a stroller travel system. Um, isn't there one where we can just put the baby in and push it? From baby monitors to something as simple as a pacifier, there are a million different brands, models and styles of everything and doing the exhaustive research to pick the "right" one is a huge pain in the butt. And in addition to the things I knew I needed (crib, high chair, bottles), I have discovered tons of baby products that no mom will ever need. A womb noise machine? A diaper wipe warmer? And my personal favorite, Pee-Pee Teepees? Seriously??

4) I have to suck your boogers out of your nose

-Before I became a mom, I never thought about babies' boogers. But babies obviously have boogers, too, and while I can use a tissue to blow the boogers out of my nose, you have yet to acquire this life skill. So until then, I have to get your boogers out for you and I have to do it by sticking one end of this thing called a "snot sucker" in your nostril, sticking the other end in my mouth and literally using my breath to suck out your boogers. The sucker is designed in such a way that your snot gets trapped in a little tube and cannot get sucked all the way into my mouth. It's one of the oddest things I've ever seen and I still feel weird using it but it does work really well and I think it's one of the most ingenious baby products ever invented, as opposed to, say, Pee-Pee Teepees.

3) I have to do laundry almost every other day

-You're tiny. Your clothes are tiny. Yet your dirty laundry piles up faster than I ever expected. Parents always talk about the sleepless nights, the constant feedings, the loss of their social lives. But no one told me how much friggen' laundry such a small little person goes through. When you were a newborn, I sometimes had to change your outfit five times in one hour because you were constantly spitting up or having oh-so-fun poop explosions. Now, your clothes are always covered in food or dirt from playing outside or you've peed/pooped so much overnight that it soaked through your diaper and onto your clothes and sheets. Thank god we have a washer and dryer in our basement, or else I'd have to buy a timeshare at the laundromat down the block.

2) I can now talk about poop. A lot.

-I would never in a million years tell anyone about my poop. There is just no reason to ever go there. But when it comes to your bowel movements, I have no qualms about discussing them with your dad, your grandparents, the mom I meet at Barnes & Noble. I have had lengthy discussions with my mom friends about the color, shape, consistency and frequency of our kids' number twos and it is a completely acceptable topic of conversation in parental circles. When Daddy comes home from work, sometimes the first thing I say to him is something like, "Connor pooped today and it was shaped like a big Hershey's Kiss!" And instead of cringing in horror and disgust, Daddy will laugh because that is our life now. Hershey's Kiss-shaped poop.

1) And the #1 biggest surprise about motherhood? That I don't always enjoy it.

When we've gone out, there have been many times when some stranger has smiled at us, said something about how precious parenthood is and told me, "Enjoy it." And I do. Daddy and I tried to get pregnant for many months and I know how immensely lucky we are that you came along. I love being your mom. But sometimes I don't. When you were a newborn who cried so much that I didn't have time to eat, sleep or even shower, I didn't enjoy that. When you won't let me change your diaper and keep trying to fling yourself off of the changing table, I don't enjoy that. When it's time to leave the park and you don't want to go so you throw a temper tantrum, scream your head off and refuse to get in your stroller, I really don't enjoy that. Being a mom is not all sunshine and rainbows and snuggles in bed and I had no idea that there would be times that I'd be so frustrated, so irritated, so angry and so annoyed that I'd go into the bathroom just to get away from you and cry. But that's the funny thing about motherhood. You'll smile at me, give me a kiss or say "Sorrrr" and hug my leg and all is forgiven and forgotten. Despite all of the bad parts, I really do love being a mom and I love you more than anything. And that's no surprise at all.

Love,
Mom

Word Explosion

Dear Connor,

I like to talk. A lot. There have been many a night when Daddy is tired and just wants to go to sleep but he can't because I am laying next to him in bed, blabbing away about funny things you did that day or an interesting story I saw on the news or a random tidbit that someone just posted on Facebook (may you never become addicted to Facebook--or even know what Facebook is). I am a chatterbox, which is a quality I have seemingly passed onto you because you have been quite the talker ever since you were about three months old. Back then, you would spend hours uttering nonsensical things like "Gadoo a gur duh." But then you said your first word ("mama"!) when you were almost a year old and you have been picking up new words ever since, especially during these past two months when you have suddenly learned a slew of new words. They include: 

-no more (you always hold your palms up when you say this, too), egg, ball, share, hug (you request one by saying "hug" and stretching your arms out to people), whoa, two, five, eight, the letters V and X, car, truck, hat, shoes, feet, ears, mouth, circle, oval, down, over there, moo, meow, neigh, tutu (turtle), book, cake, hot, go, outside, key, bot (for robot) and baby

One key phrase that you have recently learned is "no no touch" because I probably say it to you so much (will you please stop trying to play with the stove knobs whenever we're in the kitchen??). It's especially funny when you're near something you know you're not allowed to touch--like Daddy's phone--because you'll point at it, shake your head and say, "no no touch" over and over again. That's right, little guy! Thanks for being so obedient!

You have learned a few words in Cantonese as well:

-gai dan (egg), fa fa (flower), sui sui (water), sai sow (wash hands), PoiPoi (when PoiPoi calls and you hear her voice on the phone, you shout out "PoiPoi" and she loves it every time!), bao bao (bread) and my personal favorite: ai yah. That last one officially makes you Chinese, hehe :)

And these are technically sound effects rather than words, but you also say "uh huh" (you went from saying "no" to everything I ask you to saying "uh huh" to everything), "achoo" after someone sneezes or coughs (even if it's you!) and "awww" when you hug me or your stuffed animals. Too cute!

Love,

Mom 

Forget Me Not

Dear Connor,

On Friday, we went to the grocery store, where I bought a basket of groceries, paid for said groceries and then walked out of the store without those groceries. I was wondering why the cashier was shouting at me! Then today, we went to Rite-Aid, where I again paid for my items and walked away from the register without them. Oh man, mommy brain is in full force. But as long as I never have a brain lapse and leave a store without you, I think we're in good shape!

Love,
Mom

Mama's Day

Dear Connor,

There was sunny, 80-degree weather. There was a walk on the rocks along the East River. There were fluffy blueberry pancakes and pumpkin whoopie pies. There were bubbles floating in the air. And there was the sound of your laughter as Daddy and I chased you around the park. Thank you for a perfect Mother's Day. 

Love, 

Mom

Butterfly Forest

Dear Connor,

When we went for a walk today, we saw a couple of beautiful black and orange butterflies flitting about in the air. As we walked further, we saw about a handful of butterflies, then more than a dozen and then we walked by what must have been a butterfly habitat because we were suddenly surrounded by about 50 butterflies! I had never seen so many butterflies at once in our neighborhood and it felt as if we'd stepped into a dream! One little butterfly even landed on your nose, which you found incredibly amusing. I wish I'd been able to take a picture. That once-in-a-lifetime image of your eyes lighting up--and crossing slightly--when the butterfly touched down on your nose and flapped its delicate wings was pretty awesome.

Love,
Mom

Boy In Trouble

Dear Connor,

When you've done something bad and I tell you to apologize, you hang your head, look down at the floor and morosely say, "Sooorrr." You look like such a sad little puppy dog that I can't even get mad at you!

And when you've done something so bad that I do yell at you, you have this habit of instantly avoiding eye contact. Sometimes you turn away from me and sit or stand perfectly still, as if I'm a bear and you're trying to ward me off. Other times, you do this weird thing where you close your eyes but repeatedly flutter your eyelids ever so slightly. Nice try, little guy. You may not see me, but I see you and you are in trouble! 

Love,

Mom

Refined Palate

Dear Connor,

Over the weekend, we went to a food event where you tried oxtail consomme for the first time and you loved it! Tonight, I tried feeding you spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and you wouldn't even take one bite. Are spaghetti and meatballs too ordinary for you now, Mr. Fancy Pants? :P

Love,
Mom

We All Look Alike

Dear Connor,

I have been meeting a lot of other moms in our neighborhood and you recently became friends with two little girls named Hailey and Chelsea. Both of them are two months older than you, both of them are super cute (which you seem to think, too, because you're always trying to hug and kiss them!) and both of them are Asian. We've had several playdates with each of them but last week, we went to the Brooklyn Children's Museum with Hailey and her mom and you kept calling Hailey Chelsea. And today, Chelsea's mom told me that Chelsea recently pointed at an Asian boy and called him Connor. I guess all Asians do look alike--even to toddlers!

Love,

Mom

Grandparents

Dear Connor,

I wanted to become a mom for many reasons. I love kids. I love your dad and wanted to start a family with him. I wanted an excuse to buy adorable, teeny, tiny onesies and adorable, teeny, tiny hats and adorable, teeny, tiny socks (Ha, kidding! Sort of . . .). I also wanted to become a mom so that I could make my mom and dad grandparents. PoiPoi and GongGong have told me that I've done many things that have made them happy but I knew that nothing could make them happier than having a grandchild to love, hug and spoil! And after you were born, I could see that that was absolutely true. 

PoiPoi and GongGong live in Pittsburgh (and have yet to figure out how Skype works) so they don't get to see you that often but they couldn't love you more. They print out the photos I email to them and paste them all over their walls. GongGong takes your photos to his office and shows them to everyone and anyone who will look at them (the one of you wearing the Santa Claus suit on your first Christmas is an especially popular one!). I post videos of you online and they watch them every single day. And when PoiPoi and GongGong do get to see you in person, their faces "shine so bright that the sun cries with envy" (I paraphrased that last bit from one of my favorite shows, Glee, which I am going to have you watch when you get older because it is awesome). 

It's amazing to see my parents with my child, to see how happy you make each other. PoiPoi and GongGong love you so much and even though you only see them a few times a year, you love them, too. They came to visit this past weekend and you initially broke their hearts when you first saw them and shied away from them. It had been awhile since you'd seen them and you didn't recognize them right away. But after awhile, you warmed up and were playing and giggling with them as if you saw them all the time. You kept running up to GongGong and hugging his leg, showing him your toys and asking him to play with you. And yesterday, PoiPoi was holding you in her lap when you pulled her face toward yours and gave her a sweet little kiss on her lips. That was the first time you had ever kissed PoiPoi and we almost had to wipe her up because she had practically melted into a puddle on the floor. 

Love,

Mom

Bird Man

Dear Connor,

We went to the park today and you had a blast running through the grass, watching another mom blow bubbles and playing with other kids' scooters, doll strollers and figurines (Um, yeah, can you please stop taking other kids' toys? It's not nice.). You also loved chasing after the birds and became really excited every time you saw them fly away. And I mean, REALLY excited. Please see your reaction below:

Whenever a bird took off, you screamed at the top of your lungs, "Oh WOW! Oh WOW!" It was hilarious and adorable and made everyone in the park laugh because EVERYONE could hear you! I hope you can always find such joy and amazement in life. 

Love,

Mom

Oh Wow

Dear Connor,

You just learned how to say "wow" yesterday. When I held you up in front of the dining room window so that you could look outside, you said, "Wow." When you opened up the kitchen cabinet and saw all of the spice jars inside, you said, "Wow." And when I was feeding you dinner, you pulled on my collar, looked down my shirt and said, "Wow." Um, thank you?

Love,
Mom

Bad Things Come In Threes

Dear Connor,

In my last letter, I told you about one of the best moments ever. In this letter, I am going to talk about this morning, which was the exact opposite of the best moment ever. First, when you woke up this morning, I picked you up and discovered that your pee had soaked through your diaper and onto your onesie, pajamas, sleepsack and sheets. Awesome. 

I cleaned and changed you, fed you your bottle of milk, put you in your playpen and went upstairs to change your sheets. When I came back downstairs, I immediately smelled it--you had pooped. A lot. In fact, you had pooped so much that the poop had squished out of your diaper and was smeared all over your pants and the playmat that you had been sitting and rolling around on. Lovely. 

I cleaned and changed you again and put you in your highchair. I cut up blueberry waffles and a handful of grapes for you and began tackling the mess in your playpen, wiping and disinfecting the entire playmat and also all of your toys for good measure. While I was doing this, you vomited all over yourself and your highchair. 

Oh. My. God. When it rains, it pours.

Love,

Mom

Playground Antics

Dear Connor,

Over the weekend, Daddy and I took you to a playground and you had a blast on the swing. You kept giggling and shouting "weeeee!" as you swung back and forth. It was the first time we ever heard you say "weeeee" and it was absolutely adorable!

Later on, I was watching you and Daddy run around. You guys were about 15 feet away from me and Daddy turned you around and pointed me out to you. When you saw me, you beamed and started running toward me. I squatted down and you ran right into my arms and gave me a big, tight hug. It was one of the Best. Moments. Ever.

Love,
Mom