I just saw this article on CNN about kids playing across gender lines, and I had to laugh. Of course, I don't believe that gender roles should be reinforced at any age. I laughed because it made me think of Eric, who has been having a lot of fun lately pushing around a doll stroller and a shopping cart.
It's cute. It's funny. It doesn't (necessarily) mean he is gay. He's just a baby pushing a thing with wheels. It goes where he wants, and that is fun for him. He doesn't play with the baby at all; he simply wants it to sit in the stroller and make sure its hat doesn't fall off. He also doesn't want anything in the shopping cart; anything you put in, he simply throws out. He loves playing with Anneli's jewelry. But he also loves cars, trucks, trains, and airplanes. He loves throwing balls. He loves riding his trike.
Anneli loves to play with Lego blocks. She spent almost all her time building with Lego blocks when we were at Grandpa's house, and she has done it almost every day since coming home. Yes, she has a set in a pink box (from Grandpa), but she loves building cars and houses. Let's not forget the bucket full of cars she has (Cars and just regular cars). She loves the movie Cars. She has pillows, markers, shirts, and books with Lightning McQueen emblazoned on them. She does a little princess dress-up now and then, but it's short-lived. She will be going to preschool with her Lightning McQueen backpack, and if any of the girls or boys have a problem with it, they can suck it.
My children will grow up to be well-adjusted with no hang-ups about gender roles or gender identity. I want my kids to be happy, to enjoy whatever activity they like, to know that girls and boys can do whatever they want. People need to stop worrying about making their children follow stereotypes and let them just be kids.
Showing posts with label Anneli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anneli. Show all posts
8/30/2012
8/15/2012
2/26/2012
Milestones: Anneli 4, Eric 1
I've got to get better about posting on time.
So, both of the babies had their birthdays this month, and we also conducted our annual visit to the pediatrician. Our stats are below:
Eric: weight - 25 lbs.; height - 30 in.; head - 19 in.
It seems Eric has actually lost weight, although you can't tell by holding him. It certainly feels like he weighs 50 lbs. He didn't cry during his physical as he has done in the past; he was actually cheerful and laughed when the doctor was examining him. She declared him very healthy and definitely happy.
Anneli: weight - 38 lbs.; height - 42.5 in.
I don't know how it's even possible for both of my children not to have gained any weight! Anneli weighs a ton, too. She did grow a few inches, as evidenced by the sudden shortness of her pants; she is wearing a size 5, and even that she is ready to outgrow soon. I guess Anneli got her height gene from Husband, and Eric from me.
Both of them had some booster shots, and they both cried terribly. Of course, Anneli cried even more because Eric started crying. "We are both crying!" according to Anneli.
Eric hasn't started walking yet. In fact, when we put him on his feet, he throws his head back and goes limp, as he whines to be picked up. He does, however, enjoy pushing around Anneli's little shopping cart and doll stroller. He also pushes around his Lightning McQueen ride-on car; he prefers that to actually riding on it (he gets off immediately). But you put him on his feet with nothing to push? Forget it. We did get him some shoes--very cute, by the way!--and he's gotten used to having them on his feet. He cried the first few times, but he doesn't mind anymore.
Anneli is working on learning to read. She recognizes several dozen short words, and she's figuring out how to sound out new ones. She is also working on basic addition and subtraction; she can do calculations up to 10 using her fingers. She can count past 100 now. She is also working on Korean; she can write her name in Korean (한별), and she recognizes Eric's name (한섭) and some other words. I think we've got a smarty on our hands.
So, both of the babies had their birthdays this month, and we also conducted our annual visit to the pediatrician. Our stats are below:
Eric: weight - 25 lbs.; height - 30 in.; head - 19 in.
It seems Eric has actually lost weight, although you can't tell by holding him. It certainly feels like he weighs 50 lbs. He didn't cry during his physical as he has done in the past; he was actually cheerful and laughed when the doctor was examining him. She declared him very healthy and definitely happy.
Anneli: weight - 38 lbs.; height - 42.5 in.
I don't know how it's even possible for both of my children not to have gained any weight! Anneli weighs a ton, too. She did grow a few inches, as evidenced by the sudden shortness of her pants; she is wearing a size 5, and even that she is ready to outgrow soon. I guess Anneli got her height gene from Husband, and Eric from me.
Both of them had some booster shots, and they both cried terribly. Of course, Anneli cried even more because Eric started crying. "We are both crying!" according to Anneli.
Eric hasn't started walking yet. In fact, when we put him on his feet, he throws his head back and goes limp, as he whines to be picked up. He does, however, enjoy pushing around Anneli's little shopping cart and doll stroller. He also pushes around his Lightning McQueen ride-on car; he prefers that to actually riding on it (he gets off immediately). But you put him on his feet with nothing to push? Forget it. We did get him some shoes--very cute, by the way!--and he's gotten used to having them on his feet. He cried the first few times, but he doesn't mind anymore.
Anneli is working on learning to read. She recognizes several dozen short words, and she's figuring out how to sound out new ones. She is also working on basic addition and subtraction; she can do calculations up to 10 using her fingers. She can count past 100 now. She is also working on Korean; she can write her name in Korean (한별), and she recognizes Eric's name (한섭) and some other words. I think we've got a smarty on our hands.
1/24/2012
So I haven't updated in ages, so here we go...
Eric is approaching his first birthday. We took him to get professional portraits done two weekends ago, and they turned out nicely! I will be picking up the CD today, so I will post a few later.
Eric would really love to walk, but he hasn't quite mastered standing. We'll catch him standing (after he's pulled himself up) and he won't realize it. He's definitely mastered crawling, and if he's determined, he can scoot across the floor in just a few seconds. He loves climbing the stairs, and he'll go right for them if he sees someone go up or down.
Eric has three "words" down: uh-oh, and food and peek-a-boo (in Korean). He's been saying "uh-oh" for a couple months now, and sometimes the timing is so perfect!
Anneli is just Anneli. Her obsession with her cars has plateaued, and her interests now include My Little Pony and Disney Princesses. She will be turning four in a few weeks, and she's so sure she'll really be a big girl when that happens.
Also, I came across this, which really made me wonder why exactly this country is against socialized medicine: Finnish maternity package. Imagine the impact that this could have on new, and especially young, mothers. I'd be willing to bet that fewer babies would be abandoned to die, just because their mothers were able to save money on clothes and buy food instead. The one parts that make me laugh are the fourth image from the bottom--"condoms 6 inserts"--and the last image--a box that "can be used as crib."
Eric is approaching his first birthday. We took him to get professional portraits done two weekends ago, and they turned out nicely! I will be picking up the CD today, so I will post a few later.
Eric would really love to walk, but he hasn't quite mastered standing. We'll catch him standing (after he's pulled himself up) and he won't realize it. He's definitely mastered crawling, and if he's determined, he can scoot across the floor in just a few seconds. He loves climbing the stairs, and he'll go right for them if he sees someone go up or down.
Eric has three "words" down: uh-oh, and food and peek-a-boo (in Korean). He's been saying "uh-oh" for a couple months now, and sometimes the timing is so perfect!
Anneli is just Anneli. Her obsession with her cars has plateaued, and her interests now include My Little Pony and Disney Princesses. She will be turning four in a few weeks, and she's so sure she'll really be a big girl when that happens.
Also, I came across this, which really made me wonder why exactly this country is against socialized medicine: Finnish maternity package. Imagine the impact that this could have on new, and especially young, mothers. I'd be willing to bet that fewer babies would be abandoned to die, just because their mothers were able to save money on clothes and buy food instead. The one parts that make me laugh are the fourth image from the bottom--"condoms 6 inserts"--and the last image--a box that "can be used as crib."
12/04/2011
(Late) Updates
Eric now has four teeth, with another one coming in. Still waiting on his to learn to crawl, although he has mastered sliding backwards on his belly. He finds it really frustrating--he attempts to crawl forward toward something just out of reach, only to find himself going backward and farther away. Cue whining.
He's now pooping regularly. I had been concerned since he was only going once every 4-5 days. I increased the amount of cereal he eats, and now he poops daily.
We have discovered that furry stuff animals scare Eric. Anneli has a fuzzy penguin, and Eric does not like it. It made him cry the first time he saw it. He backs away from it if you put the penguin in front of him, and he swats at it if you get it too close.
Anneli watched "Happy Feet Two" yesterday, so now she loves this penguin. (It has been sitting in her bedroom for the past year, untouched.) She also cried several times during the movie. She is too empathetic and sensitive. She got worried that Eric (the penguin in the movie) was being left behind by his dad, and that Eric would not reunite with his mom. Even at the end, she was still sad.
Anneli is now very much into princesses and dressing up. She still enjoys her cars and other "boy" toys, but she now works in the girly stuff, too. She's been asking (rather persistently) for a princess scooter; it's on her Christmas list, but her continued bratty and whiny behavior may not be helping her.
He's now pooping regularly. I had been concerned since he was only going once every 4-5 days. I increased the amount of cereal he eats, and now he poops daily.
We have discovered that furry stuff animals scare Eric. Anneli has a fuzzy penguin, and Eric does not like it. It made him cry the first time he saw it. He backs away from it if you put the penguin in front of him, and he swats at it if you get it too close.
Anneli watched "Happy Feet Two" yesterday, so now she loves this penguin. (It has been sitting in her bedroom for the past year, untouched.) She also cried several times during the movie. She is too empathetic and sensitive. She got worried that Eric (the penguin in the movie) was being left behind by his dad, and that Eric would not reunite with his mom. Even at the end, she was still sad.
Anneli is now very much into princesses and dressing up. She still enjoys her cars and other "boy" toys, but she now works in the girly stuff, too. She's been asking (rather persistently) for a princess scooter; it's on her Christmas list, but her continued bratty and whiny behavior may not be helping her.
8/09/2011
Milestone: Eric 6 months & other stuff...
Weight: 20 lbs. 4 oz. (90th percentile)
Height: 26 in.
Head: 17.5 in.
Chest: 18.25 in.
I'm not surprised that he gained weight, but geez... 20 pounds?! The doctor was not concerned with his weight, as he is on breastmilk. He did ask me if anyone in the family has a big head (I don't know what constitutes "big"), as he measured Eric's head twice to confirm the measurement.
Anneli has not been eating for the last two days. She starts to cry and gags when I try to get her to eat. Today, she did eat a little at lunch--about half of what she normally eats--but I was thankful for that and didn't push it. She came home and had a half cup of milk and some Doritos, so I hope this means she's getting her appetite back. We've had a tough go of her behavior this past week, but I think she's just acting out for two reasons: (1) she is jealous of the time and attention I give to Eric, and (2) she misses her grandparents (my parents). As to reason 1, I've been trying to give her more individual attention when Eric is asleep, but Eric is not a heavy sleeper, so that gives me at most 30-45 minutes I can spend with her, if I don't have to pump. It's difficult to work in time with her when I have so many things I need to do (laundry, cleaning, cooking...). (I'm on the computer right now because she said she would rather watch an episode of Backyardigans than read with me. And if you know how much she hates Backyardigans, you know how surprising this decision is.) As for reason 2, she has been telling my parents that she's been "waiting too much" for them to return. My mom will be back in two and a half weeks, my dad another week after, so the planets will realign in her universe in short order.
But she has been well-behaved today, so I caved and bought her a My Little Pony book. (We had some time to kill before the doctor's appointment, so we stopped at Barnes & Noble.) She's taken a liking to My Little Pony (the strange reincarnation of the '80s show), and it's pretty harmless so I let her indulge.
7/29/2011
7/28/2011
Some funny things:
Anneli recognizes the Aquabats now, ha! Except she can't really pronounce it very well, calling them "acrobats."
Anneli has this obsession with smelling her hands after she touches something. o_O So this morning, I was lying in bed with her, when she sniffed her hand. I said, "You need to see a psychotherapist." She responded, "What, shopping?" She must have thought I said "retail therapy." :)
Last night, while playing with her dad, Anneli called him "Max." She immediately realized her mistake and bashfully covered her mouth as she giggled.
Anneli recognizes the Aquabats now, ha! Except she can't really pronounce it very well, calling them "acrobats."
Anneli has this obsession with smelling her hands after she touches something. o_O So this morning, I was lying in bed with her, when she sniffed her hand. I said, "You need to see a psychotherapist." She responded, "What, shopping?" She must have thought I said "retail therapy." :)
Last night, while playing with her dad, Anneli called him "Max." She immediately realized her mistake and bashfully covered her mouth as she giggled.
7/27/2011
A little bit of a change here... I've decided to add Eric to this blog, so I don't have to update one for each of them. Not only is it easier with just one blog, but it makes more sense since their lives are so intertwined.
So today Anneli and I had another knock-down-drag-out screaming match. She got angry when I wouldn't change the channel on the TV; she started stomping her feet and threw herself on the floor. I told her to go to her room, and she got up and smacked my stomach. She continued screaming as she ran away from me, but I eventually dragged her to her room. She kept screaming, so I told her I wouldn't talk to her until she had calmed down. At that point, she claimed she was hungry; she repeated that several times until she realized I wasn't buying it. I left her in her room for five minutes. When I went up, she had calmed down considerably and was just lying on her bed. We talked about what happened and why I had gotten angry. I took away her pig and blanket for the night. She wanted to cry in response, but I told her I would keep them an extra day if she started crying again. A little harsh I admit, but those two things are the only things I can use against her. The threat of losing them keeps her in check. At bedtime, she looked like she was going to cry again, so I lay in bed with her until she fell asleep. She was out in 15 minutes, a record for her. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow...
Eric must be going through a growth spurt because he's a bottomless pit; he is constantly hungry! Today, he had 5 oz. at 6:00 pm, but he was crying for more by 7:30 pm. I fed him some cereal (probably 3 tbsp.) and 4 oz. of milk; it must have been barely enough because he wanted more. I'm still producing more milk than he can keep up with, so I don't worry about having enough. (I think two freezers entirely filled with milk should give you an idea of why I don't worry.) If only selling breastmilk weren't illegal... I could be rich!
So today Anneli and I had another knock-down-drag-out screaming match. She got angry when I wouldn't change the channel on the TV; she started stomping her feet and threw herself on the floor. I told her to go to her room, and she got up and smacked my stomach. She continued screaming as she ran away from me, but I eventually dragged her to her room. She kept screaming, so I told her I wouldn't talk to her until she had calmed down. At that point, she claimed she was hungry; she repeated that several times until she realized I wasn't buying it. I left her in her room for five minutes. When I went up, she had calmed down considerably and was just lying on her bed. We talked about what happened and why I had gotten angry. I took away her pig and blanket for the night. She wanted to cry in response, but I told her I would keep them an extra day if she started crying again. A little harsh I admit, but those two things are the only things I can use against her. The threat of losing them keeps her in check. At bedtime, she looked like she was going to cry again, so I lay in bed with her until she fell asleep. She was out in 15 minutes, a record for her. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow...
Eric must be going through a growth spurt because he's a bottomless pit; he is constantly hungry! Today, he had 5 oz. at 6:00 pm, but he was crying for more by 7:30 pm. I fed him some cereal (probably 3 tbsp.) and 4 oz. of milk; it must have been barely enough because he wanted more. I'm still producing more milk than he can keep up with, so I don't worry about having enough. (I think two freezers entirely filled with milk should give you an idea of why I don't worry.) If only selling breastmilk weren't illegal... I could be rich!
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