Stroller Curling

Having a newborn provides ample opportunity to get your creative juices going when baby just won't go to sleep.  One of the fun activities that Les and I have created is called Stroller Curling.  It's a game where you push the stroller down the hallway from one end and try to get it to stop as close to the carpet edge as possible without touching it...just like the Olympic sport, curling (but on tile instead of ice; and a stroller, instead of a slab of granite.)  Of course, Amelia is not in the stroller as part of the game...*whistle*

As you can guess, things here at the Wong household have been extremely busy these past 4 months (hence, the lack of blog posting).   Amelia "Boo" has been a major part of our daily lives, of course, but I also changed jobs at work; Les has joined the work force again; and been extra busy collab'ing on some projects with my sis.  Hectic, to say the least.

Nevertheless, everyday is a new adventure, filled with lots of fun and interesting surprises.

Growing Up Daily

I'm a big believer of always striving to better ourselves, everyday.  My motto is "learn something every day...be a better person, everyday."  Yeah, cheesy-peesy, but it motivates me to always strive to learn and grow everyday, so that I never get complacent or just content.  The way I look at it, we're here on a finite timeline, so why waste it?  Shake it up every so often; think outside the box; stay hungry, stay foolish.  Yes, I stole it.

It's pretty interesting to see Amelia doing the same thing.  Everyday, she is learning and doing something new; whether it's manipulating objects in her reach; gracefully pulling out her binky and putting it back into her mouth; or even handing off things back and forth between her hands, it is pretty amazing to watch.  Sometimes you can just watch her, and see that her little brain is working and making sense of things.

I heard that babies experience the same feeling adults do when they go on vacation somewhere...where their senses are extremely enhanced...the sounds, the sights, the smells, everything, become pronounced and extraordinary.  So for Amelia, everyday for her is like visiting Paris or Switzerland for the first time.  Man, I'm a little jealous.
  
The Court Jester

The parent handbook never once mentioned having to become the full-time, in-house comedian.  No matter how tired from work, exhausted from the drive home, or hungry I am, Boo expects the performance of a lifetime every day I come home.  I mean, she wants gold every time...and she will only offer the slightest hint of satisfaction after I've painstakingly performed my plethora of juggling-on-a-unicycle tricks, or until she gets bored of my act.  It's a grind and a thankless job.

But, to be honest, I must love doing it because getting that smile and laugh is more than worth the cost.  She brightens up my long day away and inspires me to be the best I can be.  Oh right, and so does Leslie!

Mama Bear

 
Q: What should I do if I find myself around a mother bear with cubs?
A: Mother bears are rarely aggressive toward humans, but they are protective of their cubs. A mother bear will usually give many warning signs (huffing or popping sounds, swatting the ground or even bluff charges) to let you know that you are too close. Move away slowly and non-threateningly.

This is from an online guidebook, but I think they have several typos.  They accidentally put in "bear" for some odd reason.

Ok, I'm kidding, but for most dad's reading this, I'm sure you can all agree mom's can be a bit protective of the young baby.  For good reason, of course, so I won't argue much about that.  I know it's all about instincts and stuff, but really, we're not that dumb to take care of a baby...although, admittedly, us guys spend most of our time trying not to burn the milk, put on the diaper backwards, or drop the baby during "flying time".

That said, though, mom's must get their props for being the main baby caretaker.  They feed, change, nourish, carry, sacrifice for the baby like no one else, and they will always share that special bond forever.

For dad's, sadly, baby will only see them as the court jester. 

One thing that I did realize, though, is that Les has a remarkable radar for Boo.  She can hear her making the slightest peep from her upstairs room (with the door closed) and is off running in a heartbeat....