Snow play and Chinese new year

The past two weeks have been low key due to snow storm and me being more tired each day. So we stayed in most of the time, just relax and do some readings. I feel conflicted sometimes that there are only two months left before the new baby arrives, which means I’ll divide my attention to Sofia with a newborn. I feel guilty about it so I want to spend more quality time with Sofia. But at the same time, I’m getting tired and exhausted so easily these days that I can’t think nor have energy to take her out to play. I get mad at myself, when I look at her, I feel so guilty, just like I’m about to “cheat” on her or something. She’s so precious to me, I really hate myself for making her feel bad in any kind or form, even it’s just a little. Everyone tells me that I’ll love the second child just as much as I do love my first one, but Sofia has became more than my first baby, she’s everything to me. I love her for being her, not just because she’s my daughter. So… I’m perplexed and full of guilt these days.

Sorry… I had to vent out. Prepartum worries? maybe.

Anyway… let’s recap the good time we had together in the last two week.

After the snow was more or less cleaned up, I still didn’t have to go to work, so we went to shopping mall after being stuck at home for 4 days so Sofia could get some play.

we also did a snow man for the first time

that was fun! We used spicy caps for the eyes, a toy folk for nose and kabocha for mouth.

I finished few more books. The dinner was a quick read… quite shocking about the ending, and reminded me again the influence parents have over their kids. Really need to be careful.

Although we stayed at home most of the days for a week, Sofia behaved really well. When I’m reading on the couch, she’d grab a book and read by my side. She’s such a nice company these days. Although I put a lot of pressure on me to do more for her, actually I realized that being with me is all she wants. That gives her comfort and happiness even it means staying at home doing nothing. It’s hard to believe it but it seems to be the case.

Last weekend we went to a chinese festival as a pre-celebration for the chinese new year. Sofia had fun cutting papers and making play dough monkies.

With another parent in Sofia’s class, we organized some activities for the kids for them to learn about chinese traditions. She read them books and gave red envelope to each kid

that’s a tradition that we do every year, I had fond memories of it. We kids get so excited to get the red envelopes (usually it contains money inside) that I’d wake up early and wait for the moment.

I did a mini-cooking activity with the kids, making rice balls with aduki. It ended up messy but the kids and the teachers loved the balls.

I cooked a chinese dinner this Saturday to celebrate the new year just with Sofia and Tony. Following the tradition, I made fish,meat, chicken and some vegetables. It was a yummy, hearty and filling meal, with tons of leftovers for the week.

on Sunday we went to our friend Susan’s house to celebrate the chinese new year eve. Sofia was excited to play with Laura

we snacked and chatted

had dinner: marinated duck feet made by me, red sauced beef two kinds, eggs & cucumber salad and a soup made with cabbage, pork filled egg omelette and vermicelli noodles.

Gone are days that dinner are busied with kids… yesterday the adults had dinner by themselves, while Sofia and Laura spent time alone in the room watching cartoons. As Sofia is all about big sister now, she was busy feeding Laura with crackers