Brooke: “Mommy, we go to Target after pick up food, okay?”
Me: “Why?”
Brooke: “I need to buy present for my cousin Riley.”
Me: “You do?”
Brooke: “Yes, and for Nathan.”
Me: “Nathan too? What are you going to give them?”
Brooke: “Um, Hello Kitty.”
Me: “I don’t think Nathan likes Hello Kitty, honey.”
Brooke: “I like Hello Kitty. Can I have it, please???”
Me: “Wait? What happened to the presents?”
Brooke: “I like presents”
Me: …..

Oh, how quickly the tides turned. LOL.

Aidan had been sick the last few days and was prescribed antibiotics that supposedly tastes like cherries, but for some reason, he preferred to avoid it like The Plague. Thi tried giving him his first dose last night and Aidan fought it with all his might. Needless to say, after the dust settled, most of the medicine either ended up on the floor or on Thi.

This morning, it was my turn to give Aidan his medicine and I was determined to “persuade” him to “want” to take the medicine. I figured, Aidan is an intelligent and rationale kid. He should be able comprehend why he needed to take the medicine, right?

Attempt #1: “The discussion”
I sat down with Aidan and discussed why he needed the medicine. I asked him if he was uncomfortable and if he wanted to “fix” it. He looked me in the eye and sincerely said “yes”. I told him using a big happy face that the medicine will help him “fix” the cough and it tasted like cherries. I was sure I was getting through to him, but right when I took out the medecine, he started screaming like a banshee. After some more “discussing”, I could see that I was not getting anywhere.

Attempt #2: “The disguise”
After the failed discussions, I next resorted to disguising the medicine. I figured that if I can mask the taste of the medicine, he wouldn’t know that he was taking it. He drinks a glass of milk in mornings so I decided to hide it in there. Well, right after he took his first gulp, he immediately stared straight at me with a look of disgust on his face and proceeded to spit out whatever milk was left in his mouth. I didn’t think his taste buds were so sensitive.

Attempt #3: “The negotiation”
Maybe what he needed was a little give-and-take. I knew he liked granola bars so I proceeded to use it as leverage and negotiate with him. I told him that could have one bite of the granola bar first before taking the medicine and I would give him the rest right after. Of course, being the trusting father, I believed him when he said OK. Well, after the first bite, needless to say he wanted a second. Seeing that the negotiations were going nowhere, I decided it was time to move on.

Attempt #4: “The bribe”
Running out of options, I resorted to the one thing I really dislike to do, straight bribery. I really dislike bribing the kids, but I thought that if he gets what he wanted, I would get what I wanted. I proceeded to offer him the entire granola bar, some jello, fruits, and almost anything else relatively healthy that he loves, but to avail. This kid was not going to budge.

Attempt #5: “The hard way”
Everything else had failed. I was out of options, but I needed to get him to take his medicine. I had no other choice but to hold him down and try to navigate the spoon into his mouth. Not surprising, it was much harder than I had anticipated even with me holding him down. He screamed at the top of his lungs and bucked liked bronco. Right then though, I saw my chance. He had opened his mouth wide to prepare for his next scream and I quickly stuck the spoon into his mouth. Before he knew what was happening, he had swallowed the medicine. His face wrinkled up like a prune, but it was over. I gave him some water, the rest of his granola bar, and within minutes, he was back to normal. Success albeit having to employ some trickery and physical persuasion.

I learned at least one thing from this experience. No matter how rationale or intelligent we think our kids are, sometimes as parents, we just have to do it “the hard way” to get across to them.

We finally got around to taking the kids on their 3 years. They really dropped percentages this year! The doctor says the percentile drop in height has to do with the fact that until now, they’ve been measured by how “long” they are…laying down. Starting now, we are in the big kids legend and will be measuring how “tall” we are…standing up. They’re small but it’s because it’s just not in the genes for them. Me and Mike were pretty runty ourselves as kids.

Aidan
Weight = 29 lbs (19th percentile)
Height = 35.25 in tall (5th percentile)

Brooke
Weight = 26 lbs (6th percentile)
Height = 34 in tall (2nd percentile)

My kids are great kids, but we have our moments. I originally video taped this so Mike could understand what I meant when I tell him his son is doing his “banshee cries”. Then I decided, I should blog about this. I blog about all the good they do, they need to see themselves at their worse as well. (Ideally, I would love to show this to Aidan when he has kids…who knows if YouTube will be around by then. You never know.)

Background story: Aidan knocked over their reading chairs to build a “bridge” they like to climb on. Brooke chose to climb on his chair and he decided to push her off. We have a zero tolerance policy for any physical offenses at the Lam residence, so that’s an automatic time out. Of course, Aidan being very stubborn melted down and refused to apologize. This happened all the way through bath time and bed time, btw. He’s a sweet, sweet kid but when he has a tantrum, it lasts forever. The kid will not back down…and nor would I. Needless to say, it was a great time. Anyways, he finally did apologize to Brooke and me and was lectured on how these things could end a lot sooner if he would just apologize and of course, NO PUSHING!

We hugged…we kissed…all was right with the world again.

Turn down your volume, you’ve been warned:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wow. She’s scary. Lol!

Aidan: “Mommy, are you going running?”
Me: “Yes”
Aidan: “AGAAAAAIIIN???!! You already did yesterday.”
Me: “Yes, but I’m running today too. It’s called exercise, Caucau. It’s healthy and good for you.”
Aidan: “Too much, Mommy…too much!”

At this point, I thought the conversation was over, but he continued,

Aidan: “Mommy, are you going to be stinky?!”
Me: “Haha, maybe. That usually happens.”
Aidan: “EWWWW!”

And he runs off.

Amused, I went for a quick run and came back through the back door. Aidan hears the door opens and greets me. He starts to run towards me and I think he’s going to hug me but instead, he sticks his face into my side and takes a huge whiff followed by,

“EWWWW! Mommy chow chow (which is smelly in Chinese)”

He then cracks up and runs away.

Ladies and gentlemen, my life. Thank you very much.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The kids started Primary at their school this week. I knew this was coming for months and have been uncomfortable ever since. I’m not sure what makes me uncomfortable. The fact that they have to go through the trials of a new teacher, new classroom, new routine. Or the fact that moving up to a real classroom environment means they are no longer “babies”. Maybe it’s both.

Of course, I am immediately proven wrong about my concerns. Aidan comes home every day asking for his new teacher. Brooke tells me about her “new work”. Aidan was singing the “So Long, Farewell” song from the Sound of Music over the winter break. This morning, Mike called me to tell me they are so happy at drop off – no struggles, racing to their new classrooms. He thinks they’re excited about the new material and this change was probably overdue.

As relieved as I am to hear all this, I have to admit I still have a little weight on my heart about this change. As I write this, I figured it out. It’s definitely because they’re not babies anymore. Haha – motherhood is so odd. :)