Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

儿童书推荐

发信人: Swell (帘卷西风), 信区: Parenting标 题: 儿童书推荐
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Thu Dec 20 17:50:49 2007)
幸福的种子
小子跟我最喜欢的一套读物是南京师范大学出版社出版的《幸福的种子〉，全套共三十册。先不要害怕，只是三十本薄薄的小册子，每个分次都是独立成书，一个短短的小故事绘本，一般大约两分钟就可以讲完。这些故事绘本有的是日本作家的作品，由美国作家的作品，也有中国本土儿童作家的作品。用字还有句子都比较简单，浅显，生动。这套书很适合两岁到五岁左右的孩子看，或者给大一点孩子做识字课本也是不错的。每本书后面都有点评，还有配合这书里面的故事的家庭小游戏歌谣等等。里面也有一些不是故事类型的书，比如《收集东，收集西〉，讲孩子的对于身边杂物还有很多有趣的物品的观察收集，感受物品的不同性状颜色，用途和质地。还有《拍花萝〉就是很多短篇童谣的集锦。以前当当网有卖的，我去年就在那里买，现在不知道为何不卖了。网上还有其他的网站在卖，大家自己找找吧。我们家小子非常喜欢这套书，里面的胡萝卜火箭，三只小猪去上幼儿园，兔子先生去散步，小豆豆的假期，爱吃水果的牛，蜘蛛先生要搬家等等都是他熟悉喜爱的。小熊布迪系列 亲子双向阅读丛书中国少年儿童出版社出版，德国的哥里塔.卡斯特拉还有苏珊娜。麦斯的作品，也是儿童绘本。这套书的绘画确实很棒，里面的小动物们都毛茸茸的憨态可掬，故事也很生动。书上写的是适合两岁到六岁的孩子阅读。我这个比较挑剔的人觉得有点儿遗憾的是，那些翻译过来的词句给孩子讲述的时候，稍微有一点拗口，不是很流畅。句子偏长，故事的篇幅也稍微长了一点，我这种讲故事要手舞足蹈的人，至少要十分钟讲完。快的话，也要六七分钟。所以对于小一点的孩子，不知道能否有耐性听完。因为，其实故事不在于长，在于生动简洁。可能大一点点地的孩子，才会有耐心地慢慢体会故事里面的每一个有趣的细节。我们家小子属于那种不停地提问题的，不停地要重复前面的某些细枝末节并且穷追猛打的听众，所以，给他讲这种故事书，属于苦差事。这套书，当当网有卖。睡前的泰迪熊这套书很小，也只有四本，故事简单，都是小孩子睡觉前的题材。但是阿，我们家孩子喜欢得不得了，看了又看，读了又读。虽然明知道就是说教，让小孩子好好睡觉不要捣乱，但是咋就那么有趣，那么好看呢。每个故事，一分钟就讲完了，太适合我这种懒虫妈妈啦，因为睡觉前最害怕小孩子拖拖拉拉了，一分钟讲完，然后要求人家跟书上的泰迪熊一样，好好睡觉，还有比这个更好的事情吗？而且平时你不去讲，孩子也可以自己拿着小书来看，自言自语地重复故事，所以，故事简单，真是好啊真是好。强烈推荐，吐血推荐。当当网有卖。另外，泰迪熊还有快乐的泰迪熊系列和顽皮的泰迪熊系列，故事就比睡前的系列长的多了，翻译的句子也比那个啰嗦些，不过不妨碍我们小字的疯狂喜爱。我妈妈——启发系列绘本 我爸爸——启发系列绘本 这两本书的作者是同一个人，合称为爸爸妈妈系列。也是从小孩子的角度来描绘爸爸妈妈，很适合跟孩子一起阅读。我个人觉得爸爸那本比妈妈那本有趣。：）当当网有卖。--

Tutou's first birthday

updates

I am really bad at keeping this up, on the other hand, XiaoXiong is growing too fast to keep up with anyway ;-)
ok, try my best here
he is an expert of pulling up and sitting down, it didn't take him long to figure out "bending the knees while sitting down"
learnt to clap hands about 2 weeks ago, he was so happy, big grin on his face when he does that
learnt to find ear(s) most time right ear only
suck bottom lip to make a kissing sound
working on "blowing a kiss" and "cat" - put two hands up on head

he is crawling on four, can push and follow the highchair or kitchen cart for a little bit, climbs stairs half way (to 3/4 if he sees the cat upstairs). what else ?? let's see .... he sort of knows that coming down stairs or bed, he needs to go feet first, but he hasn't got the idea of turning around.

he stopped waving bye bye after he learnt clapping hands, " gou xiong bai bang zi"??
he has very good appetite these days, eats like a pig... everything and he enjoys self-feeding very much.

this is kinda big deal to me rather to ethan, I have fianally stopped pumping this week, so that now I only nurse him in the morning and before bed. it was pretty painful for the first 2 days, I actually had to pump when I got home the first day. then I got through the 2nd and third hard but no pain, by the fourth day I didn't feel nothing any more. It is so much easier now, more freedom ... at same time a little sad ... I don't know how am I gonna wean the one before bed, I mean it means more to me than to Ethan now ... he dozes off with a bottle just fine, but I will miss the cuddling and the warmth, the way he puts his feet between my thigh... remind me of when I have to stop the co-sleeping ...made me sad ...

loving every child

Excerpt: 'Loving Every Child'
by Janusz Korczak and Edited by Sandra Joseph


A new book, edited by Sandra Joseph, compiles the writings of Janusz Korczak, a famous Polish writer and pediatrician and a hero of the Holocaust.


No Book Is a Substitute
I want everyone to understand that no book and no doctor is a substitute for one's own sensitive contemplation and careful observations. Books with their ready-made formulas have dulled our vision and slackened the mind. Living by other people's experiences, research, and opinions, we have lost our self-confidence and we fail to observe things for ourselves.
Parents find lessons not from books, but from inside themselves. Then every book they read can be considered to be of small additional value; and this one, too, will have fulfilled its given task if it has managed to contribute to bringing this idea home.
Know yourself before you attempt to get to know children. Become aware of what you yourself are capable of before you attempt to outline the rights and responsibilities of children. First and foremost you must realize that you, too, are a child, whom you must first get to know, bring up, and educate.

A Child Is Born
As a mother, you say: "My child." When if not during your pregnancy do you have more right to say this? The beating of the tiny heart, no bigger than a peach stone, echoes your own pulse. Your breath provides the child with oxygen. The blood courses through you both and no drop of blood quite knows yet whether it will remain the mother's or become the child's. Every bite of bread becomes material for building the child's legs on which she will run about, for the skin which will cover her, for the eyes with which she will see, for the brain in which thoughts will burst, for the arms which she will stretch out and the smile with which she will call you Mommy.
As a parent, you say: "My child." No, the child belongs jointly to the mother, the father, the grandparents, and the great-grandparents. Somebody's distant "I" which remained dormant in several ancestors, a voice emerging from a decayed, long-forgotten tomb, suddenly speaks again in this child.
A child is a piece of parchment which has been thoroughly covered with minute hieroglyphics, only a very small part of which will you ever be able to decipher.
As a parent, you say: "She ought to…I want her to…" And you look for a pattern for your child to follow and you search for a life which you wish for her to have. You ignore the fact that all around you there is nothing but mediocrity and banality. People wander around, bustle, they fuss over small problems, fleeting aspirations, uninspired goals, unfulfilled hopes, perpetual longing.
Where is happiness? What exactly is it? Do you know the way to it? Are there those who might know? Will you be equal to the task? How can one anticipate the future and offer protection?
The child is like a butterfly hovering above a raging torrent of life. How to imbue her with toughness without encumbering her lightness in flight; how to temper her without wetting her wings? Should one offer one's own example, help, advice, and words? But what if she rejects them all?
Just remember: A child hungry for advice and direction will absorb it, digest it, and assimilate it. Overfed with moral rules the child will suffer from nausea.
As a parent, you say: "Who is the child to become?" A warrior or just a worker, a leader or one of the followers? Or will she simply want to be happy?
As a parent, you say: "She is supposed to be healthy, so why does she keep crying? Why is she so thin, why does she not suckle properly, why does she not sleep, why does she sleep so much, why does she have such a big head, why does she clench her fists, why is her skin so red, what about the spots on her nose, why does she squint, hiccup, sneeze, choke, sound hoarse? Is this normal?"
You look at this small, helpless thing, which does not resemble any of the other equally small and toothless creatures in the street or in the park. Can it be that in three, four months she, too, will become like them?
Just remember: When is the proper time for a child to start walking? When she does. When should her teeth start cutting? When they do. How many hours should a baby sleep? As long as she needs to.
As a parent, you say: "But is the child clever?" If a parent anxiously asks this question right from the start, it will not take long before the parent will be placing demands on the child. Eat up your food, even if you are not hungry and feel nauseated; go to bed, even though you are not tired and will have to wait an hour to fall asleep. Because you have to, and because I want you to be healthy.
Just remember: Mentalities vary, and children can be steady or capricious, compliant or contrary, creative or imitative, witty or earnest, concrete or abstract; the memory can be exceptional or average; some are congenital despots while others have a wide range of interests.
How often do parents feel disappointment when children fail to live up to expectations, and how often to parents feel disappointment at every step of their development? Parents can be their harsh judges, rather than their counselors and consolers.
It is nothing but a mistake, utter foolishness, to imagine that everything which is not outstanding is therefore pointless and worthless. We are all suffering from the immortality syndrome. Anyone who has not managed to have a monument to himself erected in the marketplace would like a side street named after him at the very least, as a perpetual record.

pull up to stand

XiaoX has mastered this new skill last weekend and has been practising hard these days, almost non-stop ;-) I can definitely see how happy he is. "talking follows walking" but I haven't heard any new words. he has his focus on his motor skills now I guess. his selffeeding has progressed so much. he fed himself small piece of fish at dinner today.

new tricks

things that we are working on:

• pinch
• eat small puff
• hand clapping
• hold sip cup
• hold bottle
• pull up to stand
• move on all four
• tooth??

accomplished

• wave bye bye
• bring big chunk of food to mouth,
• chew on crackers / bone
• use straw
• drink from glass/ bottle held by others
• make face
• peek-a poo
• tummy to knee to sit
• pull up to knee
• stand while holding on things
• bring food to mom's mouth
• wa -wa-wa

Ethan has been screaming a lot lately. some says that he is trying to communicate. ??? he does that more often when he is tired or frustrated or in a loud noisy place. like restaurants, it is annoying and embarrassing. I hope it is just a phase thing and can't wait for it to go away ...

Alex just told me that he is going to take a business assignment in India at the end of Jan next year for 4-6 weeks. that sounds like a long time to me. by then our nanny will be gone as well, I am not sure if I could pull it out all by myself??

vacation in Turk and Caicos

Nov 22-27 at Turk and Caicos

full moon to blame?

read on Ask moxie, a mom is relating the phase of the moon to her baby's sleeping problem. according to her (and some other moms) that kids behave differently during the full moon days. it was confirmed by people worked in ER/hospital too. more violence and delivery during full moon. fascinating!! Ethan slept terribly last night, but unfortunately it wasn't full moon ;-) so I will have to see in a couple of weeks.

we went to the Fortworth Zoo on Sunday, with Tutou's family. it was a much better zoo than the one in Dallas. we saw white tiger, bears, mountain lion ... lots of cool stuff. Ethan loved feeding the birds. weather was great.

we went to Hannan & Sean's in the afternoon to watch football game. despite Alex's support, Coits lost to New England. But Cowboys beat Eagles pretty easy in the evening.

Holloween

Ethan's first Holloween!!!!!!!! I don't think he liked his custume, but I think he enjoyed trick&treat. ;-)

Apple's Orchard

Apple is a girl whom I met at the orientation of my first job out of school. there were 4 of us, all came from different school. she wasn't aggressive or ambitious like lots of new grats, she was always calm, sort of layback and talked gentle ... I liked her the best but she was always kept to herself, then surprise me with something that I have always hoped that I could do but never thought I was capable. she made them so no big deal ...
from time to time, I go read her blog at http://apple0orchard.spaces.live.com/ she writes beautifully, both the words and the pictures. looking at the world through her eyes is such an pleasant thing ....

Day cares

we have alwayd said that Ethan goes to day care when he reach 12 month. that'd be next Feb. Both of us grew up in daycare when we were little. or maybe I didn;t, I was at a homecare for 6 days a week, only went home on sundays (back then we didn't have Saturday off).of course I didn't remember anything other than what had been told by my parents. it felt OK untill I had Ethan, I couldn't imagin leaving him for more than 12 hours. I guess I am becomin a control freak, I just don't trust anyone, surely they maybe know more about babies, but I care him the most. I told myself that I will take Ethan to daycare next year. but the more I think about it, the more I hate that idea. it makes my feel sad :-( I know he wants me ...maybe not, he'd be fine, he will survive and he will learn and cope. he is my boy, he will do well, but I still feel sad leaving him with strangers. bunch kids ... the image of him being with a group of stranger kids and teachers in a crowded room just breaks my heart. but it is good for him, isn't it? he needs to grow up, but he is still a baby. I wish I could spend more time with him, I wish they do part time program. maybe I will do 4 days but not taking him on Fridays.
daycares are expensive too. average $1000/month. Alex has felt in love with the Creme-de-Creme which is really nice but we will be really at stretch. I doubt it worth it. I think he is who he is and he follows his own path. I could not change him for what I like and noboby can and noboby should. he will grow and become who he destinated to be despite what we had hoped. it is all about him ... not me ...right? I need to love and accept no matter what...

Child care

Choosing a Daycare Center

Choosing the proper daycare center for your child should be a carefully thought out and researched process. With some daycare centers being exceptional and some being just plain bad, it is important to pick a center that helps your child grow and develop his skills while also having fun.
There are several advantages to having your child in a daycare center. Good centers have a mix of activities that will teach different skills. Projects that lead to creativity, storytelling, dancing, and singing all help the child learn instead of just playing all day. Children also get to socialize with other children, which they wouldn't get to do as often if they were at home with a nanny. Finally, the centers are more stable and consistent than nannies because the center will watch your child even if a teacher is sick.
There are, however, a few disadvantages to daycare centers. Children and babies usually don't get the one-on-one attention they would get if they were at home with a parent or nanny. Children can also be more likely to get sick since they are exposed to more germs from all the children. While centers are usually very structured and have clear rules for parents to follow such as those regarding picking up your child, a disadvantage is that you could incur fees for picking up your child late, having to find a place for your child on holidays, or finding someone to watch your child if he or she becomes sick and is sent home by the center.
To assist you in finding the appropriate daycare center, we have listed steps below that will guide you through finding a good daycare center and noticing the signs of a good daycare center , as well as recognizing the signs of a bad daycare center.
Finding a good daycare center
Make a list of what's important to you. Do you want a center close to home? Close to work? Do you want your children to be with several children or prefer smaller groups?
Research all your possibilities. Ask your friends, family, doctors, and referral agencies for centers they would recommend. Look on the Internet and in the phone book for other possible centers. When doing your research, be sure to think about your list of important topics. Is the center accredited by the National Association for the Education for Young Children or the National Association of Family Child Care? Has the center received any local award or recognition?
Once you have a list of possible centers, call them on the phone and ask some preliminary questions. This is a very important step. Make sure you remember your initial feeling of the conversation and write down if you had a good or bad feeling, including what made you feel that way. You should ask about their policies, hours, fees, activities, and philosophies on teaching children. Are they flexible to help you with your schedule? Will they accommodate your special requests? What is their teacher to child ratio? Do they change activities frequently? Do they have experienced teachers?
Narrow down your list by crossing off the centers you had a bad feeling about. Next, visit and interview the center you had a good feeling about. Get a list of the activities and look around at the facility. Is the center a warm, clean, safe environment in which you think your child would learn and have fun? Be sure to pay close attention to the actual teacher to child ratio during your visit to verify what they told you it was over the phone. Also, ask any more questions you may have and make sure the director is allowing you free access to look at everything you want to see or know about. Again, your gut feeling is most important.
Narrow down your list again then start checking references. Call parents of children who are currently at the center or have had children at the center in the past. Ask their opinion of the center and if they would recommend it to you. If their child is no longer at the center, ask why.
Take you child to the center for a visit. Observe how your child acts in the environment and around the teachers. Does your child seem comfortable? Do you think your child would be happy at the center?
Once you find a daycare center that meets your qualifications and one that you feel your child would like, enroll your child. If there is a waiting list, get your name on the list and find a temporary caregiver until a spot becomes open.
Signs of a good daycare center
Reputation: The references you talk to should be very happy with the center. If they are unsure or have doubt, you probably will too.
Caring and qualified staff: The staff should be enthusiastic and interact with the children in a positive way that shows they really care. The staff should have a philosophy about discipline, feeding and sleeping that follows your philosophy. The employees should be educated with at least two years of college, a background in child development, along with first aid training and knowledge of CPR. The following is the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended child-staff ratio.
Age
Child-Staff Ratio
*Maximum Group Size*
Birth-12 months
3:1
6
13-30 months
4:1
8
31-35 months
5:1
10
3-year-olds
7:1
14
4-5-year-olds
8:1
16
6-8-year-olds
10:1
20
9-12 year olds
12:1
24
Safe, clean facility: A good center has floors, walls, bathrooms, kitchen and changing stations that are clean, well lit, and ventilated. There should be established policies on how to keep things clean, when and how often hands are washed, and how to keep toys and equipment in safe working order. The center should have an emergency plan, with first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and childproof storage areas. All general child safety issues should be followed.
Established rules and policies: A good center will be flexible but it should follow set hours, have enforced rules on sick children, and will require checkups and immunizations to prevent the spread of illness. The center should have an open door policy that allows you to stop for a visit unannounced. If they don't have this policy, they might be hiding something.
A complete schedule of activities: Good centers will have a schedule that allows for play time, quiet time, individual activities, meals, snacks, and group activities. One thing that should not be included in a good schedule is TV and videos. A good center teaches a wide variety of topics, while at the same time, teaching things appropriate for the age group. Also look for toys that are appropriate for the age of your child. These toys should be fun, while letting the child be imaginative and creative.
A current license: While a license doesn't guarantee the center will work for you, the center should be licensed by your local city services department. Also look and see if the center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Licensing laws vary from state to state. You can find your state's child care regulatory agency, along with other helpful information at the ChildCareAware website.

Recalls Baby Einstein Color Blocks

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08005.html

Sick XiaoXiong sucks

Ethan had a temperature last Wed(9.26). it started in afternoon and it went up to 102F before we gave him Tylohone. he had to have it again every 4 hours. on Thursday it didn't get any better, he refused to eat anything other than nursing. we tried everything to give him more fluid cause he sweat a lot and his temperature went up to 103.5F in the afternoon. he'd threw up if I force him taking the Tylonone, Alex had to got out to get cherry flavour in the evening, but the temperature didn't drop much after taking it, so 2 hours later, alex was out again this time we got Motrin. it worked for almost 6 hrs. (he sweat so much) before his tempearture went back to 103F. after the midnight Tylonone, he was fine in the morning, so I went to work, but by 11am, his tempertature came back. took him to the doctor's at 3pm. we were told it was virus. and he should have red rush after the fever went away. and guess what? it did!! Sunday his face, forehead, chest, belly were all poted with red rush. they look scaring but didn't both Ethan. he was eating and playing ;-) hew~~~~~~ by later Sunday, he seemd back to normal, pooped twinc a day. Monday still more red rush ... and Tuesday he woke up with no rush at all. yeah, miracle!! ;-D

belated trip report/Happy natioal day

it has been almost a month since we came back from China. too much to say about the trip while too lazy to start.
things we packed for the trip for Ethan:

• Clothes PJx1 / blanketx2 hat / sunglasses Diaper / wipe
• Bath travel pack towel bottom cream q-tips
• Toys - a bag full
  
• Feeding formula /solid food bowl / spoon bottle/ nipple pump
• Medication sun screen / bug repellent allergy / anti-itchy tellonone
  
• Gears Diaper bag/sling / baby carrier booster seat travel bed stroller
  
• Camera, DV,
  

things that I wish I had packed:

• nursing pad, more baby clothes for Ethan - baby stuff are expensive in B!!
  

things that didn't get used much

• travel bed: only used on the airplane (DFW to Narita) , he was held pretty much all the time on the way back.
  
• booster seat: only use a couple of times at home. most resteraunt has high chair.
  
• PJs: it was too hot to wear them
• pump: used only once, nursing schedule was all messed up by the 13-hr jet lag.

we didn't pack much for ourselves. summer traveling is easy ;-) besides I gotta save enough suitcase room for new clothes ;-))

highlights

• early bird gets the worm. bulkhead seat will only be assigned at the gate (not at the check in counter in DFW with AA). there are pros and cons for bulkhead seats. you definitely get more leg room, for infant under 20lb or 6 month, a bassinet can be attached to the partition wall. Ethan was too big for that, so we had him in the travel bed on the floor. the only complain about the first row seat is that the armrest is fixed, so you can't lift it up to let the baby lie down even you got an empty seat next to yours.
  
  • 
• narita airport is great for kids - a very nice child area, play room, meeting room, nursing room, changing room, a kids toilet and even a purified water fountain.
• 
• we love our stroller. it is lightweight, one hand fold down and very easy to maneuver. also the navy/red color fits Xiaoxiong very well ;-)
  

• Food, Food, Food ... Beijing has too much to offer, there is no way we could try out everything we wanted in 2 weeks, we even had our lunch booked. "big plate chichen and DuoJiao fish head" were the two got left out. ;-( next time we'd need a list and schedule. Ethan has gone to numurous resteraunts with us, among them, Beijing roasted duck we had twice, once at BianYiFang (MenLu), once at DaDong(LuaLu). I thought they were equally good (what d I know? I am so not a duck eater:-) ways of eating duck is getting fancier, we even had a girl to come demo us.

• Backsea/bar street , it is no more the place where I grew up.

back from China

came back from Beijing a week ago, still feeling tired. we had a wonderful time too much to do ... 2 weeks just too short, almost didn't worth the 17 hrs flight and the srewed up - jetlag.

Xiaoxiong is getting better every night, slept from 11-5 without waking up crying.

roll over -

Little bear finally rolled over both way! It just happened. thanks to all the neck strength he has been getting from the swimming. he could lift his head much higher and when he turns around to look at me behind him, it just happened like that. so easy!! and then he did it again! it seems so natural to him while i was excited about his new gained skill, he seemed unimpressed, didn't show satisfaction or whatever ... made me wonder may he knows how to do it all along ?? ;-) anyway, he is getting more mobile, moves all over the place in his crib while he was sleeping.
Tutou talks Dadadadada the first time last Sat. and Little bear still favours mamamama ;-)

he progresses slowly on solids. he likes carrots, overall, he is not very ensusiastic about solid food. I guess he getting enough from the milk?? hope so ... he will be given a taste of everything though, no matter he likes it or not. he hates greenbean, maybe I should try a Gerber's ...

Harry Potter

Have been staying late reading the last Harry Potter book for the last a couple of days.

week #??

XiaoXiong has gone back to wake up 1-2 times a night for the past week. I don't think it was one of those "wonder" weeks or growth spurt. It could because of grandpa's leaving and the new nanny and not sleeping in his crib ... the last couple of days, I have moved him back to his room and he seems slept a little better in his crib. at least he is not waking me up every 30 mins.
XiaoXiong sits up by himself much better now. he loves to sit with his spounge Bob pillow on his lab. he smashes his face in the soft pillow and squeak ;-) still, does not roll back from tummy. I think he has give up on that. I think he will be late on crawling since he hates laying on his tummy so much. my poor baby has big head and skinny arms ;-) it is OK, mommy will get big arms just to carry you around a little longer ;-*

dumpling making tips-真正汤多味香的饺馅做法。。。

真正汤多味香的饺馅做法。。。 来源: 饺子王传人 于 03-12-06 08:09:34
这可是我家的主传密法，说出去我爷会打死我的！如各位真的想知道，给我点鼓励，我就豁出去了。。。。其实，汤多和用什么蔬菜、皮冻等无关，但这种想象力是值得鼓励的。汤多还是源于用水。只是如何用才能流汁而饺子皮不塌底。味香可以考虑用冬菇水发后切碎放入，也可加些碎香干。起鲜如果不想靠味精的话，可以用韭菜，加鸡蛋抄熟后拌入。================================================================上次说到汤多主要是源于用水，其实也可加肉汤、鸡汤等。要吃素，可以加发冬姑的水（有痛风病的不要这么做，因冬菇含有的嘌呤物质太多）。边加水边和馅，直到馅发出响声。我们业内人士称之为馅会说话了。。。馅中要加些葱和姜米。加入的蔬菜不用加盐去水，因反正还要加水。原先的做法是防止蔬菜中的水分使饺皮塌底。那样纵使不塌底饺馅也是干的，没汁。有些人试图用加油来补偿，结果是也没有太多汁，而且太油腻。================================================================很抱歉说道这会儿才上正题。从老馋猫的第一个贴的一千多人到现在的五百来人，喜爱饺子的人几乎减了一半。但仍然有很多人执着地跟着。所谓好酒不“惧”巷子深，这正是美食家的品德！我们主传的美味饺子，也正是为他们准备的。上次说到加水和馅直到发出声响，然后就是最关键的一步 --- 加油。边加油边搅动，让油充分散开。这里的道理是：让油将馅中的水份包住，以至于在包和煮时不塌底，而吃时却有很多汁！加油多少是技术，少了包不住水；多了油腻。最后加盐调味！因为先加盐会将蔬菜中的水分析出，造成馅的附水力差，不易用油包住。所以，在油施加保护膜后加盐，就不会出现析水的问题。下饺子的火候也很重要，下时要搅动，防止塌底漏汁；不要煮过火，饺子皮鼓起时就可以了，过火也会造成漏汁。请各位按此法试一下，如成功，请告诉其他对饺子一往情深的人们；如不成功，也不必成仁，来信我们共同切磋！祝愿大家都能吃上真正汤多味香的饺子！尤其是那些战斗在北美前线的同志们。

Little bear's new nanny

today is Ms Zhuang's first day. I think xiaoxiong likes her so far. he is all happy and talkative. bumama is his new favorite. ;-) I acturally fed him banana sauce at dinner time, maybe he is trying to tell me that he likes banana ;-)

Xiaoxiong can sit without support for 1-2 mins. he seems very happy with this new perspective.
Yanghee came to see xiaoxiong last Sat. she brought a spoungbob!! we all love it.

we have started regular gym going. it seems helping with my energy level but also makes me hungry all the time. ;-(

we watched the CNN/Youtube host Democratic presidential debate on Monday night. it was a fun format, very entertaining. I wa not impressed by Obama's performance. I think Hilary did a much better job. I started to like her ...

Guidelines for implementing a baby-led approach to the introduction of solid food

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html

Little bear is getting better with spoons. when it comes to food, he has no patient at all, he tries to shove the cereal bowl to his mouth if the spoon does not come to him fast enough. LOL

I think he knows how to make me laugh. he has that "knowing" look. I swear I see happiness, understanding, recognation in his eyes and he loves me! I found myself thrilled again, he is so much a little person now.

what has happened last week

I know I have been lazy, but part of the reason was DH broke the computer at home. so ... there was no all my laziness.
OK, so much have happened last week. let's see

Sat. July 6. Everyone got up really early and headed to our 2nd nanny-search trip at 7:30. and we got lucky this time, Ms. Zhuang is a God-sent for our little bear. ;-) as for my advice in looking for nanny? trust your instinct!! you are a mom, you know what is right, you just know!!
Baby party at Tutou's. thanks for Tutou's mm/dd. it was so much fun!! http://picasaweb.google.com/evette.yu/BabyPartyJuly807

Mon. July 8. Ethan has started practicing "mom" ;-)
Wed. July 10 Ethan says "mama mamama ..."
Friday July 13 We took Ethan went to Thad's new house. Sarah loves baby Ethan. we had lots of fun. I nursed him to sleep at their guestroom. he woke up crying while we were at dinner. I didn't hear him until Gretchen said " hi, Ee, your son is laughing in his sleep" !!!!! my poor baby, you need to work on yr cry skill more ;-)
Sat. July 14 we got a new mattress. it is hard as rock, but we love it. you can put a glass of water on top while sitting right next to it. ;-) Ethan can sit without support for a minute.
He says dada, baba, nana... he talked alot ...so cute
He went a whole night sleep without waking up even once.
Sun. July 15 Ethan is a big pooping machine, we changed his clothes 4 times!!! :-*
He does so much better with his hands now and he started to recognize people. I took him to babyrus and Xuxhe was holding him the whole time while I was shopping with GuoYi. Ethan kept turning his head to look for me.

starting solid

Ethan eats alot now, he gets upset everytime we put him on the bouncer to watch us eating. So we got a highchair and invited him to join us for dinner. his first meal was rice cereal, according to the book, I made it really watery. He didn't like it at all! next day, I mixed it with some apple sauce. he seemed interested, sticking out his tongue like half inch long ;-) it is frustrating for him, he only gets 1/2 of every spoon. it is a messy job. I am not sure it helped with his sleeping. I gave him a 2 ounce bottle at 11-11:30pm, he has slept through night ever since. ;-) should have done that earlier!!!
He practices "Ma moo ma moo" all day yesterday.
he is trying to crawl, pushes his bottom up and slide a couple of inches.
show first interests to our cat, Heitou, He tried to touch him and talked to him until annoied him away ... really cute.

Miracle

Ethan slept 10 hours straight last night. from 9 pm to 7am! Miracle!!!!!!!!! I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't help wondering what we have done right? according to the book, he must have passed his "19 week sleep recession" and that supposed to mean that he has just mastered a new skill?! grasping? or rollover? he seems more comfortable lying on his tummy, but still could not roll back. he did touch my mouth today when I talk to face closely. he didn't lift the paper I put on his face though.

Tried rice cereal the first time. he sat in his new highchair in his new bib and everything ... couldn't tell if he liked it or not. he made a face as he first tasted it and his tongue kept pushing them out. I guess half of the cereal ended up in his neck ;-) all well, I guess he is not ready.

Stacie's little Owen is 13 lbs at his 2-mon checkup. he is so cute ;-)

never too late to start?

Ethan, mommy always wanted to write something for you, to record your little journey, your first smile, first laugh, every single progress you make, watching you growing /changing so fast everyday always scares me. I can't believe that you are 4 month already! where is my little bundle? I am scared that you will be 14 years old tomorrow that I don't get to hold you anymore. ;-( I like to watch you sleeping at night, in the dark I don't feel anything but you, I pretending there will always be that moment, I could sit there watch you forever, forever ... I am so lucky to have you in my life and mommy promise to write to you everyday (Did I just said everyday?? Sorry baby, I'd love to ..but... if you sleep through the night ...maybe ..we will see hiw it goes )

June 24 - by Victor