Prime Day

I am not buying anything on Amazon Prime Day this year even though there is a whole list of items I would love to have. But our apartment is so small with less than ideal storage space so I guess it is also a blessing in disguise, which curbs my enthusiasm for buying. I still have a $10 coupon from Whole Foods so maybe I will get some diapers and wipes for my brother and sister-in-law as they need as many diapers they could get for the baby in her first year.

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Peanut had a check-in with his primary care clinic this afternoon for his injured elbow. His doctor is out on vacation and another doctor treated him instead. His elbow is still swollen and the radiologist from urgent care suggest to wait for another week to do another x-ray to compare the two images. So far there is no fracture but due to his growing bones the radiologist wants to make sure there is no hidden crack.

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The rental property management will shut down the water pipe for some essential repair tomorrow from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Today I worked my ass off to make sure the boys’ clothes are washed, and so are all the towels. I also prepared snacks and food for tomorrow so I don’t have to cook during the day.

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Mr. O couldn’t sleep last night so consequentially I couldn’t sleep either with his constant turning and tossing. We both woke up around 3 a.m. and just laid in bed chatting. His mind is occupied with a lot of work and that kept him from having a good night sleep. I went back to sleep around 6 in the morning for about two hours and woke up again in time to make breakfast for the boys and started the day.

Now I am off to bed at 8:30 p.m. I am so exhausted!

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Casualty of the summer

We got home after 10 p.m. last night. The Urgent Care clinic was sparse with patients and Peanut was the first to be called in. The staff took X-rays of his elbows, and fortunately he didn’t have any fracture although his ligament was swollen. So the doctor gave him a splint to wear for a few days to help relieve the pressure. He is doing well today with some difficulties for tasks that need both arms like changing in and out of his clothes and showering. Mr. O has been his sidekick for his basic needs today.

I made a pot of phở bò today for our next two-night dinner. The management sent a notice that water will be shut off on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for some repairs, which leaves me with no choice but to take the boys out the entire day. We are thinking of going to a matinee movie and then to the beach. They also have a playdate on Tuesday afternoon so I think that would be suffice to plan for a day out.

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This is random but I was thinking about my Chinese grandfather today, Mr. Lai Lâm. Lâm is his last name, which I kept as part of Peanut’s name to keep some sort of legacy. I don’t have many memories of him or with him because he lived in Saigon and we grew up in Vung Tau. Only the last two remaining years of his life that he moved to Vung Tau and lived with us until his death.

I think of him today because I was standing in the kitchen washing the big-leaf mustard greens for pickling and a memory came back to me. I think the sharp mustardy pungent reminded me of how much he loved this pickles and mom used to make a lot of them; sometimes she bought 20 kilograms or more from a wholesaler to fill two or three big plastic containers for two-month or more supply of pickled mustard green, or cải muối chua. Grandpa Lai would ask Mom to make more, not that he would eat so much, but more so that his grandchildren would have more to eat. We used to giggle whenever he spoke Vietnamese with heavy Chinese accent and the language barriers made it hard for him to converse and play with the grandchildren. When he was still well, and not wrestling with his addiction for or withdrawals from opium, he would sit at the front step of our house watching us playing with kids from the neighborhood and smiling.

I wish I have some photos of him to remember his face. All I know is that he was a tall and lanky man with a slow pace when he walked. He had a bit of a hunch back due to years of working as a blacksmith. He also had a few missing teeth and a life-long addiction to opium made him looked tired and emaciated.

But he was a loving grandfather, that much I still remember and hold truth to my memories of him.

A date with Tac and Guac

Mr. O owes me a date. He promised to have one when we were in MN with the plan to leave the boys with my brother and sister-in-law so we could sneak out for an evening at a fancy restaurant and with me getting some margarita. That was the plan but then he stood me up because he had so many family, friends, and relatives on his side to meet. Basically he was booked most afternoons and evenings driving from east to west and north to south of the Twin Cities.

Today we went out for a date, but with Tac (PP) and Guac (Peanut) tagging along. We grabbed some tacos and guacamole and ended with a piece of Tres Leche at Puesto La Jolla. I didn’t grab any alcohol because I have to take Peanut to a birthday party at 5:30 p.m.. I don’t want to be buzzed due to my low tolerance for alcohol of any kind.

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So this is the update of the previous half of this post.

We are currently sitting in the Urgent Care clinic waiting for Peanut to be seen. He was at the birthday party which was held at a trampoline park and another kid outside of the birthday group played rough against the rule and picked Peanut up then threw him down on the floor. Peanut’s arm landed awkwardly, according to the manager who reviewed the video recording of the incident, and to make sure that he is okay we immediately took him to Urgent Care. I think he has sprained his elbow joint and I hope it’s not severe. He was screaming in pain for an hour.

It was unfortunate because he and PP had so much fun at the party.

P.S. My niece arrived this afternoon, weighing at 6 bls and 3 oz!

The first draft

Two days ago I asked PP to read out loud my new banana bread recipe that I logged on here last month. Not until he read it out loud that I realized that my blog posts are full of spelling and grammatical errors. He then told me that I shouldn’t be too hard on him when he misspells words. That was a nice clap back!

With that said, I sincerely apologize for all these writing mistakes as I now have less time to check after writing a post using the phone and usually at night in bed at around 11 p.m. Mr. O does not let me use the phone after getting into bed so I have to wait until he snoozes off in dreamland to sneak the phone back into bed to write something. Far gone are the days of luxury that I used to sit in the living room with a laptop and quiet time to percolate and choose fancy words to express myself.

I should have named this blog “The First Draft” to aptly reflect the current condition of my lack of care.

So now if you see this blog post, you’d know I am breaking Mr. O’s rule and he is sleeping soundly next to me.

Oh yes, I must write about an important thing.

My pregnant sister-in-law (SIL) in OC broke her water earlier today and is now in the maternity ward awaiting the birth of her first child. I texted back and forth with my brother and it’s been a few hours I have not heard any news. I pray that she will have a safe and healthy delivery. Hopefully tomorrow morning I will get to see a photo of my new niece.

The missing days

It’s been 11 days since the last post. And it’s also been three days since I returned to California.

I am trying to fill up the emptied space on this blog with things going on in our lives but couldn’t keep up. To keep the boys busy I have to fill up the days with activities to get them outside and enjoy their summer break. They keep me busy. Today I told Mr. O that I need a raise and a bonus.

The weather in La Jolla has gotten a little bit better to match what summer weather is supposed to be. It’s cool in the shade but hot in the sun. I now could only walk for a mile or a half more in the morning. This is not because I couldn’t do a full three-mile trek but because the boys have been complaining how hot it was to ride their scooter or to walk with me. I usually ended up being frustrated having two whiny kids trailing behind me to fully get my complete walk an quit after a short walk. Urghhh!!

With warm weather and rising temperatures makes it perfect for swimming in our community pool. These past three days we spent our afternoons in the pool. Well, the boys played in the pool and I was sitting on the side watching them to make sure that they play safe. After three days these two boys are now truly living up to their African ancestry; they got so dark!

This morning they had a playdate with PP’s Japanese friend while I tutored the friend’s younger sister. Later on I had to take Peanut to the doctor because he has an abnormal mole that I am very concerned. He also has another weird ability which he is happy to showcase is cracking most of his joints. Lately he has been cracking his hips and the sounds coming out of his body scare the hell out of me. So the doctor gave me referrals for a dermatologist and a trip to imaging center for an x-ray of his hips which I have to schedule soon.

Mr. O is going to D.C. at the end of the month for 10 days. We planned to tag along with him but then we gave up because it costs too much with airfare and lodging. I blamed Mr. O because I asked him to buy the tickets a few weeks ago but he kept delaying until it’s too late to get reasonable fares. Now we missed the timing and well…he will be going to D.C. by himself.