Eri-eri-alaka

"Eri-eri-erika, Eri-eri-alaka," called the big sister Maita.  And so that was how our second daughter got her names.  Maita used so many variations of Erika's name that most of them just stuck.  Erika, Kala, Alaka - these are among the most commonly used names that we call the baby in our family.

I also sometimes call her my little princess.  But she was, literally, a little witch last night.  She kept me up till about midnight before she went to sleep.  She was so in love with her witch costume that she took her pajamas off to change to her normal clothes.  I then had to help her put on the witch costume which she wore to bed.  So she woke up this morning as my little witch!

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday, instead of going to market, we decided to go to B&Q to do our shopping and have lunch at the MacDonalds in the basement.  B&Q is located in the same building as Geant so we are able to conveniently do all our shopping in one place.  Although we were still early for lunch, we decided to beat the rush and take lunch before doing all our shopping.  The highlight for lunch was the free toy from MacDonald's.

The next activity after lunch was the hardware shopping for the new car.  We had to get some sun shades and a box for organizing the trunk.  The main highlight here was the halloween costumes that we bought for our two girls.  Erika got the witch costume together with a hat and matching broom.  Maita got the wizard costume complete with the Harry Potter glasses and wizard hat.  After paying for the B&Q purchases, I had to take all the stuff to the car before continuing the shopping trip for food items at Geant.

We finally finished all the weekly shopping and was back home at around 3 pm.  My two little girls were tired but couldn't resist trying on their halloween costumes.  They took their naps a half hour later and it was quiet at last.

A busy weekend

It was another busy weekend for us.  It started on Friday afternoon after we got the new Passat.  Maita was thrilled to see the new car when we picked her up from school.  She was still gushing about it when we got home and excitedly told Erika that the new car is here.  So we quickly had dinner and took everyone out for a short drive to the bakery.  We bought a chocolate birthday cake for Maita and we went home after I dropped two rolls of slides at the Kodak shop nearby.

Saturday was Maita’s 6th birthday.  After waking up, we all had breakfast together then took out Maita’s birthday cake.  A candle shaped like the number six was lit.  We sang the birthday song.  Maita blew out the candle and we all had cake.  Maita had two slices of her favorite chocolate cake.  Everybody had a piece of cake then we all got ready to go to Taipei for lunch.  We picked up my mother-in-law in Sanchung before heading out to the Nei-Hu district, where L’s younger sister’s family lives.  We’ve done this many times before and the routine normally involves lunch at a Thai restaurant and coffee at Starbucks.  The only special thing about this day was that it was Maita’s birthday and we were riding in the new car.

At the restaurant, Maita got a box of chocolates from her cousin Rita.  Erika also got a smaller package of chocolates from her cousin Kenny.  Both Rita and Kenny are one year younger than our girls.

On the way back home, Maita wanted to eat her chocolate.  We reminded her that we’ve told her many times that we should not eat in the new car.  She was very persistent and I finally told her that she could eat her chocolate outside the car.  I will stop the car and she can have her chocolate before going back in the car.  I did stop the car and it was Erika that went out to have some chocolate.  L and I believe that Maita did not dare go out to have her chocolate because she knew we were a little angry at her.  Nevertheless, she did not say a word on the way home.  Both girls took a nap on the way home to Hsinchu.  L and I discussed this and wonder whether we should just take the van when we go on trips lasting an hour or more.  The van is much bigger and we let the two girls eat or drink stuff in it.

A new car!

After a two month wait, we finally got word that our new car is at the dealership.  Yesterday, we went to see it and do some initial paperwork.  Today, we went to the bank to wire the cash portion of our purchase.  After all the paperwork is done we can expect to be driving a new car by Thursday or Friday, at the earliest.  In any case, it will make it in time for Maita's birthday.  We've been telling Maita that the new car will arrive by her birthday this Saturday.

We're financing a majority of the purchase price at a 4% interest rate.  We decided to go for a two year loan period.  Our previous car purchases had 0% interest terms as the dealer was trying to move his inventory.  This current car model, a Passat TDI, is a very popular model so there is no such financing incentive.  We had to place an order before we even saw the car!  We did test drive a Golf TDI, which had the same transmission system.

When we visited the dealer yesterday, we needed to make some decisions on the options for the car.  Earlier, we opted for the factory model sunshade for the back window.  We opted out of the window tint as the car already had colored windows - we'll just buy some individual window shades for the passenger windows.  We'll most probably add the distributor recommended blue tooth handsfree system.  Now our next purchase should be a mobile phone with blue tooth capabilities.  Both L's and I have standard 3 year old no-frills Nokias.  I guess we'll both need to upgrade our phones!  We also asked the car salesman for a car use vacuum cleaner.  This is mainly for cleaning the food bits and other stuff that our two kids will no doubt scatter on the nice leather back seats.

Summer's Gone

The weather has started to turn cooler and more comfortable.  Autumn is now here and the chill of winter is just around the corner.  This is the most comfortable time of the year when the temperature and humidity are not so high.  The water temperature in my goldfish tank has dropped from the 30s to about 23ºC.  It’s not yet sweater weather but it’s a good idea to bring a windbreaker or wear a long sleeved shirt when going out.  We now make sure that both our girls are either wearing enough clothing or a windbreaker.  Although the temperature is comfortable, many people still catch a cold because of the temperature change.

Cheap Thrills

Sunday was market day.  After purchasing the week's supply of food, we were on our way to our usual lunch at a Thai noodle shop when Maita stopped in front of a store selling slippers and other footwear.  She saw a pair of rain boots and wanted one.  So we bought a pair each for Maita and Erika.  Both of them immediately wore them to the Thai noodle shop near the market.  These pink rain boots suddenly became the favorite footwear for both our girls.  Both of them wear the rain boots and happily hunt for puddles of water to use the boots on.  They continue to wear them today despite sunny weather.  We just went with the flow and let them be.

L's sister, brother in law, and kids came to Hsinchu to spend the afternoon with us.  We had lunch together then had some ice cream and coffee at the ice cream shop nearby.  The following day (Monday), we went to Taipei to have lunch with them.  We also went to get L's mother in Sanchung so she can spend the afternoon with us.  As usual, we went to a Thai restaurant then had coffee at Starbucks.

Wo yiaw niao niao!

Wo yiaw niao niao! Wo yiaw niao niao! "I want to pee! I want to pee!" cried Maita as I was driving the van down to our basement parking spot. "I want to pee! I want to pee!" "Mama, can I pee on your pants?" cried my desperate daughter as she sat on her mama's lap. Noo! Wait! Hold it! cried my wife in panic. I stopped the van in front of the door to the elevator and let them get down quickly before I go to our parking spot.

I parked the van and walked to the elevator. As I was walking, I wondered whether they made it to the toilet. Not seeing any wet spots on the floor or the elevator, I figured that they made it. We live on the 21st floor so the elevator ride would take some time from the level 2 basement parking area. When I reached our apartment, I was surprised to get there ahead of my wife and daughter. L tells me then that she had to let Maita pee on the first floor. But there's no toilet there, I remarked. L took Maita to the back, found a grass spot and let Maita fertilize the grass. And L had a wet spot on her jeans to show for it!

iTunes and podcasts

If you have a fast internet connection, it is worthwhile to download the iTunes program.  I found iTunes to be a nifty program for listening to music and podcasts.  I've been listening to Tech Nation with Moira Gunn.  These free podcasts are all about science and technology.  They're real interesting if you're into this kind of thing (science and technology).  I recently listened to a Moira Gunn interview with Graham Hawkes.  Graham Hawkes talks about submersibles and his quest to go to the deepest part of our water planet.  There's also some talk about the giant squid with the 15 inch eyeballs.  Download this podcast and take a listen!

A trip to the dentist

First visit
Maita had her teeth checked early last week.  This visit was a result of her losing one of her front teeth.  The dentist found several teeth with cavities and worked on one of them.  This is her second cavity.  An appointment was made for the following week as there are other teeth to work on.

We also took Erika to have her teeth checked.  At first both of them wanted to be the first.  I guess this is the effect of the frequent reminders that they are going to the dentist to have their teeth checked.  Both Maita and Erika were apprehensive at the dental clinic.  Erika seems to have no cavities but the dentist told us to brush her teeth better.  It was funny to watch Erika being checked while her teeth were half clenched.   She finally cried when the dentist tried to polish her teeth with the electric thing-a-ma-jig.

Second visit
We took Maita to the dentist this morning to continue the cavity work.  The dentist worked on the remaining cavities.  A total of 3 teeth were filled this morning.  So Maita has a total of 5 teeth with cavities.  The next checkup is 6 months later.

We were a little disappointed to find out that Maita has cavities.  She's been cavity free for close to six years now.  We've been careful with her diet and we did not encourage the eating of candies.  Unfortunately, this temptation for candy is everywhere - in the malls, among other children and their parents, every trip to the convenience store, and now even in our house (our domestic helper has a sweet tooth and keeps a supply of candy and cola).  I guess we'll just have to make sure that both girls brush their teeth well.  We also told Nehriza, our domestic helper, to stop offering candy to our girls.

Sibling Rivalry

Younger siblings have their own survival mechanisms. I'm amused to recall what Erika did last night when it was time to take a bath. Normally, Erika and Maita would bathe together in one of the bathtubs. I would prepare a bubble bath and both of them will jump in after a pee in the toilet. Occasionally, Erika would want to bathe in an old plastic bathtub which we can set up beside the normal bath tub. But last night, she took her mom's hand and led her to the other bathroom. She wanted to bathe separately from her big sister Maita! And why? She had some new toys - a set of 6 plastic pumpkins which we bought earlier in the day during lunch time. Maita was asking for 3 of the pumpkins to play with in the bath and inviting Erika to bathe with her. Erika wouldn't budge and would not bathe in the same bathtub as her big sister! So the two sisters ended up bathing separately in two toilets.

My two precious girls

My two precious girls are both Scorpios. Maita was born in late October and Erika in early November. Like Scorpios, they both exhibit strong emotions and wills. Maita has a mercurial temperament and could easily go from happy to sad in the blink of an eye. Erika is not as mercurial but she also shows strong emotions when happy or sad.

Maita
Maita was born about six years ago on the year of the big earthquake, 9-21, as it's called here in Taiwan. My wife, L, gave birth to Maita on her 36th week of pregnancy, a little early for a firstborn but within the normal timeframe. My firstborn was not a big baby, only 2580 gms, 49cm. Maita was a difficult baby to take care of. She had extremely sensitive skin and we had to take extra precautions to keep her from scratching herself sore. She's a lot better now but we still need to be extra careful with her skin. When she was still a baby, I remember that she needed a good wipe after every bottle of milk. In the summers, 3 or 4 baths a day were normal. The area around her lips would be red and itchy from the saliva that comes out when she's sucking her pacifier. We had to be very selective with whatever will touch her skin. We found that using only water (no soap) for her baths helped a great deal. We had to use more expensive, allergy tested lotions (no J&J products!) - we settled on the German branded oils and lotions. Her clothes has to be from the finest of cottons - no synthetics or blends.

Erika
Erika was born about three years ago, a slightly premature birth. L broke water on her 33rd week of pregnancy and we had to go to the hospital. The doctor would not let us leave and L had to lie in bed till Erika could be born. The doctor decided to monitor my wife and postpone the delivery as long as possible. The purpose of this was to give Erika some more time to develop before coming out to this world. About a week later, the doctor decided it was time. Erika was born in a room full of doctors and nurses. She had a team delivering her and another team on standby to check her (after she comes out) since she's considered a premature baby. Erika had to spend a week in the incubator before she was strong enough to breathe on her own. Her development progress was quick and she was eventually strong enough to leave the hospital almost a month later. I've often told L that Erika was a fighter and she was going to quickly catch up to the norm. And a fighter and adventurer she is! Erika has Maita as a role model since we haven't sent her to pre-school. She always wants to do what Maita does. Whatever the big sister does, the little sister will try to follow. As a result of having a role model, Erika is a lot more adventurous than Maita was at her age. She's not afraid to try new things and is always climbing things or grabbing things from her bigger sister.