My mother's ears were the comfort zone on to which I would hold for long periods of time when I was young. Niece #2 likes... armpits. She finds them engrossing for some reason.

When she gets frustrated or upset and throws a tantrum, she no longer throws things or hits them, but hits herself on the head--and she's upgraded from using one hand to two. Saw mui!

Heard niece #2 say 'kau kau' for the first time yesterday. Too bad it was on the phone. Apparently niece #1 was modelling a hat yesterday for her po po and doing a catwalk strut too. (She picked it up from some show.) Maybe she should watch America's Next Top Model or Project Runway. Hah.

Niece #2 can pronounce "kau kau" well now... before it was just 'gok gok.' Maybe I'll hear her say it this weekend.

Mom: "Ring?"

Niece #1: "Wing! I need to buy wing so I can fly up and see Jesus."

"When I grow up I want to be a bird, so I can catch Jesus."

*flap flap* "I want to fly."

More nuggets from the nieces

My mother was feeling sleepy--niece #1 asked her to read a book while she was rather groggy. The result was predictable, but not my niece's response: "Po po wake up wake up i don't know what you are talking about." Hahaha.

Apparently niece #1 still thinks I sang ngoi goo gwai to her before putting her to bed. And she wants me to do it again. Then po po told her to say, "Kau kau come here."

My mother told her about the Feast of the Assumption. So on the phone niece #1, "Tomorrow Mamma Mary goes to heaven. You go to Mass!" Then she added, "I'm praying for you."

Niece #2 really likes armpits.

Niece #1 has an imaginary cousin -- they were playing with a stick, that "came from a tree" "high up there".

Niece #1--*puts towel on her head* "I am a sister."
"Daddy will take me to the airport."
"I will go to Mass by myself."
"Look at baby chick. Baby chick in the name."

Edit: "She [Mama Mary] is wearing blue." "She is talking to God the Father."

Niece #2: "Maa! Maa!" "Maaam!"

Niece #1: "I want chicken leg."
My mom: "That's gai bei. Say gai bei."
Niece #1: "Gai bei. I like gai bei. I don't like chicken breast."

heh.

"Popo I don't want you to go. I miss you."
KK: "She's being manipulative." heh

Niece # 1 sang happy b-day yesterday... that was nice...

"M taang wah."

Niece #1 claims I taught her this... did I? haha I forgot. She was on the phone telling me about the pope and her dancing class today. Hehe, so can I get her interested in ECD?

My sister didn't need me to sit the niece, but I ended up getting up rather early anyway. Didn't do much except surf the net, as usual. I then put in an order for some takeout at Cafe Won Kee, and picked up two baked cha siu bao for niece #1 at Kee Wah.

Then another drive up the peninsula...

When I arrived, my brother-in-law was loading the minivan. I went to the apartment, and my sister started opening up the food containers so we had lunch. The salt & spicy fish filet and pork chops were overcooked (like last time). I don't think I will go to Cafe Won Kee again, if I have a choice. The quality seems to be stuck at this level.

When it was time for them to go, we went down to the garage to the minivan. After I put niece #1 in her carseat, she said, "Kau kau go in back."
I said, "Kau kau has to go home."
"No. Sit in big red car."
"Kau kau has to go home."
Then she started bawling.

Fortunately I had some ice so I used that to distract her, and she started laughing after I pressed it against her face. "Dong bing bing!"

I should be going down there next Sunday for Easter dinner. I hope I can take her to the part then, but she may have a date with the "Easter Bunny."

Darda was packed tonight--I had a craving for green onion pancake, so I ordered 3 to go. 3 was too many--it's ok, but not as good as nan, and there was too much of a flour taste to the pancakes, as if there was too much flour, and not enough water to mix it. Or something. Gordon Ramsay can give the explanation of what went wrong.

Uhoh.

the niece: *poot*

My mom: "uhoh"

the niece: "fart"

"What's that?"

"Fong chau pei."

"What's that?"

"Kau kau knows it."

hahaha. If I taught her the Chinese, at least I didn't teach her the English as well.

More from the niece

She told her dad: "Daddy I'm going upstairs to pray."


From the past two couple of days.
"Popo, Jesus!"
"Where is Jesus?"
"There!" (Points to the side of the couch in the upstairs living room.)

My mom: "What did you say to Jesus?"
"K----, you are good. I like you."
My mom: "What did you say to Jesus.
"I love you Jesus."

"Is Jesus standing there or sitting?"
"No, he is laying there."
And then she did her hammering/hitting/scourging motion. And then she did the hammer sound. "gok gok gok"

"I say, 'Jesus, K---- is sorry.'"

(My mom doesn't know if she said this because of what my mom said about the stations of the cross, and that Jesus was hurt and died because people were bad.)

"Po po come, help Jesus"
"Help Jesus what?"
"Help Jesus up."
Where is Jesus going?
"Jesus is going up?"
"Up where?" And my mom pointed to the ceiling. "Up there?"
"Yes, Jesus is going up."

"What is Jesus wearing?"
"Pajama."
"What is Mama Mary wearing?"
"Pajama too."

My mom: "Does he have boo boo?"
"Yes."

"Where is Mama Mary?"
She pointed to the side of the bed.
"Mama Mary is cooking."
"Angel is with Mama Mary. Angel is cooking with Mama Mary."
"What color is Mama Mary wearing."
"Blue."

"Did you talk Jesus?"
"Yes."

"What is Mama Mary doing?"
Mama Mary hug Jesus.
"Did you hug him too?"
"Yes"
"Did you tong Jesus ngao han?" [scratch itch]
"I scratch his arm."

Today they were watching news about weather, and she saw the results of tornados and floods, cars underwater, collapsed houses.
"Po po, you fix it. Sad."

This afternoon: "Did you see Mama Mary?"
"Yes, she is here." (she pointed to the couch)
"Did Mama Mary sleep with you?"
"Yes, she hug me."
"Where is your angel?"
She pointed to the other side of her.

"Does angel have wing?"
"Yeah."
"Does Mama Mary have a crown?"
"Yeah. K---- put the crown on her head."

Yesterday she bit her sister, and her sister started crying. Of course she got a time-out from her mom, and she was crying and lying on the floor, having a tantrum. Later her dad came home and asked her what happened. "Mommy said time out. K---- bite baby."

Later she said, "Sorry J-----," at her mom's prompting.

K---- is still singing, "For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and the whole world." (from the Divine Mercy chaplet on EWTN)
"Popo what is this?"
"This is Divine Mercy."

"K---- go down and eat breakfast."
She took my mother's copy of Magnificat down to breakfast and was looking at it.
"Popo Jesus." "Pope."
She was looking at pictures. "Who's this one?" My mom: "Angel."

My mom thinks she has a very active imagination.... who knows.

Another story about the niece

Niece #1 asked this of her sister, "Mui Mui J------, are you done with boobie?"

What does she mean by that?

She also took her doll, and started to breast-feed it, putting it up to her nipple. hahaha
"What are you doing?"
"Feeding baby."

Now you know what she meant. hahaha She picks things up quickly, niece #1.

Stories about the nieces

After watching Mass on EWTN a couple of times, niece #1 has learned how to sing "alleluia," though she initially pronounced it like "ah-lay-loo-ah" instead "ah-lay-loo-yah" -- the syllables are very distinct. Niece #2, as I've written, occasionally interlocks her fingers, as if she is praying. (I have a picture of this that I haven't uploaded yet.) Niece #1 saw this and said, "Mui mui ------ , amen!" hahaha.

Niece #1 has been playing with statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Therese. She says, "Mama Mary loves [niece #1]. St. Therese loves [niece #1]." I wonder if she treats them as imaginary friens or if it's something real, linked to faith.

Some Kylee stories

Kylee is learning how to make the sign of the cross-she touches her head and then her chest, but doesn't know what to do after that--but she says "Amen."

Yesterday? my mom fell asleep with EWTN on the TV--Daily Mass started and Kylee was trying to get my mom's attention with her "eh! eh!" sounds. She pointed to the TV and the priests were processing in, and I think she said "Amen."

Another time my niece, mom, and sister were upstairs, and EWTN was on the TV again, and there was a photo of the pope. Kylee said, "pope, pope" and my sister said, "That's not the pope." But then the caption appeared: "[Pope] Benedict XVI," and my sister said, "Oh, you're right" or something like that. haha

Heh-Lo

The niece is very chatty; today I heard her say hello. Cute! and smart! Evidently she recognized the statue of St. Therese when it was shown on some program on EWTN and was blowing kisses.

Now I'm waiting for photos of her in her costume...

The niece is walking!

So fast!

My mom's IMs: "Baby is walking now. She said a lot of words, specially No No." "She is smart. I will tell you tomorrow on the phone. She knows birds and aeorplanes. I taught her and now whenever I say birds and planes, she will look up to sky and point to the sky. She learned how to clap now."

D---, I'm missing out.

This morning my niece was baptized at St. Joseph's of Cupertino... I took some pics, and will upload them when I get back to Boston. We had the red egg and ginger banquet afterwards, at Dynasty in Vallco. As for the food... it was ok, perhaps not that much better than Emperor's Palace in SF. Pics up in a week or so.

Surprisingly, one of my first sister's classmates remembered my birthday had passed... not sure how she knew that...

I will probably start a separate blog for papal addresses and other texts, so cantate-domino will have personal updates, current events and such. Not sure if I will keep reviews here though.