Baba's Field Notes

forgotten moments from parenthood by jonathan jui

Letters - Months 07-12

Poopoo and Peepee

Dear Baobao,

With all the interest you’ve been showing in your potty trainer, your mother decided to give it a go putting you on there. Lo and behold, you started doing your business there no problem, and you’ve been doing it with some regularity the past week now.

That’s not to say we haven’t run into hurdles along the way. Your mother frequently runs out of pants now because your urine frequently sprays over the potty guard and onto her. We (or I, rather) don’t like to talk about it with other people because you’re relatively young to be doing this and others always ask, “Why the rush?” or “That’s a bit early, isn’t it?” I mean, what am I supposed to say? And lastly, there’s Kili, who apparently thinks the potty is another food bowl. You read that right – your dog ate your poop…and apparently dogs do this.

jonajooey, baba's fieldnotes

Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether you’re really getting it or you just realize we will read you as many books as you want while you’re sitting there (we even constructed a box to hold all the books like a horizontal book shelf!). In any case, just another source of entertainment and exercise in patience in this household.

Love,
Baba

Flu Season

Dear Baobao,

Last week was a tough week for everyone, as we were took turns passing the flu to each other. Per usual, it started with you. Once you were over it, your mom picked it up and then eventually it made its way to me.

I probably could’ve been a lot more sympathetic to your mother while she was sick, but since she was up and about, I thought she wasn’t feeling THAT bad. But someone’s got to keep the house going and she’s also the only one who can breastfeed you. It wasn’t until I got sick and felt like death that I realized how strong your mother was to carry on (rather than how pathetic I was). I was laid up in bed for two full days just sleeping around the clock!

Anyway, your mother wasn’t shy about giving me grief and poking fun at me when the tables were turned. She thinks she can confirm the man flu phenomena. I’m inclined to agree.

Love,
Baba

Parent Life and Business Trips

Dear Baobao,

Last week, I was away for four days on a business trip to Hong Kong. I’ve gone away before, but as I’ve been a parent for over a year now, some things have changed. I’ve found I’ve become a lot more forgiving with babies on the plane probably because I’m able to sympathize much more…it’ll only be a few months before that’s potentially us!

I’ve become one of those parents that’ll sit on the plane and look at pictures of you because I miss you so much. As a result, I’ve tried to minimize the amount of travel I have to do – it used to be much more fun and exciting, but now I always prefer a front-row seat to the Milo show. Maybe it’s me missing you or me just being a parent, but I see or notice babies everywhere now.

There are some things that don’t change. For example, your mom and I still write emails to each other almost everyday while I’m away. We probably don’t have to only because we also FaceTime each other once and usually take that opportunity to talk about everything that has happened. That we do reminds me of how we use to write letters to each other. I still pop a lot of pills (either Benadryl, Advil PM, or melatonin) to go to sleep and stay asleep. And as before, I enjoy the luxury of peeing without having to put the seat back down.

Love,
Baba