because i had a mother who made it painfully clear how much of a burden i was to her by routinely saying things like “i can’t wait until you’re 18 and out of my hair” or “only two more years until i’m not responsible for you anymore” (on my 16th birthday– one year before she kicked me out.  guess she couldn’t wait until i was 18 after all), i’m now left trying to figure out how to raise my daughters differently from the example i was given.  which is why i always panicked more when we found out we’re having a girl.  for some reason i tend to think boys are easier and…

we’re in the mall yesterday.  seizing a rare opportunity to do a little shopping, i slip into bbw.  leaving phil with all three kids.  soon after, i see a flustered phil standing in the doorway calling me to come out.  one child has vomited all over herself (why is it the ONE time phil has her, she throws up all over herself.  and it really is the first time– they seem to hold it in until i’m holding them and then let it all out.).  another child is whining for a pretzel.  and the last one is fussing in her infant seat. box of clothes in the mail.  allie runs…

i had to post an entry today– eight is my favorite number after all!  for no particular reason other than it’s been my favorite number ever since i was eight.  i was even hopeful that little lauren would be eleven days overdue and be born today.  far-fetched, i know, but that would’ve been totally cool.  but, at least there is an eight in each of my kids’ birthdays! not to mention that the olympics start today.  i loooove watching olympics.  needless to say, we’ll be watching quite a bit of tv in the coming days.  lin hao is my hero.   

lauren had her two week appointment today.  little girl’s been doing some good growing- she’s now 6 lbs 11 oz and 18 1/2 inches long.  not bad considering she was only 5 1/2 lbs when we left the hospital.  yesterday was her due date.  which makes me wonder how big she would have been if she hadn’t come sixteen days early. but we are so glad she’s here and growing well- sleeping great, eating great, and pooping great! and here is her birth story: so like i posted earlier, we headed for the hospital on friday.  phil was post-call that morning and called on his way home to see how i was…

time flies when you’re sleep deprived!  heh heh.  here are some more pics from the hospital… waiting around in triage for contractions to get serious…   shot of the private birthing suite:   she’s here!   checking out the newest tsai:   joanna, johnny, jeremiah, and my dad all came to visit (thanks for the in-n-out! )   i told the kids the baby would have presents for them in the hospital– allie got a play purse and mikey got a lightning mcqueen remote control car.   bonding with daddy:   phil ended up spending a good amount of time sleeping and recovering from a bout of dizziness while we were in…