Show

I used to have several Lawrence Welk show VHS tapes that I watched regularly. They got so badly overused that Grandma disposed them. Somehow one tape escaped extermination. I have been watching it for a couple of days now. I enjoy it so much that I laugh and clap as I watch the show.

My mom has been taking me out on my buddy bike almost daily. She always has a bowl of ice cream on raspberries waiting for me. That is the only reason I am willing to go on the bike with her.

Today, as we turned the street corner to near the vicinity of the dog statue, I said, "Dog". I feel pretty safe because I have figured out that the dog does not move. My mom is happy that I talk to her. When I saw a windmill, I said, "Windmill". There is a water fountain in somebody's front yard. I stopped and watched it. My mom asked me, "What do you see?" I replied, "Water".

Making Choices

My mom would like to allow me to make choices. Every day, she asks me a few times if I want to go on my buddy bike or not. My response has always been a definite "no". We have only been out on my bike once this summer. My mom feels that it is such a waste to have it just sitting in the garage. Today she prepared a big bowl of raspberries with a small amount of ice cream on top. Again, I said no to the bike ride. She gave me a spoonful of the treat and then I was willing to go with her.

My mom got me to sit on the bike and then she gave me the raspberries and ice cream. She waited till I finished my snack before she peddled us out of the parking lot. Powered by the ice cream, I started to peddle as well. We were going so fast that my mom stopped peddling.

We passed by a house where there was a dog statue sitting on the front lawn. I stared at the dog and I wondered why it did not move. I kept turning my head around to see if it came after us. Noticing that I was intrigued by it, my mom took me back to the spot and let me look at it again. I stayed there for the longest time staring at it. I am really puzzled by this motionless creature.

Tragic Loss

An aunt was killed in a car accident. My mom was in shock and denial for some time before she finally begins to accept the reality. She hasn't been sleeping and is feeling exhausted emotionally and physically. She stayed up most of last night typing a tribute to my aunt. This helps her to cope with the loss. The funeral will be on Saturday. Hopefully, my mom can reach some form of closure and be able to move on.

Starting from tonight, my mom will adhere to her doctor's advice and take a prescribed medication that promotes restorative sleep. She need some good sleep/rest in order to be more functional and productive.

Emily and Peter will be coming home Friday morning. My mom is looking forward to seeing them. This definitely gives her morale a boost. She started her cooking frenzy already. Yesterday she did some baking. Today she shopped for ingredients to make wonton. Stuffed chicken wings will be on this weekend's menu.

Doctor's appointment

I am determined to impress my mom and to make her proud of me. This afternoon, my mom took me to see my doctor. Generally, when I realize that we are outside the doctor's office, I refuse to get off the van. Today, I got off and walked into the office without my mom dragging and pushing me in. That was nothing as compared to when the nurse called out my name to go with her. Instead of running towards the door trying to escape, I stood up immediately and followed the nurse to go inside. My mom was in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Dental Appointment

I had an appointment to clean my teeth yesterday. Having a dental appointment for you may be as simple as getting there on time. For me, it requires a lot of preparations. One time, when my auntie cleaned my teeth, I clamped my teeth on the mirror. It horrified everyone present to hear the cracking of the glass inside my month. I wouldn't let go of my bite for a long time. Thank God the mirror did not shatter in my month. I continued to crush a few of my auntie's dental tools. The other times that I had my teeth cleaned were either under anesthetic or given medication to make me sleep.

I will not allow my teeth to be brushed properly and I have not had my teeth examined or cleaned for a few years. So, my mom would really like to have it done. She obtained a prescription from my doctor for a sleeping pill. She delayed my bedtime the night before. I was waken up early in the morning to help in making me tired in the afternoon. I was given the sleeping pill after I return home from my volunteering. My mom put me to bed in our van. I fell asleep almost instantly. When I started to snore loudly, my mom drove me to the dental office. I woke up when she turned the ignition off.

I could recognize the place and I immediately switched to a high alert mode. My mom tried very hard to coax me back to sleep, but I didn't feel safe to doze off. When it was time for my appointment, my mom used a wheelchair to wheel me in even though she didn't have any confidence that I would allow my teeth to be cleaned. I saw many familiar faces at the office - family and friends. That helped me to calm down a bit. My cousin (the dentist) came in and sat right next to me. While we were waiting in the parking lot, my mom explained to me that my cousin would be brushing my teeth for me. I started to make sense of what my mom was telling me.

When my mom told me to open my mouth for my cousin, I comply. Other than wiggling away from time to time, I allowed my cousin to clean my teeth. My mom helped in keeping my mouth open and she spoke to me calmly and praised me the whole time. My cousin managed to clean the front of both my upper and lower teeth. They didn't want to push their luck too much and decided not to do the entire job in one sitting. I will have to go back another time. May be or may be not. My cousin noticed that I have a wisdom tooth coming out and there is not enough room for it. I may have to go under anesthetic to get the wisdom tooth pulled out. In such case, any other dental work that needs to be done can be taken care of at the same time.

My Favorite Cousin's Wedding Day

My favorite cousin got married on August 1. I do not understand abstract concepts, so I have no idea what a wedding is all about. I just know that there are music and lots of happy people. I had a great time at the banquet that evening. I laughed when everybody else laughed. I clapped when others clapped.

After my mom tucked me in for the night, I continued to chuckle. I sat up a few times and said to my mom, "Mommy . . ." I wanted to talk to her, but didn't know how to express myself. My mom figured that I must have wanted to tell her how happy I was. Every time my mom tucked me in again, she repeated my bedtime prayer to send me a strong signal for sleep. I finally dozed off at around 1:30 am.