preschool

siri decided she was done playing with the playdoh that teacher kim made last night. it was pink and smelled like peppermint, unlike the brown and olive-oil smelling one that mommy made.

students (and ms. meg) engaging in the play doh activity. siri is not engaging.

we have toured so many preschools, and only applied to a handful. but, many schools continue to take applications until february, so we toured more, and have several others scheduled for the beginning of the new year.

however, i think we may have found the perfect one for siri! the preschool is based out of the director/teacher's basement, which she spent two years remodeling so it resembles a "conventional" preschool, if you will. teacher kim has a b.a. in early childhood education, worked in preschools prior to opening her own, and home-schooled her two sons (through high school) who are now studying at syracuse and purdue universities. we were a bit concerned about the homeschooling part, until we talked with her about it, and realized that she wasn't some crazy religious nut. she had a good reason, and didn't want to deal with the sf public school system. for those who do not live in the bay area, sf has a lottery system where kids are assigned to schools and are bussed in. i know. it's 2010, and bussing still happens. one more reason why we want to get out of this city by the time siri starts kindergarten.

at any rate, the preschool is really cute. teacher kim did a great job with the remodeling, complete with a mural of jungle animals, and a coconut tree with plastic coconuts hanging from the branches. she handpainted most of the kiddie furniture herself, and serves mostly organic foods. plus, she likes siri and offered her a space to start as soon as possible. we feel relived. this wasn't the type of place we envisioned for siri when we first started looking for preschools, but after visiting so many of them, we had a better idea of what would be best for her. a smaller, more intimate environment with more adult interaction surfaced as the most important criterion in our preschool search.

most of the other places we applied weren't necessarily big, corporate daycare-esque preschools. but, they were big with upwards of 80 total students. granted, the kids would be separated into their own age-specific classrooms, and mingle with the older kids very rarely, the child-adult ratio was not what we wanted. but, we didn't realize this until we actually toured, what i would say a pretty representative sample of the types of preschools out there. in the end, we are choosing a home-based preschool for several reasons. 1. the teacher is the director of the program. many of directors at the schools we visited were credentialed in early childhood education, but that was not necessarily the case for the actual teachers or assistants. aside from teacher kim, one of her assistants also has a b.a. with a minor in early childhood education, and another assistant is working toward her b.a. 2. the teacher-student ratio. at bigger schools, it is easier for kids to get lost among the shuffle of students. and, this will likely be the case for siri once she enters primary school, but doesn't need to be her initial schooling experience. she is still very young, and doesn't really need to socialize with that many kids. plus, teacher kim and her assistants can provide more directed attention to a small class of 10-12, than bigger centers where there are more students to take note. 3. the ages of the children at the school. when we first started our search, we thought it'd be great for siri to be amongst kids who are older than her, so she can learn from them. while we still do not necessarily oppose her being in school with older kids, the balance is important. the kids at growing minds (the name of the preschool) are mostly siri's age -- in the 2.5-3.5 age range -- and are developmentally similar. we took siri to visit the school this morning, and she made instant friends. of course, she became friends with the boys running around, and showed no interest in the girl who was sitting quietly playing with play doh. apparently, siri made such an impression on the boys that they asked about her at lunch today. 4. the school can enroll siri before the fall. so many of the schools we have toured will not enroll students until the fall, and we feel that siri is ready to move on from her current childcare situation. we don't think she's getting challenged enough at anna's. while we feel very comfortable leaving her there, and know that anna nurtures and takes good care of siri, that's not enough. siri had fun at circle time this morning with other kids, and listened intently to the teacher reading a book, and going over zoophonics (which seems like a cool way to learn the alphabet. i was amazed at how much the kids knew and were able to follow along). 5. security camera on the premises, organic food, small garden for the kids, outdoor space, focus on reading, incorporates art and music along side science and math, and proximity to the ocean. the kids can see the ocean from one of the rooms.

we are 99% sure that we are sending siri to growing minds. we're not sure when she would start; obviously, we have to plan on a natural transition point. but, in the mean time, here are two pictures that teacher kim just sent from our visit this morning. oh, and she takes pictures of the kids and sends them to parents periodically. who wouldn't want to see what their kids are up to at school?

xmas tree farm

just doing what she does best: be cute ;)

mommy decided to show siri how to roll down a slightly steep hill. i think i rolled more times than she did.

snugglers

on the tractor ride around the bottom half of the tree farm

siri hanging out in back hoe "claw" she is mildly obsessed with "da che che" (big cars, trucks, etc.)

checking out some dried grass

this is the tree we ended up taking home. i asked siri to point to the tree, but clearly she can't follow simple directions.

the tree farm had many rope swings. we loved it!

after eight years of negotiations, we finally got a tree for the holidays this year. what changed jeff's mind, you ask? well, a very cute two-year-old who thinks lights are the coolest things ever. along with aunt jenn, uncle todd and maia, we visited rancho siempre verde on sunday. we chose and cut down our own tree! siri thought it was pretty exciting, and in fact, she got to choose our tree between the two major contenders. i think it was a pretty good choice. unfortunately, our tree looks a bit pathetic in our living room with one string of lights and six ornaments. one day, we'll accumulate enough decorations for our tree to look beautiful; this is just the beginning.

thanksgiving

jenn and jeff wearing their respective daughters

siri showing maia how to crawl down the hallway

first time ever licking off a beater from electric mixer

lovin' that whipped cream

SO yummy!

nana visited for thanksgiving this year, and siri was actually awake to enjoy dinner with us. it turns out we only took pictures of siri, so here you go!

mini temper tantrum

a little slice of our life...*sigh* a sample of siri's frequent, mini temper tantrums. we also get big temper tantrums, but aren't usually amused enough to grab the camera.

puddle

being born, and living in california all her life thus far, siri hasn't had the opportunity to learn how to splash in puddles. we went on a walk with nana when she was visiting and saw the perfect puddle to introduce siri to puddle splashing. here's the evidence.

my hometown

corvallis was in the news this past weekend, i mean in mainstream news. quick recap for those not in the know: bomb threat at xmas tree lighting ceremony in portland's pioneer square was allegedly engineered by a muslim osu student (with fbi's help), who attended a local mosque very infrequently. someone set fire to the mosque a couple of nights ago -- do the two incidents connect? i think so.

i've been following the story because i am a corvallisite and an oregonian. and, because i am a sucker for sensationalist news. i am glad no one was hurt, with the exception of the kid who sought to blow up the tree lighting ceremony. i am relieved the fbi intervened, but i remain uncertain whether the fbi directed the kid in anyway to carry out the task.

i find interesting however, fb friends' comments regarding the incident, and by the gt's portrayal of stunned corvallisites (gt is the local newspaper -- gazette times). i study inequality and social stratification, which leads me to consider how individual positions in society affect the way people think and act. for example, i am an asian american woman who studies law students. i am not a law student, but i am married to a former law student. is it surprising that (a) law students find me far more interesting when they realize i have some "insider" knowledge into their profession? and (b) asian american students tend to be more willing to take part in my study than students of other racialized groups?

the point of this post isn't about my research, although i can't promise i won't unleash a couple at some point. i have honestly been amazed, but not necessarily surprised that people are genuinely shocked that someone would want to torch the mosque. fb friends and corvallisites mention that the town is "open-minded," "progressive," "safe," and a "bubble." well, that may be true...for the most part.

schoolyard taunts aside, my family endured a lot of, how shall we put this, different treatment, from corvallis community members. did people burn a cross in our front lawn? no. did they write mean letters to us? no. were we confined to designated sections in theatres for nonwhites? no. did we feel uncomfortable in certain venues? yes. did people make fun of the way my parents tried to speak english? yes. did merchants take advantage of my parents? yes. did kids make fun of my accent and clothing when i first immigrated? yes. did a kid tell my brother he wanted to beat him up because he's chinese? yes. was i ever told to go back to china? unfortunately, yes. and the list of subtleties goes on and on.

we move next to the state of oregon. in college, several of us (nonwhite students) used to joke that if you're driving to california, you stop for the last time in eugene, and hope that your tank of gas gets you to california. we laughed. but, it's true. my family experienced no service in restaurants and gas stations in roseburg. we've been stared at (or stared down?) in grants pass. we've spotted confederate flags in southern oregon (and southern washington), which sent chills through my entire being. while in college, jeff and i conducted an experiment at a restaurant on the oregon coast. if i waited to be seated alone, i would be overlooked completely. but, as soon as jeff joined me, well "table for two?"

until this day, i experience "small town anxiety," a term i made up for myself. i am uncomfortable and frankly scared in small towns. we stopped in pescadero this past weekend on our way home from the xmas tree farm, and jeff suggested i try to find something to drink by myself while he waited with siri. i didn't want to. the town was tiny, and i didn't want to go by myself. i was immediately transported to grants pass, or roseburg, or prineville and feared how people would stare at me, or refuse to provide service.

don't get me wrong. i love my hometown. corvallis was safe and smart. i met and made great friends, including one that i married. but, do i want to raise siri in corvallis? hell, no. she does not need the type of othering i experienced, whether it's exocticim or plain exclusion. so, as it turns out, the corvallisites in the gt and on fb did not grow up in the same town as me. they also did not grow up in the same state. there was no physical demarcation of our individual experiences; it was unspoken, emotional and psychological. my oregon is not your oregon. and, my corvallis is not your corvallis. am i surprised by the mosque burning? well...

dancingwalkingondaddybootyshakinggettingintopj

siri practices the booty-shaking she learned from emma

getting into her "shi fu"

massaging daddy's back

walking on daddy's back

cute dancing ;)

no step in barf!

siri got a little sick on monday night -- we think it was food poisoning. jeff came home early, and after picking up siri, we decided to go out to dinner. we had just ordered our food when siri began to spit up a little of water. after the second water spit up, siri asked to go outside, so i took her outside while jeff alerted the server that we would be taking our food to go.

as soon as we got outside, siri vomited all over the pavement. she then stood there, guarding her barf, and warning passersby to "no step in siri barf." she also told some people (including a dog), "siri barf. no step." luckily, she recovered within 24-hours and is back to her old self.

impromptu dancing

emma came over for a playdate yesterday, and the girls just holding hands and dancing without prompting.

our aspiring musician

siri loves to stall during nap and bed time. today, right after going to the potty and before getting on her sleep diaper, siri managed to set up her musical instruments and put on a concert for us. it was genius, because we forgot she needed to nap, and instead asked for a couple of encores.

playing at the park

having a little girl time

siri and zoe holding hands

peeking out at doggies running by

she saw the camera and struck a pose -- totally vogue (in play clothes)

we went to duboce park/playground yesterday with aunt jenn, maia and zoe. siri is really into older kids right now, and was super excited about seeing zoe. i prepped her on our schedule for the next day on thursday, and as soon she woke up friday morning, siri asked, "play zoe?" not sure if zoe is that into siri though.

dinner request

green food = totally yummy

siri munching away on broccoli

showing off a "baby broccoli tree"

we didn't cook a full meal one night, and siri was given the option of choosing among a couple of things for dinner. of the options, siri decided on rice, peas, avocado and broccoli (which is siri's favorite food at the moment).

mommy gets told

i don't have time for a full blown entry right now, but had to share the following:

siri and i were playing on her bed. actually, she was trying to "change" her baby's "diaper," and i just kept grabbing siri's toes. she obviously didn't like that, and kept hiding them from me while saying "no mama, my toe!" this continued for about 20 seconds, then she hid her feet under a blanket. i reached under the blanket and grabbed her toes, and siri says: "no! mama, time out!"

we haven't used "time out" in over a month (we now suggest "chill out", "chillax" or "cool off" since that's what toddlers really need). but i guess the previous time out lessons lingered because i evidently needed one tonight for annoying her.

siri-isms

some more amusing sentence-construction:

- "make apple pie for myself." a seemingly perfectly-constructed sentence. siri made this announcement this morning shortly after waking up and running to her kitchen. we were then served apple pie made from legos.

- "uncle todd, jeff." jenn and maia were over here last night before jeff had gotten home. siri had been curious about uncle's whereabouts since he wasn't here with them (uncle was in nyc). siri heard the door open, assumed it was uncle, ran toward the door, saw jeff and said "uncle todd, jeff." not sure what that was about.

- "xiang aunt jenn/maia, bory/yosuke car." this is what siri says every time she sees a mini. she usually follows with some sort of gibberish commentary that i don't understand. "xiang" means "look like."

- "mama wear that caca." i'm assuming this sentence was referring to notes i had written on a yellow note pad. she pointed at it and said the sentence; she also seems to think "caca" means to color or to write.

- "first, oatmeal chi diao, then cornflake." siri was eating oatmeal this morning, then saw the cornflakes and demanded those. i told her she had to finish her oatmeal. she was too full (or had forgotten about the cornflakes) after finishing the entire bowl to ask about the cornflakes. "chi diao" means to finish eating.

processing.

a few of you know this, and have heard me express my general disappointment, but i haven't really had a chance to process. so, i applied for a tenure-track professor position with willamette, and was invited for a phone interview. i did not plan to go on the market this year, but the position was too perfect in every way -- personal and professional. they were looking for someone who studies what i study, who is dedicated to teaching, and who can contribute to the university's american ethnic studies department. oh, me! me! me! plus, the position was in oregon, which is a personal bonus for our families.

i heard about the position in march, and very nervously emailed my dissertation co-chairs, sharing that i was very interested in the position. in essence, they told me i am too early for the market and i'd be more competitive next fall (people generally apply 9-months to one year before the actual start of the position). but, this was a dream job in so many ways, and i convinced them that i could finish my dissertation if offered the job, and convinced them i would do well there, and moving back to oregon would be ideal for my family. well, they were convinced, wrote letters of recommendation, and cheered me on the entire way through.

i knew that applying would be a longshot. the poor economy the past several years has affected academic hiring, and there are many, many candidates on the market with their phds in hand, plus maybe a couple of publications. i do not have my degree yet, and have no publications...yet. i remained positive while waiting to hear back and was frankly surprised when i got the phone interview invitation.

i got the invite late thursday afternoon, and agreed to a monday interview. i spent the weekend soliciting advice from friends and professors, poring over possible interview questions, and even had my brother and sister-in-law call me from seattle for a mock interview. this job would mean so much for us. not only would it be some sort of validation that my work is worth something, but also we could move to an environment where there was no preschool application hell, and life is just...simpler. we long for that life, for the childhood we had and want siri to have. plus, a move home would be great for jeff's career too.

i can't deny that i was stressed. i was stressed for myself, for siri's future, and for jeff's sanity. i wanted this job SO badly, that i don't think i really took time to relax (although i made myself take a deep breath before answering the phone when it rang at 1:45pm). i'm not sure what transpired from the interview since it happened two weeks ago, but in my mind it went horribly. i wanted to make known that i'm an oregonian and can contribute with insider knowledge about the various racialized communities in the state. instead, i just emphasized that i'm an oregonian without much substance. i think i may have answered each question with "well, i'm from oregon..." ugh!

so, i didn't get an invitation for a campus interview (next step after phone interview), and that's that. i have to admit that i am heartbroken. but, on the bright side, i get to take my time writing my dissertation, and hopefully publish an article or two so that i am more competitive next round. hopefully, i'll also get some interview practice in next time before an actual interview. this was my first academic interview, and i sounded like an idiot. i'm pretty sure my memory is sharp on that one.

but, i have to say that putting together the application materials was a very good exercise (non academic folks brace yourselves. the application materials consisted of: a letter of application, statement on research, statement on teaching, teaching portfolio, cv, and a separate statement especially for willamette). i spent about two months putting together, and polishing the materials; it was helpful for me to think about my work. granted the phone interview was a disaster, i appreciated the opportunity to practice. practice makes perfect, right?

now, my friends, it's time to move on. the dissertation awaits, and i need to write, write, write! be on the lookout for more rejection processing next fall/winter/spring when i hit the market full force ;)

all hallow's eve

the ladybug family (photo by uncle todd)

siri and emma swapped costumes -- siri is wearing emma's costume from last year, and emma is wearing siri's costume from last year

witch and her black kitten

getting some treats

took part in a potato sack race (note: the sack was the size of siri so daddy had to help with the jumping)

the ladybug-without-her-exoskeleton participates in an egg race at the upper noe rec center (she dropped the egg a ton)

with emma at upper noe rec (note: emma's is not in costume. her parents thought she had soccer practice today, but it was in fact, canceled).

the cutest lady bug ever with her leaf

this is the cutest bug ever!

ladybug posing for her close up

siri dressed up as a ladybug for this year's halloween, and mommy and daddy obliged and dressed up as ladybugs as well. we were the ladybug family, much to daddy's initial protest. we had a very busy, and halloween-y day. we began the morning with a kids carnival in noe valley, and then went trick or treating on 24th street in the afternoon, which was filled with little ones running around in cute costumes. this was such as change from last year when we hardly saw little kids walking around. we met uncle todd (broom, not pictured), aunt jenn (witch) and maia (black kitten) for trick-or-treating. siri got quite a loot for the parental unit to enjoy :) we rounded out the night with dinner at emma's house, and siri had a blast playing with emma, and emma's other little friend, isa.

best buds!

best buds! they are always holding each other's hands

siri loved the aquarium!

excitedly showing emma something in the tank

mommies with our little girls

another cute buddy picture!

after living in sf for three plus years, we finally made it to the cal academy on friday. we're now leaning towards getting a membership there and not renewing our bay area discovery museum membership. siri had so much fun, in part because she got to hang out with her bff, emma. the two have so much fun together, and really are best buds.

pumpkin patch

some pumpkins needing clothing...

siri's prize choices -- "baby ones"

goats!

siri hanging out with our pumpkin -- "big one"

walking off a little fall in the mud

being wheeled around

pumpkin patch family portrait

we went to the pumpkin patch last sunday with aunt jenn, uncle todd and maia. it was cold and misty at first, then it started to rain -- very reminiscent of fall in oregon. siri initially had no interest in touching the ground and insisted on sitting in the red wagon, but she eventually joined in the fun and chose some pumpkins.

(mostly) discovery musuem

little skunk!

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maia lovin' the "pond"

maia in the crawling position

siri insisted on holding hands with "mana"

learning how to compost -- we indoctrinate them at a young age around here

speeding through an "underground" tunnel

siri likes to wear her babies in her "ergo"

sorry, we're a bit behind with the postings. the truth is, i tried posting pics last weekend, but blogger freaked out and gave me the error message several times. i ended up dumping a ton of pics in a fb photo album and kind of forgot about the blog. here are some pics from last friday -- jenn, maia, siri and i visited the discovery museum and hung out in rooms that we hadn't been in before.