New thread for all Chinese mothers

[wyls]

I think this might work?!

hello everyone and welcome Red!

Am also a cantonese speaker although as am a bbc, my reading and writing skills are pretty poor since giving up chinese school! My speaking and understanding are ok although again gone a bit down since leaving home! Whereabouts do you live Red, in my local area, we have a chinese school which teaches mandarin. DD won't be going there though as I won't understand anything she learns! Does anyone know of cantonese speaking schools, I went to the one in china town when I was a kid but don't think it was that good to be honest.

Am also having a girl sometime in the next few weeks, my mum is coming up with the chinese name and as yet no concrete ideas about first name!

Pam - I think blossom is organising that other meet up during that weekend, isn't she? Because of my dd's b-day not sure what is happening that weekend but if I can will try to turn up for that too!

Wyls - DS' Irish name is Ruairi (with a fada over the first i, I think) and DD's is Erin. DS' Chinese name is Jun-Hao and DD's is Xiao-Ling (we just picked these off a list my mother produced) and (whisper) I can't actually write their names in Chinese, can only write it in Pin Yin (romanised).

Redtartanlass - what about Ailsa (good solid Scottish name!) and I wouldn't count on there being too many Ailsa Wong's around!!

Yingers - sorry wasn't aware that the meet up you're planning was separate!

hi everyone and welcome to Red, Beleine!!

meet ups - thought that we should arrange dim sum when Pam is in london, however since yingers cant make it, perhaps a second 'mums' only meet up would be great. anything to leave the kids with DH

DD1's chinese name is just a translation of her english name (millie), however with DD2, charlotte was more difficult but she has my mother's name as her middle name so we call her Lin.

Pam, both name sound so nice. I like unusual names as mine is very unusual. But my DH is not keen so we picked a more normal name for our DS.

So ladies, when are we actually planning to meet cos i am a bit confused now.

My three all have English first names and Chinese middle names which all begin with Tai (the generation name in dh's family) and sound the same or similar to their English names. And Chinese surname which is really hard to spell/pronounce (Qiu, pron Choo).

Its nice co they share the Tai with their cousins in China (who they have only met once but hopefully again next year)

I always call them by their English names, dh uses both. School and friends use the English but ds1 has just started sometimes using his Chinese spelling as its so unusual.

snowmum, how much is your DD sleeping during the day?

My ds has cut down a lot of his naps. He will only take 3-4 half hour/45mins naps every 2-3 hours. He used to sleep 1-2 hours every 3-4 hours ... I am running out of ideas to entertain him.

I tend to use my dd's english name and then when she is naughty I use the full name so she knows I mean business!

Maybe we should talk meet ups in the new year as knowing me I will forget every detail by xmas, my memory is so poor these days. Anyone else have this prob?

ME!!! I cant remeber anything!!! How am I going to go back to work.

Btw, is anyone else on maternity leave at the mo? How long are you off for?

yeps lets talk about meet ups in the new year!!

only PIL call DD1 by her full name and it annoys me like mad. also MIL has a way of pronoucing DD2's name that makes it sound like shallot!!

on constant maternity leave at the moment -SAHM and no plans to return to work yet ... whatever that will be....

yeps lets talk about meet ups in the new year!!

only PIL call DD1 by her full name and it annoys me like mad. also MIL has a way of pronoucing DD2's name that makes it sound like shallot!!

on constant maternity leave at the moment -SAHM and no plans to return to work yet ... whatever that will be....

am SAHM too, gave up work when dd was 14 months as it all got too crazy, I was so tired trying to balance everything. Realise now I should have gone part-time instead of trying to do it all!!! Oh well live and learn!!! Would like to go back to work of some sort eventually. Am about to embark on an OU course to kick start my brain cells!

wow. haven't really logged on to this thread for a week and we have a new thread! welcome snowmum, Redtartanlass and baleine.

wyls, i am also on maternity leave at the moment. was supposed to have gone back to work this week but couldn't really face it so going back on the 21st of november. sigh. soooo NOT looking forward to it. it's really odd. with ds1, i was so ready but with ds2 i think i am really going to miss his little face smiling at me. think the first time round, i was just so overwhelmed with motherhood and i think going back to work was easier as it was something i was familiar with. don't know if anyone else feels the same, but second time round, everything seems so much less stressful and enjoyable. i'll probably get more and more depressed in the next few weeks so apologies if i get really down in my future posts

yingers, good luck for the big day! glad you said what you did about how "on the whole it is easier for the parents of the mum to play an active role in their grandchild's life as they are less inclined to be worried about being interferring, pushy etc". my MIL is great but sometimes i feel that she is not as "interested" in ds-es as she is with ds-es' cousin. same goes with the rest of the family. they would automatically change ds' cousin's nappy without being asked (when they were younger that is) but have never changed ds' nappy or offer to give him his bottle, etc. ok, let's not go there or i may start ranting . in a way, not really looking forward to christmas. have always spent it at dh's parents with all the rest of the family. used to enjoy it when we didn't have the little ones but now spend quite a lot of time feeling annoyed on behalf of ds1 (and probably ds2 this christmas) that he is treated "second best".

on a happier note, yeah, let's talk about a meet up in the new year. think we will get along in RL?

I work full-time - went back after a year off on maternity with DD.

CSA - I think it's definitely more difficult going back with second one. I really dreaded it and on top of that I had a new job to come back to as old job "disappeared" while I was on mat leave, but it's really not too bad now I've been at work for almost 6 weeks.

I did apply for part time hours but was turned down and am going to ask for it again when DD starts nursery in a couple of years time.

Spend quite a lot of time juggling and running around though. My tip if you're going back to work - get a cleaner twice a week so you do no cleaning (apart from odd bit of tidying) and cook your meals the night before so you're not rushing around like headless chicken trying to get kids fed, bathed and bed after work (unless you have nanny who feeds kids before you get home!)

Xmas with my in-laws' is stressful too but at least it only comes once a year!

I really dont want to go back to work. Was going to go back in the new year but have decided to go back in March instead. Havent told work yet but will soon. Travelling up to London seems to be such a waste of time so will try to work a couple of days from home. Hopefully they will let me.

Welcome to Retartanlass and Baleine. Am up for meet up in new year! Are we looking at 28/29 Feb in central London?

Wyls - haven't yet weaned dd. Planning to wait another month. She was born 8th June so just a couple of days before your ds. Been searching for highchairs. Think we have narrowed it now to the Stokke Trippe Trappe. Anyone else got this? Re dd's naps - it varies but usually she's up around 7am, has a feed, naps 45 mins at 9am, next feed 11am then long 2 hour nap from 12:30pm, next feed 3pm, then 30 mins catnap at 5pm, next feed 7pm and then fingers crossed for the night! She normally wakes up once a night, around 3am but last night she slept right thru until 6:30am!!

Yingers - where is this mandarin school you mentioned? dh and i are thinking of learning mandarin along with our dd when she is older. We think it would be better for her to learn mandarin than cantonese.

I am also on maternity leave at the moment. Not due to be back at work until June 2006. Not completely decided whether to go back or not. Am keeping my options open. Have signed up dd at a local nursery but may end up being SAHM.

Wyls - legally your company must look into allowing you to work part-time. You should push them for it, if its what you really want. I work for the civil service and am the option of going back part-time or even doing a job share (although probably not back to my previous post).

snowmum, i cant believe your daughter is only 2 days older than my ds.

I have bought the stokk highchair, the only thing is it hasnt got a tray so ds will have to eat at the table which is fine with me. I think u can get one of those table mat/tray so that u can put the food on it.

Btw, if you want to get the stokk highchair, i got it from the internet, incl the baby set for £120 something like that. let me know and i can send u the url.

snowmum, your dd routine is very similar to mine apart from i start mine at 6am. He wont sleep till 7am so ... he goes to bed at about 7 too. Do you dreamfedd your dd or does she sleep from 7-7?

Wyls - if you could forward the url for the stokke high chair, I'd appreciate it. I realised there isn't a tray but quite like the idea of having dd sitting up at the table with me. And no, we don't do a dream feed with her(tried it in the past to no avail). She's only done the 7pm-7am long sleep 3 times so far. Fingers crossed she'll do many many more!

I think you can get the tripp trapp tray online too - have seen them certainly on Ebay - they're called clic clac.

I got one (tripp trapp) for DD but DS (who's 4!!) wants to sit in it because he saw that it could be adjusted.

Tripp Trapp is great but I think really more suitable for a child who is able to sit up very well, we didn't put DD into tripp trapp until about 1 year. We had another one which had adjustable heights and seat reclines until then (however this one was a nightmare to clean, food all down the crevises!!)

mandarin school is in Acton, west london. In this area, the chinese community seem to be from the mainland rather than HK. Where I grew up in north london it was the other way round and half of them seemed to be related to me in some way!!!!

Anyone know of cantonese schools in london?

snowmum the url is www.twoleftfeet.co.uk/acatalog/Two_Left_Feet_Tripp_Trapp_597.html

whole set for £118.

Or call 01234 857777 and press option 1. Free delivery!!!

Wyls - thanx for the Tripp Trappe info. I have finally tracked down a store with the chair on display so I see if dd likes it.

Yingers - thanx for mandarin school details. Does this mean you're based in Acton? I'm just across the river in Richmond! I'm not sure of any cantonese schools in west London but I am aware of one in Greenwich. Not sure if its any good but they do insist on interviewing your child and ensuring they are able to speak some cantonese before accepting you on a course.

Pam - I take on board your comments re using Trippe Trappe for an older baby. My dd is already sitting up by herself and I still have over a month to go before I start weaning her. I will make sure she is happy in the chair. Thanx for the advice.