Friday, April 30, 2010

Tony's Toy Train

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Wuxi Tony Update #565: At the bus station

Wuxi Tony Update #365: Basketball Tony!

May Day Tony

He's back in Wuxi and fast asleep.
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That's Daddy!

There is a poster of me on the wall in the main lobby of the school.  This afternoon, Tony saw the poster and screamed "That's Daddy!" for all to hear.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Knife-wielding man wounds 28 children, 3 adults at Taixing kindergarten

I first heard this story from students at an English Corner I did on Thursday Night:  A knife-wielding man wounded 28 children and three adults Thursday at a kindergarten in eastern Jiangsu province (Taixing).   Five children are in critical condition.  Taixing, a town which I have been to many times,  is about ninety minutes by bus from Wuxi. 

My wife then told me the news Friday morning by phone from Beixing, which is a suburb of Taixing.   Beixing is Jenny's hometown, and she just happened to be there for a visit.  She informs me that the  Beixing  locals are scared by the news.  Tony's grandmother did not want to let him out of her house.

My prayers go out to the children and their parents.

Once you have kids, you can understand the horror of parents when their children are so endangered.

Tony is still in Beixing

After yesterday's (Thursday's) whole slew of Tony photos, I will have to lay it off because Tony ain't with me.  He is still in Beixing.  The last thing I heard about him was that he was having fun with water. 
 
He will be back in Wuxi Friday afternoon.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Tony at the bus station Two




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Tony at the bus station One

Jenny and Tony took the bus to Beixing(J's hometown) this morning. I took a bunch of photos of Tony before they left.




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Tony on Thursday Morning

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Tony on April 27.


I really like the second photo. It captures the devil in Tony.
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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tony says "Bu Chi!"

Jenny said "Chi bu Chi?" to Tony. (Pinyin translates to Eat not eat? or do you want to eat?)
 
Tony replied "Bu Chi!".  (Meaning he didn't want to eat)
 
Another historical moment in Tony's development.

Tony and a Pail in Wuxi, China



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Tony didn't go to preschool Monday.

He was absent for a couple of reasons.
 
Firstly, his mother thought Monday was Sunday.  She was confused by Tony's fever day.
 
Secondly, he did feel some lingering effects of the fever.
 
And it turned out that only one student in his class went on Monday.  All the rest had been knocked out by a fever.
 
So we know now where Tony got the fever.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Tony's inhumanities to his Dad.

Maybe, I deserve these indignities that I get every once in a while from Tony.  I do sort of look of him as a brat rival for his mother's attentions. It may well be that  I am one of the most immature fathers in the history of fatherhood.

But I should first tell you what these indignities are.  Often he likes to slap me in the head.  This could be just because of our horseplay.  He doesn't do this to his mother who he has a fear of.  He also pushes me away when I try and give him a kiss.  Monday morning, he practically stiff-armed me in the face when I tried to kiss him good-bye.  And after that, he even didn't return my "Good Bye!" as he will usually do.  I wonder if I did something to earn his annoyance or if he was just in a grumpy mood.



Sunday, April 25, 2010

Chez Tony's Home

Tony watches Three Stooges
Tony laughs at he antics of Curly -- the fat, bald member of the famous comedic troupe.
 
Tony and Wu Shu?
Tony watched an demonstration of the martial art on the television, and immediately took to flailing and kicking about with his arms and legs.
 
Tony Fever Update
It has gone away.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Tony Fever Update

Sunday morning, Tony still is ill.  Jenny and Tony were going to go to Beixing, where Tony's Chinese grandparents live, but the trip has to be delayed.

Tony has fever

Tony has a high temperature.  He has been very quiet and inactive all today.  He has wanted his parents to be with him.  So in some aspects, Tony's condition is pleasant.  However, he is better off healthy, trouble and all that he would be notwithstanding.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Saturday Morning Tony

This photo was taken at 720 PM on Saturday Morning. Wuxi, China's most lazy expat baby is fast asleep.
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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Tony is 32 months old today!

Above: Tony on April 23, 2010.

Above: Tony on August 23, 2007
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AKIC to take TKIC to Preschool

It is Friday so it is Andis's turn to take Tony to preschool.

Wuxi Tony Update #568

Watch this WTU at Yahoo.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Tony at the Korean Restaurant


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Tony drops pants in Korean Restaurant so he can play with water


The Kaulins family went to a Korean Restaurant in Wuxi's Nachang Temple Market area on Wednesday evening.
 
Boy Tony is a chore to take to restaurants because he just won't sit still.  He wanders all  around the restaurant with his favorite place being the washroom where he can play with the taps.  His father or mother have to chase him around -- a chore that they alternate doing.
 
At the Korean restaurant, Tony acted to form and wandered everywhere.  He even tried to trick his father into taking him to the taps by lying about having to do pee-pee.  When his father got on to that trick, Tony tried dropping his pants in an more emphatic attempt, or rather lie, to get his father to take him to those taps.


Sunday, April 18, 2010

AKIC is indispensable for TKIC

From this article in Mercator:

...there is also evidence that fathers make some unique contributions. (to raising children)

Probably the best known example is that fathers tend to rough-house with their young children -- infants and toddlers -- they throw them up in the air, tickle them and so on, usually getting them all wound up and emotional, and, yes, sometimes alarming the mother. But developmental psychologists view this as a good thing because it's an opportunity for children to learn emotional regulation, and this is a very important developmental task.

As children get a little bit older they confront lots of opportunities for their emotions to boil up, and to the rough-housing prepares them for this: how to soothe yourself, how to settle yourself down -- all of which is important when kids first start school, since being able to settle down and focus is conducive to learning. This is something that fathers do; mothers tend not to do this.


AKIC does roughhousing with TKIC all the time!

The Tony Log for April 19, 2010

Sunday Evening, Tony was at the computer watching episodes of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on a Chinese video channel.

Tony's father wasn't impressed.  He was hoping to interact with his son after a long day of teaching.  He didn't have the heart to deal with Tony's most certain protests, so he retired to his room to read.

But Tony starting making screams indicating annoyance.  His father went to investigate but couldn't determine what was bothering Tony.  The father went back to his reading.

But then the computer's volume was raised to a very loud level -- Tony did this for some reason.  Tony's father put the volume down upsetting Tony.  Tony did calm down so back went the father to reading.

The volume was raised again.  Tony father's put it down and then found a way to stop Tony from playing with the volume dial on the speaker.  Tony was upset and calmed down.  Back to reading, went the father.

The volume was raised again.  This time Tony's mother went to lower the volume and told Tony that there was to be no more Mickey Mouse.  So, Tony's father turned off the computer and endured ten minutes of passionate protest from Tony.

Tony on Sunday Night




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Saturday, April 17, 2010

Tony on a Saturday Night.

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Tony imitates Barney

Tony imitates Barney...
 
Not Rubble,
 
Not the Dinosaur,
 
but the Barney from The Simpsons -- I believe his last name is Grumble -- I don't know for a fact that this Barney is a drunk.
 
Anyway, Tony was imitating his Barf.
 
Amazing!

Little Tony

Tony's father looks at this photo and doesn't recognize the Tony he sees.

My oh my! How Tony has grown! Tony must be less than a year old in this picture.
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Friday, April 16, 2010

Tony's loves his Daddy?

Preschool
Friday morning, Tony wasn't happy when he was dropped off at the preschool.  He ran to his Daddy, who was dropping off him that morning, in a desperate plea to not be left alone there.
 
Another parent, who was a student at Tony's Daddy's English School, witnessed Tony's display and said that Tony must like his father more than his mother because Thursday, when Tony's Mom dropped him off, he wasn't so emotional.  Tony's Dad said that this was a rare thing and that Tony's Mom was usually number one in Tony's heart except in cases where it was in Tony's interest to be otherwise.  Friday, Tony was a little sick.
 
Tony's father arrives home
Tony's father, arriving home Friday evening, got a hug and a kiss from Tony.  But the rest of the evening, Tony ignored his Dad.

Thursday, April 15, 2010