Winston Misses His Mommy

I came back from my 8-day China trip yesterday morning. Overall it was a productive trip, but somehow I can't help but feel that it could have been squeezed into a 5-day trip in total, if all the meetings could have been arranged more tightly. Of course, I would not have had such feelings were it not for Winston.

Two days after I left, I got a chance to talk to Winston on Skype. He just woke up from his afternoon nap and was not exactly in a great mood. He saw me, and did not say anything. Then towards the end, when Michael said that it was time to say goodbye to mommy, he was sobbing like crazy. He was taken away from the computer screen, while he was kicking and screaming. Since the connection was left on, I could hear that he cried for quite a while before he finally calmed down. Apparently, it was the longest time he ever cried.

Then on the last day before I came back, I got to talk to him on Skype again. He was happily eating his dinner and he ate a ton! After he finished, he ran away so I logged off. Apparently, that night, after being read "Good Night Moon" which reminded him of me, he was teary. Then he would not quietly doze off by himself as he usually does. Instead, he was calling "Lao Lao" (i.e. grandma). My mom felt rather honored, as Winston usually prefers Michael to her. She showed up, and he calmed down.

When I saw Winston yesterday morning, he again did not show much emotion. He just smiled and said "mama". I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, and he followed me into the bathroom. He was happy but not exactly thrilled. I could tell that he missed me very much only when I was putting him down for his nap. He would not let go of my hand. Although he was so sleepy, he kept trying to sit up to wake himself up so that I would not leave. Finally when he dozed off, I removed my hand from his forehead. He sensed it, and struggled really hard to open his eyes but could not. So he tried to sit up, and I put my hand on his forehead again, and in his sleep he laughed.

At night, when I turned off the musical mobile's light, he said, "I can't see mommy any more and I am going to sleep." I then left the room.

While everyone thinks that he is an extroverted boy, he actually does not show his deepest emotions easily. He is trying to be cool and tough at such an early age...