Sudo’s Grand Return: National Holidays, School Bells & A New Family Member!

Dear Diary,

Okay. So. Baba has not written in this diary for over a month. Maybe two months. MAYBE MORE. I would be outraged, but honestly? I also forgot. We are both disasters. Moving on.

Section 1: The Holiday Saga — Banh It, Banh Xeo & Royal Toddler Treatment

First things first: the National Day holidays. I, Sudo, spent them in the most elite fashion possible — bouncing between grandparents’ houses like the VIP I am.

At Grandpa and Grandma’s (Noi’s) house, I played with Anh Bot and Chi Bap. Were they entertained by my presence? Obviously. I am extremely entertaining.

And then — THEN — Ba Noi made me banh it. A whole lot of them. Just for me. This is what it means to be loved, people. Scientists have studied toddler happiness and let me tell you, social bonding and positive emotional experiences are literally critical for my development. Ba Noi is basically doing neuroscience. Respect.

Over at Ba Ngoai and Ong Ngoai’s house? Banh xeo. Crispy. Sizzling. Perfect. I ate with the confidence of someone who has never once been told that’s enough.

• Grandparents visited: All of them. As it should be.
• Banh it consumed: Many. Possibly too many. Definitely not too many.
• Banh xeo rating: 10/10. No notes.
• Times I shared: I don’t want to talk about it.

Section 2: Back to School — Earliest Arrival, Habitual Late Girl

Big news: I went back to school. Officially. There was even a khai giang — an opening ceremony — and I attended it like the academic powerhouse I am.

Here is a fact that my teachers will confirm: I was the first kid in my class to arrive at the opening ceremony. THE FIRST. I showed up. I was present. I set the tone.

Here is another fact that my teachers will also confirm: on every other normal school day, I am late. Consistently. Impressively. Artistically late.

Look — I understand punctuality as a concept. I simply choose to apply it selectively. The opening ceremony was important, so I was early. Regular Tuesday? That’s Baba’s problem. According to child development research, toddlers my age are developing their sense of routine and social participation. I am participating. Just on my own schedule.

Also, Baba keeps saying we should go out and play somewhere fun. He has said this multiple times. We have gone exactly zero times. I am watching you, Baba. The clock is ticking. (I can’t actually tell time yet, but the point stands.)

Section 3: A New Family Member & The Musical Animal Universe

The biggest news of all: Co Thuy has joined the family. She is Baba’s younger sister, which makes her my co (auntie). This is a significant development.

Now, I want to be very clear about my reputation: I am known to cry. I cry when I want to. I cry strategically. I cry for effect. But when Co Thuy plays with me? No crying. Zero. None. She passed the Sudo Test on the first try. This is rare. This is impressive. Co Thuy, you may stay.

In other enrichment news, Me has been giving me the most extraordinary cultural education lately:

• Orchestra and band music — yes, I am being raised with taste. Me plays doan, doi music for me. My musical palate is developing at a remarkable pace.
• Storytime with animal friends — there is a whole cast of characters: ducks, rabbits, bears, dogs, cats, elephants, giraffes. They all go to school. They are all late. Their baba picks them up late too. Then a fox tries to trick them, but — plot twist — Chief of Police Lavabo saves everyone.

I have thoughts about this story. First: why is everyone always late? Is this a commentary on society? Second: Lavabo is a GREAT name for a police chief. Third: I relate deeply to all of these animals. Especially the ones who are late to school.

According to current paediatric research, storytelling and music exposure at my age supports language development, emotional regulation, and cognitive growth. So basically, Me is doing everything right, and I am thriving. As expected.

This has been Sudo, reporting live from a very full, very dramatic, very delicious few months of life. Baba, please don’t wait another two months to write the next one. I do things every single day. Every single day is an event. Keep up.

— Sudo, Age 3, Extremely Punctual When It Matters

———- tags: [‘sudo diary’, ‘toddler diary’, ‘back to school’, ‘national day holiday’, ‘bánh ít’, ‘bánh xèo’, ‘new family member’, ‘toddler development’, ‘storytime’, ‘music for toddlers’, ‘khai giảng’, ‘3 year old’] categories: [‘Toddler Life’, ‘Family’, ‘Back to School’, ‘Milestone Moments’] imagePrompts: [‘A cute cartoon toddler girl with a big smile sitting at a festive family table surrounded by Vietnamese bánh ít and bánh xèo dishes, grandparents smiling warmly around her, cozy home setting, soft warm lighting, playful illustrated style’, ‘A tiny adorable toddler girl in a school uniform proudly standing at the school gate very early in the morning, birds just waking up, sunrise in the background, she looks smug and pleased with herself, cartoon diary illustration style’, ‘A cheerful toddler girl laughing and playing with a young auntie, surrounded by illustrated animal friends — a duck, rabbit, bear, dog, cat, elephant, and giraffe — all wearing tiny school backpacks, with a heroic police lavabo character in the corner, colorful storybook illustration style’]

Original: Đã quá lâu baba không viết nhật ký cho sudo.

Bao lâu rồi nhỉ? chắc là hơn 1 tháng? 2 tháng? hmm, sudo cũng không nhớ, và baba cũng vậy.

Sudo đã trải qua những ngày lễ quốc khánh ở nhà ông bà nội, chơi với anh Bột, chị Bắp, ở nhà bà ngoại, nhà ông ngoại ăn bánh xèo. Bà nội còn làm cho sudo rất nhiều bánh ít. thật ngon.

Hmm.. còn gì nữa nhỉ? sudo đã đi học chính thức trở lại, sudo đã tham dự khai giảng, sudo là bé đi sớm nhất lớp, tuy là hằng ngày sudo toàn đi trễ.

Mấy lần rồi baba định đi chơi nhưng vẫn chưa đi nữa, hehe, không biết đi thế nào đây. hmm…

Chuyện lớn hơn là nhà sudo vừa tăng thêm một thành viên, đó là cô Thúy, là em của baba.. hmm, cô Thúy chơi với sudo thì sudo không khóc 😂

Nhiều ngày gần đây sudo được mẹ cho nghe nhạc đoàn, đội, còn được mẹ kể chuyện về các bạn vịt, thỏ, gấu, chó, mèo, voi, hưu cao cổ… tất cả đều đi học trễ và baba đón trễ rồi bị cáo dụ và được cảnh sát trưởng lavabo giải cứu. hmm….