I managed to keep Cici awake all day yesterday.  She took a shower around 10:00 p.m. and I thought she would fall in bed exhausted.  I saw a light coming from her bedroom at 1:30 a.m. so I got up and went to her.  She was sitting in her bed reading one of her summer reading assignments.  I can't sleep, she told me.  You must sleep, Sweetie, I said, and you must sleep now.  Otherwise you will lose the benefit of the hard work to turn your body clock around.  Sleep now I said, turning out the light after she put down the book.

I lay in bed awake, knowing I would go back to check on her.  Half an hour passed and I went to her room.  She looked like she was sound asleep.  I left as silently as I had come.  I waited another 45 minutes before I returned to her room.  She hadn't changed her position at all.  I repeated the trip another half hour later.  Satisfied now that she was indeed sleeping soundly, I was able to sleep for a few hours before rising to go to the office.  Ping was awake when I left.  She had gotten up at 4:00 a.m. after falling asleep around 5:00 p.m. the previous afternoon.  We both checked on Cici.  She was still sleeping soundly.

I hurried back home around 10:45 a.m. after meeting with a client at the office.  I went straight to Cici's room and called loudly to her that it was time to wake up.  You have slept soundly for more than 8 hours so you won't be tired.  You need to get up and continue reading your book for school.  Miracle of miracles, she was up in five minutes looking rested and happy.  She has been going strong all day, finishing her reading assignments, writing the required comments, and posting them as instructed.

Ping and I went to H-Mart to buy lots of fresh vegetables while Cici was studying.  We brought them home and Ping was craving Vietnamese noodle soup.  Will you bring some soup home for me, Papa?  Cici asked.  That was I can continue studying.  She got her wish.  She kept studying when Ping and I got home.  Ping took another long nap before settling in cooking vegetables for the week.  She and Cici are in the kitchen together now chatting in Chinese while they clean the dishes.

Tomorrow is not the first day of school, but Cici has band practice tomorrow evening.  She will come to the office with Ping tomorrow to start studying for the PSAT.  School starts bright and early Tuesday morning.  It is a good thing that I just finished reading The Good Earth, because here we go with our junior year of high school.