Future Daddy or Other Kid?

Lei always said she's now going to have two kids around our place when we have our first child. Was she trying to tell me something here when she snuck up on me and did this? By the way, when DID she do this?

The moral of this story: never fall asleep around a wide awake soon-to-be-momma.

2007: A year of incredible changes

Dear family and friends,

Happy New Year! We're thankful that you're all in our lives, constantly supporting us as we grow together, live life with laughter, and evolve as a family.

As we wind down 2007, we wanted to summarize it since it's been such a wonderful year of change for us.

So heeeeeere we go...

- We got married on May 5, 2007 in a beautiful family ceremony at Stanford Memorial church. You can view our wedding photo book here (username: leijaime; password: leijaime) or see all of our wedding photos (we'll understand if you don't have the patience to view 1200+ pics though) here .

- We both changed jobs TWICE! Jaime works for a B2B online media company in the city now (Lei is ecstatic he's so close to home) as the Director of Audience Development. Lei's now back at WellsFargo enjoying a part-time contract position after being a McCann VP for 3 months - too much work and politics and possibly 2 1/2 months too long (Jaime's happy Lei's a sane, happy individual again and, more importantly, has time to cook for him).

- We traveled to a few places in our spare time: Puerto Vallarta, Turks&Caicos, Vegas (many times), Seattle, and Chicago.

- And last but not least, we're expecting our baby girl next May!! It's a little daunting, but oh so exciting. Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed for us.

So make 2008 another incredible year and come visit us in San Francisco! To you and your family, best wishes in 2008 - the Year of the Rat.

With much love and many hugs,

- Lei and Jaime

Is This A Glimpse at My Future?

This looks like I've taken a peek into my future about 9 years from now. Could it be that I'm destined for two more daughters? After seeing this picture, I think I would love it. But just to make sure, I'm sorry to anyone for anything that I did anywhere at anytime. Did you hear me God? I only say this because I know what my father went through with one daughter (sorry Em) ... and she was relatively low maintenance. Can you imagine that times three?

These three lovely sisters just happen to be my cousins from Canada on loan to Lei and I for the holiday pic.

- Jaime

Just How Much Does Home Daycare Cost?

My cousin recently told me that she was interviewing preschools for her still unborn son. She found two that she and her husband liked and agreed to be put on the waiting list ... for a few years!

Hearing this I was inspired to research home daycare costs out of curiosity.

It's a bit difficult to get a nationwide average for home daycare costs. Some providers charge a little, especially if they're close friends or neighbors, but some may charge as much as daycare centers or more.

According to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), home daycare averages $474 a month for preschoolers and $525 a month for infants and toddlers — or about $5,689 to $6,301 per year (less in rural areas, more in big cities).

Wowsers, maybe it's time for me to start thinking about telecommuting and opening up what Ed-deeeee did in one of his movies. A movie that is hitting home with me now.

- Jaime

What's On Your Top List of Family Animation?

I've got to start prepping my list of favorites to watch with my daughter. Here it goes...

20) Chicken Run
19) Alladin
18) Beauty and the Beast
17) Finding Nemo
16) Toy Story
15) The Aristocats
14) Shrek 2
13) Shrek 1
12) Atlantis
11) Ice Age
10) Robin Hood
09) Antz
08) Tarzan
07) A Bugs Life
06) The Incredibles
05) Monsters, Inc.
04) Happy Feet
03) Ratatouille
02) The Lion King

and #1 is ..... drum roll please .......


!!!!!!!!!! Rikki Tikki Tavi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've included a little something for those of you who don't know it (and that's probably almost all of you).

- Jaime

My Own Little Army

One day I'm hoping to build my own army of little ninjas .... just kidding honey.... maybe. Ok, maybe only a little army of mini ninjas. One down and [insert number here] to go.

My wife may not want to have too many since this looks like a rough group I used to run with.

- Jaime

She is an active one

My baby girl is a kicker. On Christmas day, I felt her move or kick at least 80 times. It almost scared me that she was so active, but the doctor said it was fine. It's normal for the baby to kick at least 6 times a hour.

I think I am lucky as I can feel the baby move early. She is especially active in the morning when I first wake up or at night when I go to sleep. I guess it's when I am the calmest and not moving so her movements are pronounced.

Whatever it is! Feeling her move is cool, although still surreal. I am told she can also hear sounds now. Maybe that's why she kicked so much on Xmas day as we were surround by family and excitement all day in Vegas. Jaime's family flew in from all over the world (NY, Vancouver, Philippines, Chicago, SF) to be together. Baby was probably excited. :-)

I just hope she is gentle with me when she gets much bigger...

- Lei

We are having a baby girl!

"Do you know if you are having a boy or girl?" - this is probably the single most asked question we get as friends and family find out that we are pregnant. When we said not yet, it was often quickly followed by what they think I am having. It's amazing how many theories are out there.

- "You are having a boy if you conceived early in the ovulation period"
- "Sperms with boy chromosomes are faster and stronger but dies faster vs. ones with girl chromosomes are survivors and therefore there are more girl babies than boy babies"
- "Girl babies have less birth defects"
- "I just know you are having a boy"
- "you are carrying in front, which means it's a boy. Girls makes your stomach round all around"
- "you had bad morning sickness - you are definitely having a girl. I have three girls"
- "depends on what you are carving. If you are craving xx, you are having a boy; if you are craving yy, you are having a girl" - i forgot exactly what was said (one is spicy and one is sweet or was it sour)
- "I just have a feeling it's a girl"
- "It's a girl because the heart rate is so fast at 153/min. Boys have slower heart rates"

Well, with all the theories, we had no idea who to listen to, so we waited for modern technology - my detailed ultrasound on Dec 17th and found out that 99% sure we are having a baby girl. :-)



Jaime and I are ecstatic, as are all the family and friends who guessed it's a girl. Of course, the others are happy for us as well. :-) We are now thinking of baby names - stay tuned.

- Lei

Christmas in Vegas

In two days we'll be celebrating Christmas time in Vegas with our family. Everyone's flying in from around the world ( I just wish it was the entire family, but that would take up one of the resorts!).

Everytime we touchdown in Vegas, it's off to the races for food and relaxation. I know I know, "what about the gambling?" you may ask. I must be the only asian person that doesn't gamble (and imagine being able to say that visiting sin city 4 times a year!). I've never been much of a gambler. I'm all about calculated risk, baby!

Christmas represents a time for us to get the family together. And this usually encompasses one main function in our family: FOOD. On this trip, the family recipes for prime rib, bacalau (Portuguese codfish dish), and paella (Spanish seafood rice dish) will be waiting for us. You know....the traditional type of Christmas meal (if you have a family that's as mixed up as mine).

So wherever you are and whatever you do for the holidays, just remember to be thankful doing it with your family during the holiday meal. Happy Holidays from us to you!

- Jaime

Diva Xmas Event - Fashion Exchange was a blast!

Every diva event has been fun but I never knew how fun Fashion Exchange would be until we did one last Friday. Eight divas showed up with 80+ pieces of clothes, accessories, and shoes. At first I thought maybe one or two people will find some stuff they like and we would have to donate the rest.

How wrong I was! Imagine this - Helina's living room was turned into a shopping haven with cool stuff everywhere. All the Divas then laid out the stuff according to rough sections - one couch for dresses, one couch for pants and skirts, one couch for tops, center table for accessories and shoes by the windows. Soon enough the living room also became a full on changing room as everyone excitedly tried on new stuff and some of us tell stories of where a particular piece of clothing comes from.

here are highlights for the event.
- first the food: Little Thai was amazing and only cost $15/person. The whole fried fish did not "unfry itself" during delivery (ask Michelle to explain this one)
- Helina's pad had an amazing view of the golden gate bridge and had mirrors lined up on the floor of the living room - perfect for trying on shoes.
- Anna's new black cocktail dress - so sassy
- Helina's new blue dress - so hot
- "Wait a minute, we are wearing the same kind of underwear" (see photo)
- every top looked great on Judy
- Asha was the fastest in picking out stuff and was done and helping others before many of us started.
- Everyone has the same pants size as Judy, who brough at least 8 pairs of pants
- Gold dragon spike heels for Tamara (watch out Bill)
- Big cream preggie coat for Lei: I still need to grow into it
- Thanks Lan for suggesting that we do free for all shopping instead of keeping track of who brought how many items and go one-by-one. Her way was so much more fun
- Everyone agrees we must do this again next year (maybe in the spring)

Here are all the photos: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=12n0vy57.7qxuhgpj&Uy=bxqfjv&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0
Happy Holidays!

- Lei

I love my new doctor!

My mom and I was sitting in the exam room waiting for the Doctor. First the nurse came in and I excitedly told her I had my combined screen today and also an ultrasound. She kind of gave me a blank stare and didn't seem to know what I am talking about. I tried to explain that it's one of the genetic tests the last OB I saw in this office suggested. She gave me another blank stare. I gave up and she went out.

A few minutes later, the doctor came in. I was really looking forward to seeing her, Dr. Holly Holter. Her name is listed first in the list of doctors for the San Francisco Physician for Women group. She has a degree and internship from UCSF, so I was expecting a lot. She barely looked up from the charts she was carrying when she walked in. I told her the same thing I told the nurse. Amazingly enough, she too gave me kind of a blank stare and said isn't there another blood test before I get the results. I said no I took the combined screen and not the integrated one. That was the end of that conversation. She either was thinking about something else or she wasn't sure what I meant. Weird.

Mechanically, she proceeded to pull out the heart rate monitor and let me listen to the baby's heart beat. I was trying to make some conversation but she barely cracked a smile or looked at me. I then asked can she confirm my due date, she of course didn't know it, look at my chart, and then proceeded to calcuate it using the wheel thing doctors use. She said May 15th. I said the last doctor in this office said May 10th. Why didn't it change so much? She wasn't sure.

That was the end of that appt. I was fine and progressing well, but felt like I was going through a cattle call. Are all OBs like this, I wondered. This group was recommended by my primary doctor but I didn't know any friends who went to them. I was able to subtle for lukewarm experience, so I started checking with friends. Luckily, one of Jaime's good friends just gave gave birth two months ago and loves her OB. I decided to give her a try.

I just had my appt two days ago and loved her! Her name is Dr. Fang and she is part of the Golden Gate Obsterics group. Despite waiting for her for one hour because she had a delivery, she was wonderful once I saw her

- she was patient and listen carefully to me
- she didn't rush me out even though she was running behind
- she answered all my questions and look at me in a caring way the whole time
- her nurse raved about her when I saw her and the nurse was pretty sharp as well
- she also told me the last blood test my previous doctor ordered was unnecessary (I wasted 2 hours doing that one)
- I heard in general she has mostly OB patients and the nurses in the hospital love her!

Overall, I am so glad I switched. Simple morale of the story: ask a friend to find a good OB and it is worth the hassle to switch. I left the office smiling and am looking forward to my next visit in January! :-)

- Lei

Is that my heart beat or my "bell pepper"?

I am now in my 19th week and according to BabyCenter's website, my baby is the size of a Bell Pepper right now.

My doctor told me a few weeks ago that I will probably start feeling the baby move soon. So what do I do - obsessively touch my stomach and try to feel movement of course. A few times last week, I thought I felt it, only to realize it's my own heart beat felt in my stomach through my hands.

But last Friday, after dinner, I was sitting in the car on the way home, when I felt a flutter, just one time, instead of the constant beat of my heart. I am pretty sure it's the baby. I was so exciting. I am growing a baby! I know it's not news anymore, but still so new to me and miraculous how the whole thing works.

Now before I go to bed and when I wake up, I spend sometime just feeling my stomach to see if I feel movement. I guess I am bonding with my baby. Morning are cool since now with my back on the bed, I have this small but firm bump on my stomach. I know I feel flutters at times. I hear that in a months or so, I may even see an elbow or feet through my stomach - so strange and cool.

- Lei

I'm Starting to Look Like This Guy

So Lei and I just watched Knocked Up and I couldn't help thinking that this is what I look like during this whole experience so far. What I mean by this is that I feel like I'm simply in a surreal state of observation and don't think it will hit me until the stork actually drops off our package. I do feel like it's an experience that continues to make the two of us closer as the months go by (just like the movie).

Hmmmm, I wonder if my wife actually asked herself the same exact question when we weren't married yet?

- Jaime

A funny story about tights

I discovered soon after I knew I was pregnant that dresses and skirts actually were the most comfortable for me to wear, given there is little restriction around my stomach. (I pull my skirt way up on my waist to avoid the lower tummy).

The only drawback was the weather was turning cold and I no longer had tights that fit me to wear. I proceed to buy larger sizes. First a medium, still too tight, returned it; Then a large, still too tight in some places, returned it; Finally, I went a maternity store and got a pair designed for pregnant women. I debated about sizes since I could not try it on and unlike Target, I cannot return it once I buy.

So I followed their chart and got a small. As soon as I got home, I tried it. Guess what, it was still too small. This was not helping with my morale and now I cannot return it. I was not happy. still I kept it and thought well maybe it won't be so bad. It was not as tight as the other ones.

Today, it's rainy, so I wanted to wear rain boots and a dress. So out comes my preggie tights. I braced for the tightness and it was there but ok and walked to work. Then something dawned on me - maybe I am wearing it backwards. There was no direction on which side was front and which side was back. My instinct was to put the part with more elastic in the back, given I usually have more junk in the trunk when not pregnant. While I was walking, it dawned on me that pregnant women would need more room in the front.

I proceed to go to the bathroom at work at the first chance I had and reverse the tights. Lo and behold, it fits perfectly!

- Lei

Lessons learned - part 1

1. prune juice is my friend - especially on an empty stomach in the morning (you don't want me to go into details)
2. invest in preggie clothes early - tight clothes on a pregnant woman can turn her into instant bitch
3. i can still be sexy pregnant - This has to do a lot with how my wonderful hubby treats me and the fact I refuse to use the words "I am getting fat" with anyone. I am gaining weight for a very good reason and I am happy about it. And the rest of me still looks sexy. I believe it so don't burst my bubble
4. don't really need to buy pregnancy books - with any luck, friends will give you theirs - I have about 7 now include one I bought myself (it's funny though so worth it called "Belly laughs" by Jenny McCarthy
5. clubbing and pregnancy do not mix well - I went once and although I was not showing a lot yet, I was constantly worried that someone will bump into my tummy. It's time for more dinner and shows and leave dancing mostly at home with hubby :-)

That's it for now...

- Lei

I am going to be a mom!

I really never thought men or women were that different before I became pregnant. Yeah, we have different parts but beyond that, things all seemed to work out the similarly enough: Just like boys, I

- climbed trees as a kid
- played fake gun games
- studied engineering
- worked in consulting
- climbed that corporate ladder...

Now that I am 4 months pregnant, I am in a whole new world that I know men will never experience and may not fully understand. It's so weird. I always wanted kids, but wanting kids and actually finding out that I am pregnant and will have a baby in May feel totally different. It's a little shocking at times, but mostly exciting.

On the down side, the degree of changes my body, hormones, and mind are goinging through is always a bit strange. From morning sickness and nausea to hormonal mood swings to increased gas and constipation, there is a lot to adapt. I know I know. 4 million women in the US every year are pregnant, so I know I am not alone. It's still uncomfortable.

Now that I am "in my golden trimester" though, I am starting to see the bright side of all this. I am going to feel the baby move in a few weeks - it's going to be amazing. I have seen two ultrasounds of my baby. First one was just a dot, but the second one at 12 weeks actually had full form with head, arms, legs. The head is huge and about half the body. The whole baby was only 1 inch long. Technology these days are amazing. I also heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time. It's 153 beats a minutes and sounds super strong. see my little youtube video.

I am told that I will get to bond with the baby all throughout the pregnancy, which basically includes the baby kicking me. I cannot believe I am looking forward to it, but I am. I am supposed to feel it in the next few weeks. Let's hope. We will also find out the gender in two weeks - Dec 17 - so exciting. I am so looking forward to my next ultrasound. Now I just have to settle for an ever growing stomach and appetite. I have gained 9 pounds so far - yeeks and expect to gain a total of 35 pounds. so much to look forward to....

- Lei