Happy Holidays

Dear friends and family,

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year.  2009 is rushing by fast.   Isabel is such a big girl now and learning new words every day.  Her latest ones are "Ligh" which means light but she doesn't say the T.  She will just point at the tree and say Ligh to mean can you light up the tree?  Another word is "wooo" when ever she is impressed or wowed by something.  Not sure where she learned that from.

We are excited to have Jaime's sister, Em visit with her hubby Roy and little girl, Gabby.  Gabby is 10 months old and will be meeting her cousin Isabel for the first time tomorrow.

Happy holidays!  May you enjoy every moment of this holidays with your family, friends, and loved ones.  Best wishes in 2010.

many hugs and kisses,

- Lei, Jaime, Isabel & Agnes

Isabel playing at the park

There is a baby park right by AT&T park. It's a 45 minute walk but we do it sometime so that we can meet up with other kids living in SOMA. My friend Sharon and her boy Gavin met us there 2 weeks ago. Both Gavin and Isabel loves the merry go around. Enjoy!



- Lei

Isabel and the train

In the lobby where I work, there is huge Xmas tree and a set up toy train that runs around it. Isabel loves standing by there to watch the train go by. Enjoy!



- Lei

Cancun remembered

I just got back from a great trip to Houston and Cancun. Trying not to be depressed in this rainy cold weather in SF. I was in Houston for the weekend to see my parents and then went with my girlfriend Dawn to cancun for 4 days.

here are the highlights. will share photos in another post

Houston highlights
- It was snowing the day before I arrived - wow
- love my parents new house - spacious, beautiful, comfy, great wood floors, love my room
- Saw my parents dance international ballroom at their Sunday class - am impressed how much they remember and are into it.

Cancun highlights
- perfect 85 degree weather (rained for 10 seconds only)
- Riu Palace was awesome, beautiful, and inexpensive ($200 per night for 2 all inclusive). I was told the week right before Dec 15 is the best - great weather and still off season rates. Other hotels that were recommmended are: Omni which has an all inclusive option and JW Marriott.
- Isla Mujere - an nearby island by fast board $15 round trip. sat by the palpas chatting about life with Dawn. Got an hour massage on the beach in a cabana before sunset for $30. Go to Playa Norte and ask for Marisala. They were top notch. Watched the sunset. Sat in the Palapas in front of Hotel Privilege (new, upscale, all inclusive). Maybe a good place for Jaime and I to visit sometime
- Sailing on the catamaran with Dawn - she rocks and took me out on this little catamaran. it was so fun. I am so lucky to have such a cool talented friend. Most of the hotel staff was impressed she could do it. She steered us back to shore no problem too. :-) I felt very VIP.
- Dancing the night away at Daddy O, Beach Club, and Coco Bongo - Cancun deliver on its promise and it was so great to dance one night outdoors in the sand with the warm breeze and great music
- Met lots of people - very friendly - Louise and husband, Joe and brother Alex from Utah, Edgar, David, Xavier, Pablo, a couple on the roof who may get engaged, people from Danmark - Simon, Nicoli, and an Asian guy, Lauren and Billy Jean from England, Miles and Rohan from Vancouver and Toronto, Susanne and husband who has been to Cancun over 50 times, Daniel and friends from Tijuana, Justin the stockbroker from Atlanta, another Lauren from New York - she is a nurse traveling alone and very cool chick. She will be in some of the photos.
- Last but not the least, it was great to just catch up with Dawn, my good friend from Wharton and do something for ourselves. We are both moms. Highlight recommend it to stay sane in life and rejuvenate.

I have such an awesome husband who supports me in taking some time off for myself. Thanks Honey! Best of all, I lost 2 pounds after all the eating and drinking. must be the dancing that helped and the warm, humid weather.

Lei

Sweet kisses from Isabel...

Something must have been in the air at Thanksgiving because starting that night, Isabel decided to be extra generous with her kisses. Before then, she will only give kisses once in awhile. More than not, when we ask for kisses, she would walk away or do a fake out or even try to hit our faces.

But at thanksgiving night and since then, she will run over and give a kiss whenever we ask. Perhaps she is feeling thankful or perhaps she figured out that is a good way to get what she wants. Now whenever we don't get her something she wants, she will try to give us a kiss and see if we change our mind. We are suckers and of course are so giddy from the kiss that she gets what she wants. I guess both sides win. :-)

- Lei

Isabel on the Phone

If you have not gotten a call or text from Isabel from my phone, you probably will at some point soon. She loves my phone and has accidentally called a few people through quick dial. Most of the time she won't say much though. So if you get a call from me and I am not talking, it's probably Isabel having fun with mommy's phone again. Sorry in advance!



- Lei

Isabel playing. Step on the book and jump.

Isabel has always loved stairs. Even since she can walk, she gravitate towards stairs. We taught her to never do it by herself and always wait to hold our hand to do it. so far, she has followed that.

Well, since stairs are a little steep, Isabel got creative and uses her animal book which is only about an inch tall and steps on it and off it for practice. She can do it for 10 min straight. See for yourself.



- Lei

Isabel loves to eat

We are very lucky that Isabel is a really good eater. She gets up around 7:30am. By 9am, she would've had fresh juice with carrots, celery, and spinach, 9oz of almond milk, and a almond butter sandwich. She will then have cereal and milk before her nap. After nap, she eats 1-2 gerber meals or a turkey wrap + cereal and apple sauce for snacks. Dinner is another 1-2 gerber meals or turkey wrap or whatever we are eating like Turkey meatball spaghetti. Then another 9oz of almond milk before bedtime at 7:30pm.

Overall, she loves bread, crackers, almond butter, and her latest thing is turkey wraps. She was stealing Agnes' lunch and just started eating it. It was so cute. She is developing those chubby cheeks again. Enjoy!



- Lei

Such a cute little girl

Isabel loves the Angel that sings silent night at Grandma Lapena's house.



- Lei

The cutest little devil with a purse

The purse snatcher hit again - this time wearing hones :-)



- Lei

Showing off her dress

Isabel loves her Xmas dress. her cousin Emma who is now 4 years old gave it to her. Emma worn it when she was two. Isabel loves her dress and has learned how to turn.



- Lei

Playing with Xmas ball

Isabel is showing off her Xmas dress and playing with Grandma's Xmas ornament.



- Lei

Always see a doctor early

I definitely benefited from this rule just last week. I had a painful stabbing headache that I never experienced before. It felt like someone was jabbing me with a needle every few minutes. I also had a small bump on my head. I thought it was a mosquito bite by a giant mosquito that happen to bit me on a nerve on my head - thus causing the headache.

The theory also made sense since only a few days earlier I killed a giant mosquito, the size of a fly. Still I am not a doctor and thought it would be better to see one. I belong to a medical group that can set up same day visits so I went to the doctor the next morning. He checked my symptom and also my lymph nodes and said "You have Shingles"

I was floored. I actually had Shingles on my back 15 years ago, but never thought this was that. He said "you are lucky you came when you first had symptoms and you don't have an open sore. You are not generally contagious and can still go to work. Just don't scratch your head. With a 7 day Valtrex medicine, you will recover fairly quickly and should be pain free soon." The drug would just get me a bit tired. I still didn't believe him and insisted on a blood test to verify. He agreed. He also asked me to see an ophthalmologist in case it affects my eyesight. Shingles can cause loss of vision too.

Long story short, he was right and I am fine. I saw an ophthalmologist the next day and no eye infection and I am all better now. I am still glad I did the blood test so I know that I didn't take some strong medicine unnecessarily.

Moral of the Story: Always go to a Doctor early to double check a medical theory I am not really qualified to make. And make sure the doctor can prove it with fact (such as a blood test), so you don't get misdiagnosed.

Stay healthy and happy holidays!

- Lei

Very healthy Isabel

We took her to her 18 months check up last week and all is good. She is

• 33.75 inches tall at 90%
• weighs almost 24 lbs which is at 50%
  
• and her head size is at around 75%

She had 3 shots and cried for 20 seconds and was over it with no reaction afterward which is awesome. The doctor only had two advice for us

1. try to have her sleep 12 hours at night + 1 to 2 hour nap during the day. We been putting her to bed at 7:30 now and she gets up around 7pm and smiling even more, so it's great
2. less milk and more table food - she should have less than 18 oz of milk and more food from our dinner. Which is also working out great. She is even stealing Agnes's wrap sandwich now. Very cute - we have a video we will share in another post.

All is good. We also got referrals to dentists as Isabel has 6 teeths and many more coming out, so we are supposed to go see one in the next 6 months. Her stitches from her surgery is healing well. Had some bruising on one side and a little bubble but is much better now. She is such a strong, happy little girl. We are very blessed.

Lei
p.s: this picture with the post is old - probably when she was only 15 months old but it's so cute!

Life is too short - Hug your loved ones

Sorry, but this may be kind of a morbid post but I thought it's important to keep life in perspective. In the last few weeks, I found out 3 horrible news

• One person committed suicide. He was in his mid-20s and a friend of a friend's brother
• One person died of cancer. He was in his early 30s and was a friend of an ex-colleague. He could have been saved, but ignored the symptoms until it was too late.
• One person is in critical condition and in a coma still. He is in his late 30s and a high school friend of Jaime. His friend was driving too fast on the freeway and both were not wearing seating belts. His friend died instantly and he is struggling for his life.

Why am I being such a downer? Well, these news just remind me that life is short and fleeting. We all need to be responsible for the decisions we make in life. Unfortunately, the decisions these people made in life caused them the ultimate price. It's so sad that they were/are so young. We all need to respect the how fragile life can be. We all need to take time to also take care of ourselves. That means, reaching out for help when needed, going to the doctor if we have symptoms, and minimize reckless behavior.

It also makes me think of all the other decisions we make in life. While they are not deadly, they affect our quality of life. We decide everyday whether we will criticize others or ourselves, whether we will be nice or mean to others, whether we will fight with others over petty little things. They may seem small but they add up and causes us and others to be hurt.

Life is so short. With these stories in mind, all I want to do is hug my loves ones and tell them how much I love them every day (regardless of my flaws and their flaws). I remind myself that pointing fingers at anyone is a waste of life energy and time. We are all flawed in someway and it is how we respond to situations that makes us human and possibly great or weak.

If we experience hurt in anyway in life, our instinct is to blame others, but really it's much better to first look at ourselves and say, what can I change? How am I contributing to this? Life is precious and takes patience, forgiveness, and humility everyday. So whatever it is that is going on, remember to hug your loved ones everyday!

- Lei

My brave, strong little girl

Warning: don't be alarmed by this post. Isabel is fine and doing well.

Isabel has an elective surgery yesterday. Around when she was 1 years old, we discovered that she has an ingurnal hernia on the left side of her groin. One night, she had what looks like a size of a golf ball mass in her left groin area, so we took her to the doctor and they were pretty sure that it was a hernia. Apparently this is very common in babies but of course alarmed us as hernia cannot be healed on its own. Surgery is required.

It took us a few months to get used to the idea but on our second surgeon visit, the Dr basically told us that to delay it is more for us than for Isabel as it increases her risk of getting an incarcerated hernia, which could be life threatening and would require emergency surgery. We listened and scheduled her surgery for this past Friday.

She of course didn't know but I was pretty nervous about it. I couldn't sleep all night Wed worrying about it and finally decided to do more research online. All of them say the same - surgery is pretty routine and risk is minor. Doing it is also necessary. Luckily I was able to sleep Thursday night as we had to get up at 6am to bring little Isabel to UCSF at 7am for her 9am Surgery.

They gave her some "happy juice" to make her a bit drowsy and calm and at 9:15am took to the OR. We were told to wait at the waiting room until we are called. The surgery is somewhere between 60-90 min. What they will do is make a small cut around her belly button and put in a scope to check if there is also a hernia on her other side. This is very common and then make a cut by her lower stomach on the left side and right side if hernia is also found to sew up the hole (hernia) that is in her lower abdomen.

Agnes and I distracted ourselves by going to the Cafe to eat breakfast. Jaime was at the hospital until 8:30am and then had to go to work. We were called at 11am to go to the recovery room and ended up leaving the hospital by 1:30pm.

All in all, the surgery went very smoothly. Dr. Hirose did find another hernia on the other side so he fixed both and Isabel bled very little. The recovery part was the only jarring part. We were told numerous times that Isabel will be drowsy when we are called back and we will be the first people she sees when she wakes up. Well, perhaps Isabel is just very strong because her anesthesia worn off a few minutes after she got to the recovery room but we were not called soon enough to be there. We arrived to a hysterical Isabel who pulled out her ivy and screaming a the top of her lungs while 3 people were hovering over her. At the time, I was pretty distraught since it totally sounds like she was in pain and no one told me how the surgery went. The next hour was kinda hellish until we realized she just freaked out waking up with an ivy and monitors on her chest and strangers in her face and Agnes and I nowhere in sight. I guess that would freak me out even.

The good news is because she pulled out her ivy and she was screaming, she is obviously healthy and strong and also cannot be given any more "happy juice." Less drugs the better. Isabel only had to take two Tylenol doses so far and seems to be doing better every hour.

She was already acting like her regular self by 1pm Friday after calming down. We got home and took these videos in the later afternoon.



She slept well last night and just have a sore throat due to the tube that was put down her throat during surgery to help her breathe. The tube was taken out before she woke from surgery and the sore throat will go away in a few days. She got 3 set of clean tape on her stomach, one on belly button and two on her lower stomach. She has stitches which will dissolve by themselves in the next two weeks. No bathing for a week just sponge bath or showers and we just have to watch out for infection. So far, looks good. No restriction on activity as kids knows to slow down if they are tired. She is a bit slower right now but will be good as new in a few days. Kids heal so fast.

I am so proud of my little girl. She was so brave, strong, already laughing, and up to mischief again. Motherhood takes a whole new level of meaning after going through that, but it just made me stronger I guess.

Glad it's over and she no longer have to worry about any hernias.

- Lei

Why couples fight

It doesn't matter how much a couple love each other, fighting is almost always inevitable. Perhaps it's expression of love to care so much. What do you think? If a couple says they never fight, are they the perfect couple or do they just not love each other enough or does one person completely dominate the relationship? If a couple always fight, are they just a bad match or do they actually fight because they care and are easier hurt by the other's words. I guess there is a balance to all things - not healthy to not fight ever or always fight. Some fighting can be good.

99% of couple fight due to one reason and one reason only - mis-communication. One person say the wrong word or the right words but with the wrong tone and the other will react to the wrong words or wrong tone and start interpreting based on their insecurities and respond back in kind (wrong word or wrong tone or both). At the end of the day, each begin pointing fingers at the other person saying why it's because the other person started first when in fact it's probably even odds who started first. Then it spirals downward to he said she said and why the other person is wrong. What is the point? To be right is to be alone and to be sacrificing the feeling of love, warmth, peace, joy. To admit wrong however seems so hard when our pride or ego or heart feel wounded.

What about taking a step back and just decide to tell the other person as soon as you feel an "attack" that "I don't think you are meaning to do this, but I am feeling attacked by your tone or words." and have the other person realize the first person is trying to not react to an unintentional slight and also back off by saying "sorry, I don't mean to attack you at all. Let me try again. I just wanted to know xyz. Is my tone ok now?"

That probably will not end up as a fight, but it is soooooooo hard to do or to remember to do. Whenever we feel attacked, even it's because of our own interpretation and not intentional by the other person, our first response is to defend or attack back or both. No time to pause and think - do I want to do this? Even if he started it, I can stop it by not reacting and try to diffuse it with an even tone. If we don't stop and think, then our insecurities take over - "she is telling me I am not good enough." "He doesn't love me enough" " He doesn't care enough" "She is attacking me for no reason." whatever we think of is WRONG but feels so true at that moment.

Fighting is unhealthy if we don't learn from our mistakes. Then we would fight the same way every single time for the rest of our lives and just learn to cope with the hurt feelings. It's not a great way to live but most couples seem to accept it as part of marriage. I guess I am only 2 years into it and still believe that people evolve and get better if they want to be better.

Let's hope my conviction is the same 10 years from now.

- Lei

Snow White Cup from Bita

Cool Black Ball

Jaime and I went to the cool black ball this past Sat for my friend - Clara's bday and has a blast. I can't believe she was able to get 30 people together. The cool black ball is a first annual jazz event at the fillmore by Yoshi's. We ate at this Ethiopian restaurant called Rassela that also played big band Jazz and DJ music and then went to Yoshi's for a bit afterwards.

Most of us dressed up in 1920s-50s outfits. Jaime and I had fun figuring out what to wear.



- Lei

Cuckoo Clock Song

Isabel learned this song at the library and can now say "cuckoo." :-)



- Lei

A love affair with mommy's shoes

Isabel is fascinated with all my shoes, especially the high heel ones. Whichever ones she sees me wearing, she will then tries to wear it and walk around in it. She actually amazingly good at it. Check it out.



- Lei

Daredevil Isabel

Isabel is getting very brave these days and alway climbing new heights, literally. She now can get up on a chair by herself by just throwing her leg up on the seat and pulling herself up. Almost gave me a heart attack, but she seems to be super careful at the same time, which is good. Enjoy the video.



- Lei

The Sound of Silence

is music to my ears and surprisingly Isabel's too. You will see what I mean. Three weeks ago, Isabel started crying out every night in the middle of the night. We were starting to worry that we had to have her cry it out again which is not easy for me to bear or that she will have to sleep with one of us. Our theory was that since she is older and also has slept with me a few nights here and there for a few hours, she is crying out to want me to pick her up and sleep with her in bed.

Agnes and I agonized for two or three nights. What do we do if she cries? How long to let her cry? Do we need to permanently allow her to sleep in bed with one of us? etc.. Well, boy were we on the wrong track.

Luckily, I was not fully willing to give up on her sleeping in her crib and thought maybe if we gave her a new bed time routine, she would not cry out for me in the middle of the night. So on the 4th night, we took her to the room and turn the lights on. I read to her a few books while turning on her music soother. Once I turned off the lights, I also held her for 5 more minutes and just spoke to her in Chinese about her day and telling her goodnight. Between the nice blue lights from her soother and more time with me, she seemed calm and went to bed no problem. She didn't cry that night at all and slept all the way until 7am.

One more thing, because of all the extra bed time routine, we forgot to turn on the classical music we play her all through out the night. I started doing that after I came back from Chicago and saw that Jaime's sister did that for her baby Gabby and she seems to sleep really well.

Well, long story short, the second night I did the same bed time routine with her and noticed one thing just before leaving the room. Isabel turned off her soother music before she went to sleep. And it dawned on me. She was crying in the middle of the night before because the classic music was probably too loud. Once she woke up she could not go back to sleep and she couldn't turn it off herself, unlike the soother.

We tested our theory - still continue the bedtime routine as well and no more classical music. Well, she has been sleeping like an angel. I guess it was too late of an age for her to get used to all night music after having silence for the first 15 months of her life. Unlike Gabby who is probably used to it, it bothered Isabel and she slept soundly in my room because there was silence.

Moral of the story: Never jump too quickly to conclusions as we don't always know what's going on. Also every baby is unique. What works for one may bother another.

Motherhood is a constant guessing game and a roller coaster ride. It's challenging and lots of learning that is worth every effort :-)

- Lei

Isabel's New Ride

I got this for her 3 weeks ago and she loves it. She plays on it everyday. It's a toy that can be used 3 ways - first as a rocker, then as a tricycle with a handle I can push, then an independent tricycle when she gets older (I can remove the handle). very cool toy!

Playing with cousins

Isabel had so much fun playing with her cousins - Alec and Andy (Manuel and Dianna's son) this past weekend. Dancing, peek-a-boo, hugging, playing.


This collage is courteous of our talented Agnes. You can click on the collage to see a larger version



-Lei

Kittycat doll Isabel and Welcome to America Isabel Style

This is just too cute. She is getting more and more animated everyday. Enjoy!



- Lei

Isabel loves mommy's shoes

Labor Day weekend with Grandma Han

My mom got a last minute ticket to come and visit us over Labor Day weekend. Isabel had a blast. Even though she hasn't seen her in 4 months, I think she remembered her (maybe her voice). As soon as my mom came in, she just came to her and wanted to be held. Isabel let my mom hold her for a long time, which is unusual for her. Isabel was like that with us as well when we came back from Chicago.

I guess it's her way of expressing that she missed Grandma. The weekend went by very fast. The last two pics above was Tuesday morning right before my mom was leaving. It was almost like Isabel knew, because she was kind of quiet and sad all morning.

- Lei

So many changes in a month

Time is going slow and fast as I watch Isabel grow. She is only 16 months and has a whole life time of development ahead of her. At the same time, in the last month, she had some major changes

• No more baby bottle - in one day, she transition to drinking milk from her sippy cup and drinking juice from a sippy cup too
• Eating cheerios on her own - she loves cheerios. We get the low sugar, high nutrition kind. She can now pick up each one and feed herself. In fact, we bought a no-fill snack cup so she can walk around with it and eat on her own.
• Want to feed herself - for her meal, she also wants to hold the spoon and try to feed herself.
• She runs - When she walks with me to Safeway for example, she will run most of that time because she is so excited to be outside. Her running speed is a fast walk for me. I have to make sure to keep up with her. Those little legs are working
• Very cautious about what she puts in her mouth - we are lucky she is very selective and doesn't just put anything in her mouth. Even new food, she will be tentative and only try it. This will keep her safer
• She waves at people - to say hello or goodbye. Especially at safeway, she smiles at everyone and waves
• She raises her arm to be held - She would run to me and hold out her arms to motion she wants me to hold her.
• She knows when we are leaving - this is getting harder but we try not to make it a big deal. She knows when we are going out and not taking her. Sometime she cries a little
• She understands a lot of things we say - She may not be talking much yet but she knows a lot of what we are telling her.
• She "talk" all the time - in her own language. She will run on and on like she is telling us a lot. It will be kind of cool and scary when she actually speaks.
• She is afraid of daddy - We always thought that I will be the disciplinary in the family but apparently we are wrong. I can't hold my disapproving face too long without smiling or laughing - not very effective. Jaime can and sometimes she would be crying and she would stop as soon as he walks in and see his disapproving face. She is still sulking but no sounds come out. It's so cute and amazing to see. I guess Jaime also has a deeper voice which seems scarier to her. She is also afraid of Grandpa, maybe for the same reason.

- Lei

Just hanging out with Isabel

I was reading the latest vampire craze book "new moon" on the bed. Jaime went out to get diapers (what a good daddy!). It was a rainy afternoon outside - damp but also warm. Isabel decided to come over and just hang out. I pulled her up to our bed (which is pretty high) and she just started playing with her new snack cup full of cheerios.

I was not tense like I usually am when she is on my bed - perhaps she is older and I think she knows not to try to jump off the edge or perhaps I just feel more at ease as a mom. I was not trying too hard to play with her (not secretly worried that maybe I am no fun for her). I guess I have been a bit like that ever since she was born.

I used to babysit for money as a teenager but after that my contact with babies and toddlers is minimal. Every time I did have contact, I always felt like I didn't know what they liked to play with, like I was too adult for them. I remember a time up to I was 20 when I was the head of the kids pack and everyone did follow me around and I played with them all. Well, I guess I transitioned to full "adulthood" and felt disconnected instead with most kids.

Yesterday was another transition I guess. I felt at ease being a mom. I knew I didn't have to try too hard to be with Isabel. She was just happy to be with her mommy (that' me - I still have to pinch myself sometimes on that thought). She would get up once in awhile on her feet like she was surfing and then fall on me or on our soft comforter.

I started also doing peek-a-boo with her using my book. She loved that and started giggling (a heavenly sound). I would read a little and she would pull my book down, so she can see me. The old me would have been annoyed by the constant interruption. The book is really good, but I was happy to just let her do whatever with me. Motherhood is teaching me to practice patience everyday. It also takes so little for her to be happy. She is just a happy kid. We are very lucky.

It was just a nice afternoon spending some time with my Isabel while reading. I am enjoying motherhood immensely with all its ups and downs. I highly recommend it.

- Lei

Isabel's first Photo Shoot

My friend JuanPablo graciously offered to take Isabel's photos with his fancy cameras, as her birthday present. We all had fun that day taking pictures. This was about 2 months ago.

Here are some highlights of the photos. We entered one of them in the Cutekid photo contest. Can you guess which one? Wish us luck. Enjoy the photos.


- Lei

Gabby laughing

- Lei

Gabby playing with her toy

- Lei

Gabby playing in her room, hanging wiht mommy

- Lei

Gabby playing with the Dog

- Lei

Gabby dancing to Ninong's Beat

Enjoy!





- Lei

Tongue Action

I just can't resist. This collage is too cute. Enjoy!

From Collages

- Lei

Visting the Windy City - Chicago

Jaime and I wanted to do a quick vacation before he starts his new job on Thursday, so we went to Chicago for a long weekend to visit Emily (Jaime's sister), Gabrielle (her six month old baby - our new niece), and Roy (Em's hubby). We had a blast! Chicago is a beautiful city and the weather was perfect.



Best times remembered

• Meeting our adorable niece, Gabrielle (Boomzy). She is such a sweet baby and such big brown eyes. Pretty easy going and smells so good. We had a lot of fun playing with her for 4 days (although I missed Isabel terribly as I have never been away from her this long)
  
• Going to Jazz Fest by Wrigley Field and then a micro-brewery for blueberry beer, bratwurst & chips, and fried pickles.
  
• Taking a beautiful 90 min. boat tour of Chicago architecture - perfect 80 degree weather
• Smoke's pulled pork and two kinds of smoked ribs - Smokes was featured on Triple D - Food networks "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives"
• Home-made Shrimp soup with Simquat and noodles Friday night - it was awesome and so perfect after our long flight - Roy's mom made it. We didn't even see her that night, but I got the recipe (sort of) on Sunday and will try it at home. Like Jaime's parents, she couldn't tell me how much of each sauce she put in. I guess good food is always done without recipes. We will see how I do.
• Millenium park - giant silver "bean" - weirdly huge reflective mirror with all different perspective. You will have to see the photos.
• Late night walk to Chris and Ricky's 29th bday party at North Side Cafe. We left around 1am (only 11am SF time) from Emily's house. She lives only 3 blocks from a main street full of restaurants, stores, and bars.
  
• Great grilled chicken and tomato/basil salad that Roy made on Monday night - a whole chicken was only $1.99 from Shop and Save - Roy's favorite store and tomatoes and basil grown from his own garden on the deck. How cool is that!
• CPK but in a fast food format - we had great salads.
• Enjoying "I love you, man" at home with Jaime, Em and Roy.
  
• Realizing that I now have 5 siblings - a nice change for an only child. Em is my wonderful sister in law. Roy is her husband and now my brother in law and he has two brothers (Ricky and Chris) and a sister (Cindy). Very cool for me!

All in all a great trip!

- Lei

Getting ready to do laundry

Isabel is starting early. She helps with laundry every Wednesday. Such a good girl!

- Lei

Loves the slide and the swing

We went to this outdoor concert in Redwood city and there was a huge playground for little kids. Isabel tried the swing and slide for the first time and loves both.



- Lei

Playing at the courtyard

This courtyard is on the 3rd floor in the back of our building. She loves running around here and play hide and seek. enjoy the video



- Lei

Eating Banana on Her Own

Isabel loves bananas. We have been feeding her with a spoon, but last week we saw a kid her age eating a banana on her own by just holding it. So we thought we try that. She took to it very well and boy can she eat a banana. Enjoy!




Happy eating the banana during the concert!




















- Lei

First class at the Library

We rediscover the wonder of the public library - free books, free DVDs, free baby singing classes. This is the first one Isabel attended @ the Mission Bay Library. She loves the shaker.



- Lei

The petting zoo

First encounter with animals. The petting zoo @ Webb Ranch. We also went to pick strawberries. Isabel was fascinated



- Lei

First Merry-Go-Around ride

First Merry-Go-Around ride @ Pier 39



- Lei

Isabel's new moves

Dancing holding mommy's purse (Calle Ocho music). Soooo cute...



- Lei

The Poor Bunny

Isabel was playing with the (jumping)bunny @ Jeannie and Hans'. She kicked the bunny, picked it up and held it at it's ear. She made it bounce up and down but she's banging it hard on the floor. Just heck of funny...



Although my laugh in there sounds pretty disturbing to me...
-Lei

Walking around at Carl's Jr

Walking around, we were at Carl's Jr. Mommy and Daddy were sold by the burger commercial.



- Lei

Isabel's little spot

Two pairs of adult tennis shoes: $88 total
One pair of kid size 6 Puma shoes: $43
The look on Isabel's face every time she wears them: Priceless!

We bought these shoes 10 days ago. I originally was against paying too much for kid's shoes since she will grow out of them so soon.

Her first pair of sandals was only $8 but they are not really great for walking or cold weather. So we went to Nordstoms 10 days ago to look around. They had quite a selection.

We put this pair on Isabel and the shoes sold themselves. She was so happy trotting around in them. $43 was worth every penny. Besides, unlike adults that may have dozens of pairs of shoes. She will probably only have 1 or 2 at a time. In that case, it's pretty worth it.

We smile every time she wears them, which is also priceless. Now when she sees us about to go out, she would go grab her shoes and try to put them on herself. It's so cute.

- Lei

When In Doubt

- go to Bikram yoga (great for headaches, stress release, exercise, and a calming mind) and dance classes
- talking to someone or several people (very cathartic to just vent or share. Amazing how many people are in the same boat. Helps me realize it's not such a big issue - many go through it)
- distract myself (go shopping, go dancing, go to a new music group for Isabel, watch a funny movie, do anything different from routine, also gives my analytic brain a rest)
- color (well this is more clear for "sex and the city" movie fans. I won't elaborate, but it's great for curing headaches and tense muscles :-) )
- let it take its course (life is about rhythms. There is always up and downs, but just remember whatever it is it will pass)
- remember it's ok to have flaws (not the end of the earth or a major issue. It's just insecurities)
- forget about it (don't try so hard to fix it - instead go do something fun and forget about it. The mind and the body have a natural way of working itself out)
- don't get attached to the result (just enjoy the journey, if it doesn't work out, try something else. don't force it)

So why am I writing this list? well, it's really to remind myself to read it when I am down or stuck in something negative. I have had trouble sleeping in the last week and had a headache (no more) pretty much for that long. Mostly due to silly insecurities and an overly analytical mind. Jaime and I have been working a lot on our business ideas. So I have been thinking day and night about them. Guess I haven't let my mind rest for the last few weeks and it's so tired that it forgot how to stop thinking.

At first, I tried so hard to fix it - fix my sleeping, fix my headache. I guess I am a problem solver. Well, it just made it (headache and trouble sleeping) worse - trying too hard is not always the answer. Now I am trying other things (list above). so far so good. :-)

Enjoying life with all its up and downs. ;-)

- Lei
p.s: I wrote this last night and went to sleep at 11:45pm. Fell asleep right away. I already had a back up plan to get up and read my Chinese karate book if I didn't. I was actually looking forward to it. I guess I was no longer attached to falling asleep and that's when it happened. I slept until 8am. :-) Life's lessons are sometimes hard but good to learn.

Purse Snatcher

The latest game Isabel got into is imitating mommy. She apparently realized that mommy has a lot of purses as I switch them based on outfit. I would put them on and then check the mirror to see how they look.

I then sometimes leaves my purses by the bookcase or on the table so I can use them again that week. Either way, she has managed to snatch them quick and often. These two are her latest favorites - one from Tita Tusa for my bday and one I got from LA. She would put them on and then walk to the mirror and look at herself. It's so cute until you try to take them away from her. C'est la vie. I guess I have to share my purses now and also watch what I do as I don't know what she will imitate next. Watch out for yours when you come and visit!

- Lei

A Happy Life

A Happy Life - by Wayland Henry
To live with purpose
To say the courageous thing
To celebrate the simple gift
To follow your dreams
This is a happy life

This was one the front of my bday card from Jaime. I just loved it and wanted to share. I had a great bday overall. Jaime and Agnes conspired and surprised me with two gifts as well - a sports jacket from Nike (I love it - light and functional) and a necklace and earring set with a locket (Agnes put isabel's pictures in it already). I was so surprised. They managed to do this without me noticing, which explains all the unexpected outings they had while I was at work. Sneaky sneaky.. I really appreciate it. Overall, a great bday.

- Lei

Cute Video to Share

This is just too cute. have to share



- Lei

Isabel's first words

You would think it would be mama or dada. Well, she definitely have said those words, although I don't think she knows what they mean. Now that she is 14 months old, she is beginning to articulate words where she knows the meaning.

Her first word is (drum roll please!) "Hieee." In the morning, when I wake up, she would run to me and say "Hieee." When I come back from work, she would run to me, wrap her arms around my leg and say "Hieee." When we are out and she sees another baby or toddler close to her age, she would smile say "Hieee." A very social baby!

Other than that, she also learned to shake her head to mean "I don't want." We are still trying to teach her mama and dada, although it's ok she hasn't learned it. She is smart. Imagine when she learns it and she can scream it out when she is unhappy or want something and it will be much harder to ignore her.

It's so fun to watch her learn all this.

- Lei

Benefit of One-sies

One-sies are these jumpsuit looking tops for babies that clip around the diaper like a loose leotard. I always wondered why there are so many one-sies designed for babies, even for kids older than 1 years old. Well, I found my answer yesterday.

Isabel just had some solid food for lunch. She was wearing a cute brown top and a pair of white shorts. The top is not an one-sie (not tied under the diaper) and just simply falls over the shorts. It was a warm day, so this seems like the perfect outfit for Isabel to stay cool.

As usual she was walking around everywhere and playing, while we all got ready to go out with Jaime's parents for Father's day brunch. As I was coming out of the bedroom, she was in the hallway and I saw something fall from her finger to the carpet. Since she just ate, I thought perhaps some food dropped on her clothes and she picked it up with her finger.

I picked it off the carpet and put it close to my mouth to smell it. I guess it's instinctual for humans to smell their food. Well, it was NOT food. She is now almost 14 months old and her arm is long enough to reach, I guess. Because she pooped and it was itching her. So she reached into the back of her shorts to scratch and picked out some poop, which is what I saw drop to the carpet. Oh, the joy of motherhood.

The funny thing is I wasn't grossed out at all. I just started to laugh my head off. To think, it was so close to my mouth. I guess this is what happens to moms. Her poop is just an every day affair. It just reached a new level yesterday.

Moral of the story - now I know why one-sies are so useful. It can prevent your kid from picking poop out of their diapers. Lessons learned!

- Lei

Happy Father's Day!

We had a wonderful day celebrating father's day with Jaime and his parents. We had brunch at Delancey Street. Then we had a photo shoot for Isabel as one of my good friends, JuanPablo, offered to take her pictures as her birthday present. He has about $3000 worth of equipment and we had a lot of fun. We can't wait to see the photos in a few weeks.

The best part though of Father's day is what Agnes created for all the wonderful dads for Father's day. She is becoming quite a pro at this. Enjoy!


- Lei

Any guess what Isabel is doing?

Jaime took this video while I was at work two weeks ago. It's so cute and funny. It's hard being a 1 year old. Any guess what little Isabel is doing?



- Lei

Isabel loves to dance and play on her toy cart

She literally dances to any music she hears. Here you see her move to the music of her toy cart (grandma's birthday gift). She would stop and dance to commercial music on TV and of course when we play music. It's too cute.

\

- Lei

From Crawling to Running in One Month

It's amazing how fast Isabel learned to walk and run. She took her first tentative independent steps at end of April and now she is walking and running everywhere. Here are 2 videos from mid May and end of May

She was still walking like this mid May. She is so excited to be walking


She is walking and running more like this now (end of May) and barely ever crawls. She realizes she can go faster running :-) oh trouble


- Lei

Isabel loves hide and seek

It is not all what you think. She does love it when we run around, hide away, and wait for her to find us. But what you don't know is she also love to hide everyone's stuff now that she can reach higher and open up drawers.

3 weeks ago, I realized that I can't find my MPS player. Agnes said she last saw it on our dinner table but also don't know what happened. I asked her to look everywhere with no success, so I thought I probably just lost it. We kinda gave up.

Well guess what, today while Agnes was not looking, Isabel came around holding my MPS player in her hand. I guess she gave up on us finding it, so she is like "okay, I guess I will just give it back to you. This way I can hide it again when you are not looking :-)" I couldn't believe it. I still don't know where she hid it. She apparently did the same thing to Agnes' MPS player a month ago, but we found it under the Wii Fit board after just a few days.

The morale of the story - visitors beware! All your stuff that you bring to the house is fair GAME for Isabel. She will eventually give it back I think, but we don't know when :-)

- Lei

We can all learn from a 1 year old!

I am amazed how relentless Isabel is at learning how to walk. Every day she would fall down many times and then get right back up again to try again. Her face is full of excitement as she takes more steps and now only after a few weeks, she has gone from only walking a few ginger steps slowly to practically running down the corridor.

Imagine what we adults can accomplish if we acted like a 1 year old - never giving a second thought to "falling down" but with every waking hours just keep trying and trying to reach our goals with enthusisam and vigor. There is no concept of failure or looking good to a 1 year old. There is no thoughts of regrets of the past or worry for the future to a 1 year old. Everything is the present and everything is just a journey to the next part of growing.

When and why did we "adults" lose that? Aren't we all growing still until the day we die? As we grow up to "adulthood," it seems that we have come up with many reasons to try less as well as have developed a habit of giving too much meaning to something meaningless. A bad interview or a mistake made on the job is the adult equivalent of "falling down" as we pursue our career dreams. To a 1 year old, these are just opportunities to learn how to do better next time. Many of us, however, would make it mean much more, something about our self worth or market worth, and it spirals from there.

Imagine if Isabel did the same as we adults do today. If everytime she falls down, she spends time analyzing what happened and what does it mean about herself, she may not walk until she is 5 years old.

It's up to us to recognize that in life we are sometimes the ones that actually stands in the way of our dreams. If we just try our best at every single moment and look at "falling down" as only opportunities to learn instead of failures, we can be unstoppable. Imagine what we can all accomplish!

- Lei

Isabel says "Grandma" in Chinese

Grandma in Chinese is "Laolao" for the mother's side. Agnes and I have been teaching Isabel the last month how to say it. I think she got it. :-)



- Lei

Star Trek Movie - only 3 stars

Jaime and I went to see this last night. It was entertaining but nowhere as good as I expected or as the reviews indicated. I give it a 3 star out of five
- 1 star for the action sequences which was great;
- 1 star for the clever way the story line was written to allow future sequels to be completely different from the TV series (you will know what I mean when you see it - very in the spirit of star trek fantasies)
- 1 star for the story of Spock was pretty good

On the other hand, I thought the story for Jim Kirk was too cliche and shallow. His character didn't really develop. He was a rebellious, maverick, cocky kid and he seem to still be at the end of the movie with a captain title. Also I thought the last 20 minutes of the movies was cheesy and so predictable. Lastly, (movie spoiler ahead - don't read if you don't want to know), there is no way they could have survived that last explosion since a dot of that red matter destroyed a whole planet and they detonated the entire red matter that was at least 100K times larger.

I guess I was just disappointed as I had high expectations after seeing the reviews everywhere. We still had a good time.

- Lei

Isabel photo story - what a first year!

The first one was made when she was 12 weeks old. Agnes and I made this second video last month for her first birthday. We had so much fun. Enjoy!


- Lei

Video Series - Isabel loves to Dance

As Isabel turned 1, Agnes and I are creating a series of videos from this past year. This first one is one of our favorite. She is very much like mama and papa - loves to move to music. enjoy!



- Lei

Isabel's Bday Party videos

Isabel's first birthday party

Isabel turned 1 on Sat, May 2, 2009. Wow, how time flies. We had a fabulous party for her at Grandma's clubhouse in redwood shores. Jaime's parents + tita Tusa cooked up a storm and also did all the decoration for the party. Thank you so much! We had about 30+ guest including 3 other babies (Lauren, Dash, Gavin) for Isabel to play with.

Isabel loved her gift from Jaime's parents which was a little princess push cart. She also got many fabulous clothes and gift cards from our friends. My parents gave her the ultimate practical gift which she will appreciate a lot when she grows up - set up money for her college fund plus her gorgeous cake below. Thank you mom and dad.

All in all, a great party. Thank you all for coming and help our little one celebrate.

Isabel's first independent steps

She is walking more and more every day as well as standing up from the ground without holding anything. We captured two videos two days ago - one where she is walking along the walls and the other she took 3 steps without holding anything toward me. So exciting!





- Lei

She is walking.. She is walking

We have yet to capture it on film, but I am so excited. Yesterday, she stood up from the ground while still holding an empty shoe box (she loves boxes). She has been standing up for a few days now. I held out my arm at her shoulder level so she would be incented to walk toward me instead of get down and crawl. And she did! She took 3 little steps towards me while still holding the box in mid air.

I felt so happy - happy that she is starting to walk; happy that I was there to see her first step; happy that Jaime was there too. He was hanging out on the bed while I was playing with Isabel on the floor.

All is all, a really good day! I feel so grateful to have a more relaxing job so I can share so many special moments with our little one. :-)

- Lei