Her favorite game - flash cards

We are not trying to turn Isabel into an "egg head" but she seems to gravitate towards that way.  She loves puzzles, reading and her latest favorite is the flash card game.  She got these from Agnes for Xmas and she actually chases after me to play it with her.  They are basically alphabet card that is displayed as a picture.  For example, a picture of an apple to illustrate A for Apple.   She literally plays with it every day and loves it.

Here is her doing it now.  She almost knows all of them now.


- Lei

Xmas presents from Auntie Han Wei in China

My cousin knows how much Isabel is liking "chiao hu" which means tiger in Chinese.  Isabel watches the chinese Tiger DVD at least an hour a day and loves it.  So my cousin bought her the "chiao hu" animal + some really cute hair clips for Isabel.  My dad brought it back for her and then mail it to us.  That Tiger traveled a long way.



- Lei

Xmas Presents from Lao Lao and Lao Ye

Since my parents couldn't spend xmas with Isabel, I wanted to share with them the videos of Isabel opening their presents. She was so excited to get all the stuff from Lao Lao and Lao Ye. She has definitely got the hang of opening presents. She especially loves her new Pumas and wears them everyday!.

Isabel says thank you Lao Lao and Lao Ye.

Xmas party at Lauren's house

Lauren is 3.5 years old and is the one in the dark red dress. She is one of Jaime's high school friend's daughter. We went to her house on Dec 12 for a BBQ and xmas party. There were 11 kids there - Isabel was the youngest. This is the night we put her to sleep at 10:30pm at their house. We left around 11:30pm. Isabel has so much fun and didn't get over-tired.

What a Xmas Morning!

It's 2am in the morning on Xmas day.  You would think that Isabel is sleeping soundly dreaming about what Santa will bring her as Xmas gifts in the morning, but you would be wrong.  She is too young to still understand all that.  Instead, at 2am, she is crying on the top of her lungs from being overtired.  The screaming last for 5 minutes.  At 2:40am, I wake up to screaming again.  This time it's more like 20 min.  She was inconsolable for awhile.  I didn't realize but this is normal I guess for a child that has been overstimulated and so tired.

We went to a party at Jaime's parents' friend house Xmas Eve - a very nice party that had appetizers at 7pm and dinner at 10:30pm - a Spanish tradition I guess.  Quite a few bigger kids who happily entertained Isabel.  She was so excited and just played, played, and played.  We let her play thinking she is big enough now to stay up later.  Isabel didn't go to bed until 11:30pm in the car on the way home.  She seemed fine and went to sleep again soon after we got home.

It's now 3:17am.  She is asleep again thankfully but I can't sleep, worried that she may scream again and hoping at the same time that she won't and will rest well for the rest of the night. Agnes tells me her screaming is normal and she will be fine.  She is just over-tired, needs rest, but doesn't how to do it herself.  Agnes was holding her walking around in the room so she can be comforted to sleep again.

I guess it's lesson learned.
1.  When a baby is not yet 3 year old, they can't stay up way past their bed time (which is 9pm) without suffering a bit (screaming and being over-tired).  Few weeks ago, she was up until 10:30 but we put her to sleep at the friend's house we were at and she was fine that night.   11:30 was obviously too much.
2.  Don't let her watch TV when it's past her bedtime.  The kids and her were all watching Madagascar the movie.  I went to check on her at almost 11pm, she was looking at me cross-eyed a bit.  She was obviously way too tired.   A few months ago, she had this problem after she woke up from naps or sleep.  We took her to an eye doctor and she said it's probably normal since she is developing still.  After that I haven't noticed her  crossed-eyed much at all.  When I saw it tonight, it makes me worried.  Another reason to watch out when she stays up too late.
3. Don't let other people's opinion influence my instinct.  People told me it's fine to have her stay up late. Well, they are not up now at 3:25am worried about whether their child is resting well.  My instinct told me 11:30 was too late. I guess I feel guilty and probably should have tried to have her sleep earlier.   Every child is different.  Some has been trained to stay up late.  We can train Isabel but not do it this suddenly.  For the most part, I don't see any reason to train her to stay up late.  She can do that when she grows up.

I guess I feel bad overall.  It's hard to see our child suffer in the middle of the night.  I am sure she is fine now and I am probably being over-dramatic..  No crying since 3am.  I hope she is resting well now.  It's amazing how protective motherhood feels. I guess this is part of the roller-coaster ride of life.  Well, we will make sure Isabel gets plenty of rest and sleep as much as she wants so she can be all good to open her presents in the morning.

Now, hopefully, I can sleep soon too.

-Lei
It's 3:56am and she hasn't screamed again.  Time for mommy and daddy to go back to sleep

Merry Xmas and Happy 2011

2010 has been a memorable year!

• Isabel is growing so fast.  She speaks full sentences now and has quite a personality.  While she loves to dress up, she is also really tough (usually don't cry when she falls unless it really hurts; she can give a mean kick to a ball, and can throw pretty well with one hand).  We are blessed with a sweet, smart, active, and adorable daughter
• Jaime and I were able to get away on 2 trips - Puerto Rico and Cancun.  Very fun.  We ate a ton of Mofongo in PR, Jaime demonstrated impressive skills at the Trapeze, and Lei learned how to waterski.  Yeah!
• We continue to develop our business vision.  Jaime successfully started his contracting business on top of full time work.  We are ever more clear on how we want to build our career and life in the next 5 years.  We are so excited for 2011 to start.  I also continue to pursue my passion in career coaching - writing blog posts and helping people individually with their career challenges
• We are forever thankful for Agnes in our life.  She is amazing and constantly teaches me how to be a better mom and person.  She is also so talented - she has an intuitive talent for cooking new recipes (her chocolate souffles are superb). She also found a new passion in photography and is almost always seen snapping photos with her DSLR camera.

We are of course also thankful for our friends and family - Life is an journey and a roller-coaster ride.  We are loving every moment and wish you are too.  Happy Holidays and Best wishes in 2011.

Busy little elf

We had a Xmas tree at our lobby downstairs and Isabel loved it all December.



- Lei

Isabel's first xmas ornament - Winnie the Pooh

- Lei

My first Xmas!

Hi everyone,

It's been awhile since I have been able to blog. Yaya, mommy and daddy have been watching me like a hawk since I can crawl everywhere now and love to climb up and stand whenever I find something to hold on to.

They think I will fall or something because they are following me around all the time. I tease them once in awhile and pretend to lose my balance, but really I already got the hang of it. It's just fun to see them rush to me. hee hee

Well, finally I got a moment to myself. I put on this new outfit my grandma gave me to pose for a photo. Do you like it? I love it, but what can I say, I look adorable in anything. I am glad grandma and grandpa moved from Vegas to here so I can see them a lot. They spoil me. :-)

I love it that mommy and yaya set up the xmas tree for me this year. I already see presents underneath it. Woo, I wonder what they are. I love all the pretty lights on it. I can stare at it for minutes. Mommy also got me a xmas book with a blinking tree on the last page. It's so fun. I love Xmas!

I heard a rumor that my other grandma in Houston will give me lots of money for Xmas so I can get whatever I want next year. Mommy is being tight fisted though and told me we will save it for my college or just use it for diaper funds. What is college? sounds boring. I will see if I can change mommy's mind. Heehee. It's good to be a baby and the only grandchild in the family. I better enjoy it before my cousin is born in Feburary.

That's all for now. I wish you all a very merry xmas and a happy new year! Come and visit me. I promise to be cute and cuddly. :-)

- Isabel

It's like Christmas morning

Remember that feeling of a kid on Xmas morning - when you wake up and start feeling the anticipation of opening presents - what will await for me in those boxes, what delightful surprises. Your heart is pounding; you feel exhilarated; and you feel you can't wait to get your hands on those wrappings to see what is inside.

That is how I feel everyday in the morning before I open the door to wake up Isabel. People sometimes ask how I feel to be a mom and I think this is the best way I can describe the joy of having Isabel in my life. She is like a present that I open every morning when I open her bedroom door. She is sometimes crying for attention, sometimes smiling with glee, but whatever her expression, my heart just melts when I see her and hold her.

I feel the same way on my way back from work. I start walking faster and faster as I get closer to home, getting excited. I know I have my present (Isabel) at home to see and enjoy. What expression will she have today?

Ahh, for all the work that motherhood is, I would not trade it for anything in the world. :-)

- 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