Late Twenties

I think the time has finally come where I officially hit my late 20s. Married with kid, who would've thought? I think ever since 2009, there's always been one big milestone in my life - 2009 = engaged, 2010 = married, and now... 2011, I think 2011 is THE year to remember for me. July of 2011 marked one of the happiest days of my life when my baby Lukey made his debut into this world. However, August of 2011 marked the saddest day of my life when I had to say goodbye to my Mom. There are days when this still seems surreal and I'm just thinking my Mom's taking a long vacation and isn't really gone. It's just crazy to see how the happiest and saddest days of my life were so close together.

Anyway, here's to another year of aging as I hopefully become a year wiser, as well as (hopefully) becoming a better wife and mother.


the 3 of us @ Bethlehem in Santa Clara (if that makes sense)



Merry Christmas to whoever reads this!

5 Months & Growing...

I've been slacking on updates lately. 2011 is nearing an end and my boy is nearly 1/2 a year old! (Yikes!) Although he wants more attention now, he is becoming more and more fun, and we couldn't ask for a more well-behaved child. Lately, we've been practicing sitting up with a tad bit of support from Mommy. Tummy time sessions are also not as torturous since Lukey's neck muscles (and other muscles in general) are becoming stronger. There is slobber everywhere since Lukey's favorite thing to do right now is put everything in his mouth. We also go through three bibs a day since everything is now drenched in saliva. Month 5 also marks the month of solid foods. So far, he's a fan of rice cereal (yuck!) but not a big fan of peas (I guess he takes after his Momma...). Today, we just switched strollers and he has finally converted to his "big boy" Baby Jogger stroller. He seems to enjoy sitting in that more and seeing what Mommy sees since he didn't cry at all while at the mall. All I can say is, my little boy is growing up WAY TOO QUICKLY!

Happy Halloween

Luke's first Halloween was quite successful. I bought a Carter's tiger outfit for him at Costco for $12.99 and got him to wear it twice in one week to three events. This is my way of saving money, haha. We went to our Babytime Halloween Parade (there were two other identically dressed tigers), our church's Fallapalooza and a Pumpkin Patch by our house.

Next year the Pumpkin Patch will be more fun for him and he can have the honor of picking one pumpkin each to represent each member of the family. And if I can find those pumpkin carvers at 50% off or more at Target tomorrow, I'll buy them for next year. (Yes, we're a Chinese family that's "wise with their money").

Fallapalooza looked really fun too, I can't wait as he gets older and older each year and gets to enjoy playing games instead of posing for pictures (unhappily) for Mommy's sake!

First time @ the Pumpkin Patch (Daddy looks like he's carrying a stuffed animal)

A few days early, but someone's going to be 4 months soon!

How's It Like?

As I look at my October calendar, I realize there's only two more weeks till Luke's FOUR month check up! How in the world did four months go by just like that?! The first month was crazy, but the past three months got progressively better.

A lot of people have asked me, "how's it like being a mom?" My initial reaction is always "tired and crazy". It's only when you have a child when you learn to truly prioritize your to-do list and wait to do more brainless activity after the kid is down for the night. I've definitely learned to plan ahead and do everything I can while I have the time and energy in case there's a random emergency I need to tend to and don't have the energy to do what I originally planned to do afterwards. I also think I've experienced a bit of memory loss too. This forces me to write down everything I need to do by the end of the week.

I've learned to place someone else's needs above my own. I can't ignore a crying baby's need for comfort or attention. So regardless of how exhausted I am, I have to put everything aside and tend to his every command. It's ridiculous how a little human has so much control over me!

But at the end of the day, when all is said and done and I look back on the cute things he does or that gigantic smile he gives me, it's totally worth all the trouble!

I LOVE THIS GUY!

Three Months Old!

I can't believe our boy is technically considered an infant now. I still remember those early days/weeks when we used to take him out and people would say "aww... he's so small!". Now the most popular comment he gets is "that's some nice hair, are you sure you guys don't style it?".

This little guy is AWESOME! And am I just saying this because I'm his mommy? Probably... but I believe in it 100%!

There were a few challenges the past three months, but seeing as to how we have a perfectly healthy (and big... he's roughly 15 lbs right now) and well-behaved (for the most part) boy makes everything worth it.

I also want to share that I don't believe in Babywise, mainly because I suck at following rules and I'm really into experimenting. Ask the husband, I've messed with his feedings so many times, but somehow, things worked out! I am proud to say that at week 13, he is sleeping for TWELVE hours at night and we've only been giving him four feedings a day! What a change that's been from the eight feedings when he was a newborn! Yeah, we're ready to create a mess and start eating solids at month 4 once our pediatrician approves it. I love my boy!

I Don't Believe...

There are days where I still can't believe I have one of these! Look at how cute he looks when he's sleeping. Don't worry, he's pretty cute when he's awake too... most of the time. One day, when he's older and understands more about his surroundings, he won't be sleeping with his doggie Wubbanub, but his doggie older sister, Dot!

10 Weeks (Old) & Going...

I can't believe my boy's 10 weeks old already! I still remember when I was counting DOWN from the 10 week mark to his E.D.D. Now it's 10 weeks and I'm counting UP!

As each day goes by, his Daddy and I can both agree that we love this little monster more and more. And although there have been surprise obstacles and curve balls thrown at us since he was born (nothing related to him though, thank goodness!), having such a good and healthy boy has made it all worth it!

This boy is starting to become cuter and cuter. When he sees me, he gives me the BIGGEST smile ever, a smile so big his eyes are so small and crinkled up that it's shaped like a crescent moon (cutest thing in the world!). He has also started talking to me and responding to the questions I ask him. I think his favorite response as of now is "yaahhh". I can't wait till he's a few weeks older and can laugh. We're going to have so much fun together!

This is also around the time where he's been sleeping through the night, even though I'm still experimenting with his schedule to turn this into a consistent habit. I've scanned through (the controversial) Babywise and decided to forgo it. The only thing I'm taking from it is sticking to a strict eating schedule. So far, with my semi laxed way of scheduling, the boy's been doing great so I really can't complain!

We were also able to celebrate his Red Egg & Ginger as well. Being very un-Chinese, I had no idea what this really was till I googled it. Back in the day, babies in China rarely survived to month one due to malnutrition, so when they did, a party was held for them. The egg and ginger symbolizes something too, but I can't remember it off the top of my head.

Week 10 and going... I'm looking forward to the surprises in store as the cute little dude becomes more active and aware of his surroundings.

Half Daddy, Half Mommy... Full Trouble!

As everyone knows, Luke looks nothing like his Mommy. He is the exact replica of his Daddy, except a much cuter version (sorry, Daddy!). When he was first born, I was hoping he'll eventually develop double eyelids like his Mommy. Now that he's almost two months old, that dream of double eyelids has disappeared. When Luke was a couple weeks old, it looked like he had Mommy's nose. Now when I compare our noses, I'm disappointed to say that he doesn't have my nose either. Okay, so on the outside he looks just like his Daddy. However, if you actually have a chance to play with him and observe his behavior, he's ALL MOMMY! i.e. - You have to meet him to see that he lets out a huge smile after a huge poopie while being fed (all Mommy!). He loves to smile (all Mommy!) and he also has attitude (all Mommy!). So in short, he may look just like Daddy, but his personality says all Mommy! Oh boy, that just means trouble in the future...

Our Monster is One Month Old!

It's still hard to fathom that exactly one month ago, everything changed at 5:15am. But like they say, "change is good" (it just gets some getting used to). The first month has been crazy and there's been lots of adjustments with our way of living, but we survived!

I always thought it'll be cool to keep a virtual and (old school) paper account of what goes on in our little monster's life (if you can't tell by now, that's what we like to call him). It's taking a while to upload, but I just finished his one month old video. Note to self: take more videos next time to keep things more interesting. While looking back at all the pictures, it's crazy to see how much this little dude has changed week by week. I know I sound biased here, but each day he gets cuter and cuter. And as each day goes by, we love that little dude more and more.

first family pic

Posterous!

For my push gift, the husband got me the top of the line ipad2, which means I finally have the camera feature on the iPad (awesome!). Because of this, I decided to give posterous another try... So here goes: Shinnanigans. A tribute to my cute son and family.

Sorry for the lack of interesting posts, parenthood has taken a toll on my blogs and picture updates.

We Met Jeremy Lin!

Thanks to a Facebook invite, we were able to meet Golden State Warrior's Jeremy Lin at a church in San Jose. It's been a while since those high school/college evangelical nights, but it felt like that's what it sort of was. Jeremy Lin came up and shared his testimony (primarily focusing on his rookie year in the NBA and the struggles he had). There was a Q&A with him and a meet&greet where the three of us (Shinn's + my brother) were able to get his autograph and take a picture with him.

We regretted not really bringing anything autographable (yes, I know, not a real word). If turning back time was possible, the #1 Fan Warriors finger would've been brought and perhaps a ticket stub as well. After clicking on all these clips with interviews of him, it was nice to actually sit in the front row (the closest we've ever sat in a church sanctuary by choice!) and hear him speak live. It turns out that Jeremy's a pretty cool and down-to-earth guy with a not so bad sense of humor.

So there you have it! Another life goal completed... and all this done before Peanut's born too!

2 Weeks To Go...

I know due dates are anything but accurate and that you can pop anytime from 37 - 42 weeks (They should seriously change it to birth month!). Week 37 has already come and gone, so much for a super early full term birth! I'm still hoping for an earlier arrival rather than a later one and have had pep talks with little Peanut while rubbing my belly to tell him to hurry up and leave the womb so he can see the real world! I'm trying to convince him to come out since the outside world is so much nicer than my nasty dark womb. I'm pretty sure he's just as uncomfortable as me since he's all scrunched up in that fetal position with nowhere to go.

It's week 38 now... we'll see if he finally wants to make his debut this week. And I know y'all are anxiously waiting to find out what his name is. So stay tuned...

My Babies

My baby sitting on top of my baby taken by my baby.

36 Weeks

According to my EDD, there's only ONE more month to go! But as rumor has it, firstborns are always late and only 5% of women deliver on their actual due date. So we'll see... we're hoping that Peanut arrives once I hit full term (next week) just to make life easier for both of us (for various reasons).

With the D.D. being so unbelievable close now, what's left to take care of now?

- Wash everything? Check!

- Install car seat? Check!

- Pack hospital bag? Uncheck...

It all comes down to the dreadful waiting game now. Since I'm on my self-proclaimed maternity leave, I'm thinking the nesting phase will be next. There's two closets I plan to organize while I have extra time in the afternoons. However, we'll see if I ever get around to it.

And here I am (picture on right), the first day of my 36 week pregnancy with my protruding belly at what could be our last wedding before Peanut makes his debut into this world!

Family Portraits

Come on Peanut... let's make this a party of four!

Preparing for D-Day

Summer's just around the corner and I am probably more anxious than any kid out there for summer to come. As each day passes by, it's a constant reminder that I am one step closer to becoming a mother, which is both scary and exciting!

Before things are completely wrapped up and I'm in summer "maternity leave" mode, I had to wrap up my piano teaching with what is probably my last recital for a while. (I usually host one recital a year circa May time.) Despite my laziness, it's actually really fun teaching when I actually get off my lazy butt and move my big lion seal self into the car to teach. I'm going to miss the kids I have to drop due to Peanut and the far drive. So until mid-August, I'm piano-free and am going to lounge around like an elephant seal at Pier 39!

SERIOUSLY?!

That's what I would say when someone does/says something stupid.

Take a close look at this picture... one may think it was due to a drunk driver or something. But this was taken during prime work hours and at one of the many Apple parking lots. And guess what? The driver wasn't drunk... no, the driver was worse... it turns out to be an Asian woman trying to back out of her spot. How in the world did she manage to hit not only one... but FOUR parked cars? Oh Asian woman, you make all of us look bad.

You must've really been gunning something down there to be able to get that high on those two cars.

The Last Date

Most people take a short babymoon before baby's born. We didn't really have a chance to do that, so instead, we used the ONLY free weekend in May to go on a little outing in S.F. It turned out to be an eating extravaganza - breakfast @ Stacks, lunch @ San Tung and dinner @ Il Postale. I had a list of places to go to and we pretty much went everywhere on the list.

Stacks!

Dottie's first time @ Lands End

She was a trooper and walked ~2 miles.

If only there was a tad bit of sun...

Family picture at Lands End

Poor Little Dottie is exhausted after the hike.

Waiting on the passenger's side of her Mommy's ride, looking for her Daddy to come back

Ja Jiang Myun (San Tung)

Dried Fried Chicken Wings (my fave!)

... so, I guess this is it. Now we're just waiting for the waiting game to start.

FNL

Okay, I'm an indian once again and have joined the bandwagon of watching Friday Night Lights! This is actually a good thing for D because we can finally agree on something to watch together again. We're taking a break from doing our own thing at night and spending some "quality family time" together watching this show.

In fact, even Dot likes watching it. I can't seem to capture it on camera, but she's actually staring at the t.v. with ears perked up when the football scenes are showing. Usually she just snuggles up next to me or licks her daddy's hand like crazy. But nope, this crazy girl was actually watching with us! And there's a lot of movement from within my belly too, so I'm assuming Peanut enjoys hearing it too... yup, my future quarterback (I hope he inherits his mama's strong throwing arm).

For those with nothing to do at night, go watch FNL! haha...

And Then There Were 8

... which actually means two months (ACK!).

As the EDD is getting closer and closer, I'm getting more and more uncomfortable. The shoulders and back are hurting like no other. I'm afraid to stretch out my legs in the morning due to Charley Horse cramps. The horror of labor, well, it simply freaks me out! I've also seen my share of not-so-cute babies and pray to God that our little Peanut will not look like a Benjamin Button or anything as equally morbid (yes, I'm mean).

It's crazy to think that our first real ultrasound happened when Peanut was just 8 weeks old and now, we only have 8 weeks left!

I wonder what Peanut looks like, now that he's 32 weeks.

As first time parents, D and I really don't know how else to prepare for the arrival of this little dude... all we know is that we're going to do the best we can with no professional training.

Peanut's Room

The nursery has been prepared and just sitting here collecting dust for the past month. It's pretty much saying "use me!!!" (not just to scrapbook and do random things here). The drawers are packed to the rim with clothes from newborn - 3 months old (thanks to a co-worker). Actually, thanks to Peanut's own parents who can't help it but to buy "cool" clothes for their son, the clothes are pretty much up to 6 months, sorta. I just have to wash everything once June hits and have D install the car seats and we're just going to play the waiting game from June - July.

Anyway, I now present... Peanut's room!

For a better quality video, go here: http://vimeo.com/23014517

The "Last" Birthday

After a while, birthdays don't really have as much meaning anymore unless it is division by 10. You just turn another year older, get to eat out, have cake and yeah... I think that's it. Perhaps some don't even get to eat out.

Although 35 is not divisible by 10 (evenly), this birthday does mark a more special one for D (at least in my eyes). Not only does he turn another year older and have even more white hairs, but he only has 2 more months left of being childless. Time and time again, people have said that things will definitely change once you hit fatherhood... so we'll see.

We didn't really do anything crazy special this year (no surprise birthday party per someone's request), but D did say he did enjoy this year's low-key events more. As with all birthdays since we met nearly 5 years ago, it's been full of eating and cakes. And this year, that hasn't changed.

One Pot Shabu Shabu

Slice of New York with Euro Delights Grand Marnier cake

Actual Bday Dinner @ Tobang

Ended the night with a petite ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Missing Out?

When I see non-hitched people post things on FB like their night out in the city or what not, I'm often left pondering (but not too deeply), am I missing out on anything? Do single people actually have more fun?

This weekend, I was able to catch a glimpse of the "single" life again. I'm guessing there's that random night of fun every here and there, but in the end, all I want in life when I wake up in the morning and go to bed at night is my constant; my husband. So, am I missing out on anything at all? Hecks to the no. I realized I am happiest when we're both (bored together) at home and just lounging around, even if we're not even talking to each other.

With that said, yay, hubbers is coming home tomorrow. Dottie (who smells like green apples thanks to her bath by yours truly) and I will greet him with hugs and kissus!

The More You Know, The Less Prepared You Are

I think this is one of the few times I've felt this way...

I've done plenty of research online, asked around and read reviews off Amazon but am still feeling as confused as ever with this whole baby ordeal. Why are there so many different varieties?! Why do these companies have to be so competitive and make my life so complicated and confusing?! WHY?!?!

I was pretty set on the Dr. Brown bottles after reading reviews on it. It seemed like the only con was that there were too many parts to it (5)... am I really that lazy?! I had already decided to reject Avent and Born so that was that. Out of the blue, my friend recommends the Playtex ones which was recommended by other friends of hers. It's simpler, they all claim... so now life is confusing once again!

I hope no one mentions anything else to me about strollers. I opened my BabyJogger and love it (even though it's never been used). Please don't mess with my head... I can only research so much. Actually, please don't mention anything to me about anything else. Everything baby is confusing enough as is!

Well, if anyone out there is like me, here's my trade secret: AMAZON! Look up the top 100 items in the baby section at Amazon, that's how I decided on things.

More Cheapy & Simple Crafts

I got a plain wooden basket at Michael's for $2.50 (50% all baskets). Found some ribbons lying around and made a border... added a sticker and two buttons.

... and voila! Here's Peanut's new diaper basket.

Now, I hope it's functional.

Going The Distance

After nearly 1.5 years of marriage and another 3 years or whatever years of dating, we have finally experienced long distance in different time zones for the first time ever. I'll have to admit, it's fun at times just having all this alone time to do stuff you normally don't have time to do because you have someone to keep you company, but other times, it's lonely and a bit difficult. It's weird coming home at 6pm and talking to someone who's ready to go to bed (almost) since it's 9pm over there. So for all those long distance people out there, I applaud you, and especially for those who are toughing it out, good for you!

So, while the hubby is away, I've been working on little craft projects for our future little bundle of joy. I'll admit, these aren't originals since I stole them off etsy - all I did was print, cut, glue on card stock paper and laminate, but still... whatevs!

the ABCs of Star Wars characters (dedicated to husband)

monthly monkey stickers

While there's still three more days of being home alone (with Dot), I'll see what else I can come up with in lieu of passing time.

(Baby Product) MONSTER

Nearly every padawan exceeds their master.

Examples:
1) Michael Corleone was more evil than the Don.
2) The Force was stronger with Anakin than Obi-Wan (I could be wrong, husband might correct me, but whatevs).
3) E has gone even more out of the way than D to get these free HappyBaby items.

What are HappyBaby products? Organic baby food/snacks, that's what it is! Anyway, they had a coupon till the end of March for one free sample of their product. Each of these products ranges from the high $2s - $5... so, being Asian and of course, "good with the money", we totally took advantage of this awesome deal. We'll be saving a buttload of money with rice cereal, puffs and yogurt melts. Peanut, please don't turn out to be worse than your parents.

So proud of the collection! Yes, someone has created a monster...

Fat No More

For a few months, I'm pretty sure people (strangers and acquaintances) were questioning whether I gained a few too many pounds post marriage or whether I was pregnant. But to avoid that awkward "oops, sorry I insulted you" awkwardness, people have been waiting till I was round enough to erase the idea of post marriage pounds.

Now, at 7 months of pregnancy, I don't think anyone has any questions anymore. So here we are, rounding up the last trimester of pregnancy and let me tell you, it hasn't been that comfortable so far. There are many things people don't tell you, especially during the last trimester...

The Dot Cave!

Dot used to sleep next to her Daddy's side of the bed because there was more space there. But ever since we moved, her bed has been moved to her Mommy's side because now there's more space there. When it's warm, it's not much of a problem... but when it's rainy and cold, Dot shakes a bit because her two baby blankies aren't warm enough for her.

So to compensate for being next to the window and to keep her warm at the same time (especially at night), I introduce to you, the DOT CAVE!

The Dot Cave consists of two baby blankets, her pink piggy chewie and her Daddy's Star Wars blanket for additional warmth.

Here's what's hiding in the Dot Cave.

Dot: "Hello!"

No Chance of Meatballs (Anymore)

There's a saying stating that the longer a couple is married, the more they act and look like one another. Luckily, we haven't gotten to the looking like each other stage, but somehow I've succumbed to being "wise with the money" like the husband.

We went to Ikea because we were looking for a sofa bed, but there also happens to be a deal going on this weekend where if you buy $100 worth of stuff (pre-tax), you get a free meal. There was no asterisk after this free meal, which meant that we completely abused the system.

This meal would be fine if we had a family of five... however, for a family of two and a quarter, this is completely unacceptable! A bit disgusting too! I swear we got looks from others around us too. If there was ever a time where we felt judged, here's the time.

Yes, that's how much food cost for two at Ikea when we decided to act like pigs. I guess there won't be anymore Swedish meatball cravings for a while...