last week in a nutshell:

Loved Ones. Snow. Dogs. Laughter. Tamales. Wu-Shiang Tofu. Long Showers. Naps. Lights. Exchanging Gifts. Photos.

So many things I didn't even realize how much I'd missed until I had them again. It's been eight months since Naomi was born. Life, of course, hasn't been the same. Baby's first Christmas was an amazing new experience. But the familiarity and tradition brought even more Christmas joy and blessings. And I even got to use the restroom whenever I needed to -- I'll never take that for granted again! (BTW, the snow was brought in for the party - it was actually 80°F that day.)

We missed you, Rommel. Hope you feel better.

Surprises from Naomi this Christmas:
-Only cried for one or two of the seven hours we drove each way.
-Wasn't scared of the Santa, but she sure was eyeing his (real) beard.
-Loved the booster chair. Think it's time to retire the highchair.
-Third word is..."Elmo." She stopped saying mama and papa now, though, and she says Elmo much more discriminately (hope this doesn't mean this is really her first word).
-Loved the first dogs she's ever seen (Chuy, Buddy, and Jack). She searched for them all week and squealed in delight when she saw them.
-Didn't care for the wrapping paper as much as we'd heard she would.
-Very friendly to all of Grandpa's coworkers. So very happy around Grandpa, even at 10pm and 3am.
-Starting to imitate what we do (uh-oh). She claps and flicks her lips with her finger well, and is almost starting to give a kiss and share.
-No less than four sickies handled her, and even one of the dogs snuck in a lick, but she only had a very slight runny nose for a few hours and that was it (but we're still being cautious).
-Didn't cry around new people at all.

photo time:

We had a most excellent first Christmas for Naomi with friends and family. More on that later, but here are the photos:

Dec 2005 photos

see ya in a few:

We're planning to leave for SoCal early tomorrow morning, hopefully while Naomi's sleeping. I used to enjoy being a light traveler (or at least I would pack things very tightly), but taking an eight-month old on her first trip seems to require a lot of packing! Not to mention all the presents. We borrowed Manny's uncle's minivan, but it might still be a tight fit. Naomi is diligently helping us unpack. Can't wait to see some of you soon!

May we joyfully reflect on God's most precious Gift to us this season and every season. Merry Christmas!

dirty kid, cute kid:

"I married the dirty kid." That's what Manny told his coworkers while they were discussing this phenomenon spotlighted by its mention in the movie Big Daddy.

Yes, I was the one who had a little note on my report card cautioning, and perhaps rebuking, my parents about my hygiene. The remarks basically said, in polite verbage, "For the love of Pete, give this poor girl a bath! Get her to a dentist!" Alas, in my youth, I only made one trip to the dentist. I finally funded my own root canal in college ($1300 -- everything I had in my meager college savings collected while working two jobs).

Fortunately, my visible cavities disappeared when my baby teeth were replaced by my permanent ones. I also did not have a sweet tooth, and the hygenist that paid a visit to our elementary school did such a good job that a proper brushing technique is ingrained in my mind to this day.

So even though I clean/wash Naomi so often, mainly because I don't like to deal with stains later, and not because I'm overcompensating for my childhood, I really appreciate it when someone comments on how clean she is. I constantly wipe Naomi's face, hands, and surroundings while I'm feeding her solids, perhaps prolonging the process unnecessarily. No matter how sick I feel, she must have a bath. I know all children get dirty, especially when they're trying to feed themselves or explore. I just don't want them to stay that way for long. :)

On a related note, we get a lot of comments about how cute Naomi is. I have to admit that, for several months, I really didn't think she was that cute. I'm probably the first mom in history that didn't think her baby was the cutest thing on earth. Maybe because I have a soft spot for happy, chubby Buddha-looking babies. She was so skinny and balding and dark, screaming her head off all day and night, I don't know. But of course, that's all changed now, especially since I'm in love with her quirks and personality. Her crying has even become cute to me. :) I sometimes wish she looked more Asian, but I wouldn't give up those huge eyes for anything. :)

first teeth:

Naomi's new pearly whites.

photo shop:

happy birthday, salina! and my father, too.

after trying various photo services like snapfish, kodakgallery/ofoto, and costco, i think i've found the one for me, based on the print quality. and the winner is...costco photo center (20 free prints if your friend sends the link). even though it uses snapfish, somehow the photos come out better than the ones i received back from snapfish. but snapfish has great sales on photo products, and kodakgallery is terrific for sharing and organizing my albums, so i'm not completetly dumping them. we'll still be friends. :).

naomi, eight months old:

Naomi started crawling and pulling up to standing at the end of six months, so I have fewer major milestones to report this month. She's cutting a fourth tooth, cruises along furniture, loves to flip pages and knock things over, and likes Elmo's World on 'Sesame Street' (the only TV she watches). She's still not sleeping through the night, but at least she gets back to sleep without much fuss and is actually taking decent daytime naps now. Except on weekends -- then she stays awake because she wants to play with Manny. We recover by Friday and then she's off on Saturday again. Haha. But she's healthy - what more could we ask for? We've been sick twice and she didn't catch it. That's cause for thanksgiving indeed. What a precious gift we have been given in Naomi.

Update: Forgot to mention one of my favorite subjects: food. So far, she likes just about everything, but seems to think most fruits are a bit too sweet. Her favorite food so far? Prunes! She certainly didn't get that preference from me. I tried the pureed prunes and they were nas-tay. But she gobbles up everything. She can also feed herself puffed cereal, but then she spits it out, so we'll probably wait another month on Cheerios. So far, she's had pureed peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, pears, apples, banana, mango, prunes, green beans, oatmeal, and rice cereal. We'll start her on chicken soon, too. We're taking it pretty slow, just checking for allergies since mine have become more severe in recent years.

Made six dozen almond chocolate bars for Melinda's Christmas cookie exchange on Sunday night.

the big screen:

Since Naomi's birth, the only movie Manny and I have seen in the theatres is Star Wars. Now I'm really itching to see Narnia. I think Manny and I will do the old switch-off with Naomi. We do have many eager would-be babysitters, but we've seen how hysterical Naomi can be, so we're waiting to get to a greater comfort level. Otherwise, I'd go see Kong as well, but that's over three hours. I've never been a big moviewatcher, but there are certain movies that I think definitely fall within the-bigger-the-better category.

And there are some movies I'd like to see on DVD from this year - The Island, Crash, and Roll Bounce. At least those are ones I'd heard the buzz about. Any other recommendations?

I don't miss going out as much as I thought I would (I mean going out without the little one -- we always enjoy getting together with friends and family). Maybe because I already came to expect it through vicarious learning. That $9+ price tag attached to movies is a deterrent, too. I'm not looking down on avid moviegoers, of course. Everybody allocates their extra funds differently.

papa:

On Tuesday morning, Manny whispered, "Say Papa" and Naomi whispered back, "Papa." I said, "Did you just say Papa?" and she said "Papa!" And she's been saying it back to us ever since. Every day has its nice surprises.

gasp:

A while ago, a stranger asked my mother if she was pregnant. While this might be considered a compliment for the age factor (my mom was about 50 at the time), it did no good as a reminder of her apple shape. So I made a note to myself - never ask a woman if she's pregnant.

This past weekend, I had to learn another taboo question the hard way - I asked my friend's girlfriend if they'd taken a trip somewhere. Unfortunately, that somewhere was someplace he'd been with a previous girlfriend. Ay ay ay, I realized it within a second and tried to play it off. I myself have experienced being mistaken for someone's ex and it is not a favorable situation for any involved. I apologized profusely to my friend later on, but I think the damage is done. Note to self - keep your big mouth shut if you're not thinking straight (then again, when I'm not thinking straight, I get even worse).

Naomi's sprouted three teeth and I'm trying to train her not to bite me. I have a slight cold again. Otherwise, I'm surprisingly not particularly stressed about the season. I can't wait to celebrate Naomi's first Christmas. I mailed off 135 Christmas cards yesterday (thankfully the grandparents were here during Thanksgiving so I could address the majority of them).

Naomi at her first Mother Goose nursery rhyme time at the library. She loved it!

The social butterfly mingling (and playing hard to get) after Mother Goose time at the library. It's a blessing to have such a social baby since Manny and I are introverted.

Jacky holding Naomi at our Stanford reunion dinner on Saturday.

you know you're a tired mom when:

...you leave for a holiday party in your slippers. "Um, Manny, I think we need to go back home. I don't have any shoes on." This was a pretty busy weekend, but loads of fun. Naomi continues to amaze and delight. :)


The other babies/toddlers at the Christmas playgroup/dinner party enjoying Naomi's Elmo's Friends book. The dinner was at Lora's -- how she managed to whip up an awesome Chinese banquet for seven families is beyond me. Interesting that the parents were all doctors or engineers, but the real bonding happened when I found out two other couples had a colicky child. Misery (turned onto joy) loves company!

Cute holiday photo.

Can we play Bible Eights, Mommy?

In the poncho Josie made her. She kept trying to pull it off, so I gave her the bear Grandma got her (she's chewing contently on the tag).

more survey fun:

Thanks again, mare, for the tag. I think these are mostly new answers, maybe not interesting, but awkwardly candid:

Seven things to do before I die:
1. Read the bible from start to finish (I have before, but not as a Christian).
2. Go on a beach vacation/second honeymoon with just my husband.
3. Take the family to Walt Disney World during Christmastime.
4. Learn to play the guitar.
5. Write a children's book and attempt to get it published.
6. Complete a family tree project, or do as much as possible.
7. Write out major events in my childhood for myself.

Seven things I cannot do:
1. Go one day without hurting over my brother.
2. Introduce myself to someone without stuttering or shifting my eyes.
3. Stay on one subject for more than a couple minutes.
4. Enjoy sashimi (but I love CA and unagi rolls).
5. Smash large insects.
6. Procrastinate easily.
7. Articulate my emotions accurately.

Seven things that attract me:
Not really seven, but:
1. Thoughtfulness
2. Honesty/sincerity/integrity
3. Willingness to grow as a person
4. Sense of humor
5. Cleanliness/Hygiene
6. Passion with follow-through (walk the walk)
7. Physical features: sincere smile, "deep" eyes, broad soulders, thin but athletic build

Seven things I say most often:
1. I don't know, you know?
2. ...um...
3. ow!
4. Naomi, no!
5. basically,...
6. it's/that's okay
7. well,...

Seven books (or series) I love:
too many non-fiction - here are fictional ones:
1. Peanuts comics
2. Count of Monte Cristo
3. Aesop's fables
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
5. To Kill a Mockingbird
6. The Crucible
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Seven movies I watch over and over again:
Aside from Chinese films:
1. Most animated Disney films
2. Orange Road: I Want to Return to That Day (anime)
3. Star Wars, all
4. The Princess Bride
5. It's a Wonderful Life
6. Waterboy
7. Forrest Gump
(I'm sure there are many I've seen more times than these, but the holiday season family-orients your mind)

Tag, you're it!:
I tag anyone who actually read this from beginning to end, and who hasn't done this survey already.

naomi update:

Two teeth have broken through. At seven months, she's starting to cruise, jump, and climb a little. She can pull herself up to standing pretty well, but she tends to fall on her wrist or head when she lets go. That can't be good for her. I've been trying to train her to fall on her rear, but she's not a good sitter. She sort of skipped the whole sitting contently with toys stage (the one I was so looking forward to!).

Something I was not prepared for was changing a dirty diaper on a baby that keeps flipping to her stomach, even while I'm grabbing her by the ankles. I stopped changing her at the changing table/dresser because she kept either trying to crawl off or climb up. She's pretty strong for a tiny 16-pounder. And sometimes I've put her diaper or clothes on while she was crawling. I look ridiculous, but it works.

So far, she prefers veggies over sweet fruits. That's fine with me if she doesn't have a sweet tooth. Not like Little Miss Moves-a-Lot needs any sugar. I do wonder sometimes, though, if she might have something going on with her nervous system which makes her so restless. But she's too happy to be ill, so I guess I'll just keep bringing it up to the doctor and just keep enjoying her curiosity.

Cruising around her crib.

Naomi "helping" daddy babyproof the stairs.

we like to be liked:

Something I've noticed is that many people, including me, desire to be "liked" by children and pets. As if children or animals have some sort of radar that can detect our deepest vulnerability. And that their positive response to it validates us. No one wants to be the one that makes the baby cry and most kids I know like to believe they're somewhat of an animal whisperer. Babies and animals have often seemed to respond well to me. I certainly don't have any magical powers or special skills, so sometimes it gives me a warm fuzzy, like they can see past whatever turns adults away and understand that I have a lot of love to give. But alas, it's not reality. The reality is, it's the children that are special, not us. So it's okay if the baby cries, really. This is the reason I like how social Naomi is. She brightens everyone's day with a smile and makes them feel special. I even see her trying to smile and attract those that turn away from her. However, I write this to remind myself not to use her to analyze people (i.e., if she doesn't like someone, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with them).

misc update:

Manny and I came down with something, but thankfully the baby is still fine. I spend a lot of time moving things out of her reach nowadays. She's also cruising in her crib now (walking along the perimeter while holding onto the railing).

The grandparents got me Naomi a most awesome gift from an H&G show: a personalized Veggie Tales CD with Naomi's name in the songs.

We pronounce Naomi "nay-oh-mee," as opposed to "nye-oh-mee," but you can say it however you want.

It's that time again: We're almost done with Christmas shopping, saving the biggest items for last. This year I couldn't wrap all the gifts and chase after the little one at the same time, so I stuck them in large gift bags. I wondered why I hadn't done this before.

Freaky-deaky: I accidentally entered the wrong channel today and came across 'Unsolved Mysteries.' Before I could change it, they showed a video of what looked like my former company's parking lot. Then it turned out it was that parking lot. One of our employees was killed there over ten years ago. I'd heard several rumors about it and this laid a lot of it to rest, so to speak. Very sad.

My who-in-the-world-cares-except-me comment: I heard somewhere that Gwen Stefani meant for "Holla Back Girl" to be a slight against Madonna (holla back backwards is possibly kabbalah?). The other day I saw Stefani's latest video and I'm pretty sure I saw her wearing a shirt with a Madonna-like figure cut in half. Coincidence? I think not.

A poem I wrote to my mom is being considered for a greeting card. It's going through marketing review. I hope I get it. $300 for some corny writing is not too shabby!

photo time:

November photos. Not sure why so many photos are blurry this month.

last week:

Last week was great. Naomi was so angelic and social, despite being a bit thrown off. After the relatives left, she had seven bad diapers and unusually long naps over the weekend. I guess like many adults, she was waiting till the company left. As for me, I managed to avoid any conflicts, although Manny (and I) caught me muttering to myself a couple times. At least I'm learning and with God's grace, I'll get beyond this self-talk habit.

I spent all of Tuesday cooking for Grandma and Grandpa. The menu: Southwestern salisbury steak with bacon, corn chowder with bacon, homemade country bread, and an English trifle. It turned out fine, but the next day I found out that they are now eating healthy (healthfully for you grammar gurus)! We had bought bacon and eggs for their breakfast and they had shredded wheat instead! What a relief -- now I can make more Asian foods, salads, and sandwiches (oh, how I love sandwiches...often with bacon, though).

Manny's sister Dahlia flew in Wednesday. So Naomi traded Grandma in for her aunt. We're noticing Naomi moves on from one person to the newer one, kind of like how she tires of her toys so easily. When Manny's aunt and her family came that night, Naomi was attached to them, and likewise with Manny's uncle and family, who came for the feast the next day. Wednesday night we went to Fish Market and semi-celebrated Manny's big three-o.

Manny's parents cooked pretty much the entire Thanksgiving meal. I cannot tell you how stress-free that made it for us. And it was so so good. I don't mind leftover turkey at all. Can you believe that Manny doesn't eat stuffing, gravy, or sweet potatoes? Oh well, more for me!

I finally lost all 48 pregnancy lbs last month. I'm actually back in my old clothes again. I think next time, I won't gain so much during my pregnancy (especially now that I don't eat out as often). Holiday meals don't have me feeling too guilty. I still have to eat 500 extra calories per day to feed Naomi.

Naomi's first Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving! Everything was delicious!

Belated birthday boy and his chocolate-dipped strawberries (and a free hat).

Us, parents, sister Dahlia, aunt, uncle, and cousin at Fish Market.

Is this a kids' menu? Your finest wine, please.

Can I change the channel?

Queen of the world!

Our first Christmas tree. $20, pre-lit, from Big Lots - we spared no expense! :)

7 months:

N turned 7 months old on Saturday. This past month has felt the shortest so far. Especially in the last week, where she suddenly went from barely raising one arm up to fully pulling herself up to standing. I was up every 1-2 hours with her crying again last night. And yet she manages to wake up smiling at 7am everyday. I am so convicted by her about having joy even when I'm tired, even going to bed a 5am. :)

I think her daily mission is to crawl around searching for a hidden wire/cord/plug and pull it out. And sometimes if I don't let her crawl, my hair will have to do. I try to switch sides so there are no apparent bald spots.

Solids are going very well. Out of six vegetable purees, she's only rejected acorn squash so far. She makes a face at the taste of fruit, but eats it anyway, kind of how I am with a chocolate cake that's too rich. Cereal, no prob, Bob.

She's also much happier. Now we'll even get, "Wow, what a smiley baby!" "What a social baby!" "What are you talking about, Amy? She's an angel!" That is, until the right buttons are pushed to activate the screamin' demon. At the baby shower Saturday, she went from the happiest baby there to Miss Meltdown. Sunday, we went out to lunch at a pupuseria and a friend, Kristen, wanted to hold her. She was surprised Naomi wouldn't let her stop walking or she'd wail. If she only knew... :) (I'm dancing around with her right now as I'm typing this) Ok, now she's mad - gotta go.

chips:

for manny's birthday, i made him a "daddy and me" book, similar to the children's book i made him last year, except i didn't have time to illustrate this one. i just printed out some photos and glued them on. i also made him fudge (ghiradelli chocolate chips were on sale - yes!) because he hadn't had it in a while. he also picked out a couple dvds he claimed were for his birthday, but that doesn't count. and alas, i came up short in my quest for a big bag of miss vickie's jalapeño chips.

first, i looked through several grocery stores - nothing.
then, went to frito-lay online - they don't sell them in california.
then, i called frito-lay asking if they could send me some - nope.
then, ebay and craigslist - the only listing was for a case of 60. no thanks.
then, online grocery sites that carried them - but they wouldn't ship to this area!
then, emailed a friend of mine who used to work at frito-lay in ca - he never heard of them.
back to the drawing board, i contemplated going to subway and buying up a bunch of small bags of the stuff, but i decided if i couldn't get a big bag, then forget it.
the book and the fudge (so-easy recipe from cooking4engineers) was a husband-pleaser, so good enough.

Hi Auntie Salina, thank you very much for the cute hat!

crawling, standing, teething, clapping, oh my!:

Naomi has been crawling and pulling up, going through whatever barricades I try to put up -- I can't let this girl out of my sight! Her first tooth has also broken through, so nights have been rough. She started clapping recently as well, although it's not full-on patty-cake just yet (which is good -- I'll have some time to learn the words since I don't know too many children's games by heart). Her appetite is increasing, probably because she's burning more calories now that she's more mobile. Her afternoon nap is getting longer, but there's still not much difference in her nighttime sleep or morning nap (30 minutes at best).

I admit that when I read about other moms having fun with their kids at 6-7 months old, I thought that would never be the case with post-colicky Naomi, but I am really enjoying her quirks and interacting with her in general.

Manny's parents arrive on Tuesday and his sister on Wednesday. We have a lot to do! Saturday I have a baby shower to attend and Manny has a smog check. Sunday of course is church, so we'll have to squeeze in whatever cleaning we can.

Next time I'll tell you about Manny's birthday and my unrewarded quest to find him a specific gift.

Random fact about me: I like to search the bottom of the popcorn bag for partially popped kernels -- I like those more than fully popped popcorn.

happy birthday, manny:

[cheese alert] Happy big three-o to my soul mate. I love you from head to toe, inside and out, now and forever. So much has changed since I met you, when you just turned 22, and yet we haven't lost a thing, not the romance or openness or humor that brought us together. Thank you for your unconditional love. My mom says she doesn't know how you do it or what you see in me. I'm not sure, but one thing I know -- I went around the world to finally meet you and now we're two inseparable peas in a pod. :) Hopefully we'll still be together when we're two peas that have shriveled up, but if not, I'll see you in eternity.

Love,
Amy

more chillin':

Dressed up for the parent covenant dedication at church. I love how she puts her arm up like that when she's sitting or being carried.

chillin':

Hanging out with Great Uncle Gerard, Aunt Baby Doll (family nickname), and Cousin Francesca on Friday. Naomi was all smiles and didn't have her usual separation anxiety, maybe because she just had a two-hour nap (one for the record books!).

pulling up:

In two days, she went from barely getting a hand up to fully pulling up to standing. (Baby and bassinet were promptly removed from playpen after photo was taken)

holidays are upon us:

Today is Veterans' (or Veteran's?) Day. Holidays were just days off to me when I was in young, now they really mean something. And I'm often looking for reasons to tell someone I love or appreciate them in the corniest way possible. Life's too short.

Holiday traditions are wonderfully new to me since I married into Manny's family. Now I get to enjoy the type of Thanksgiving and Christmas family celebrations that I used to only see in movies. :) And for the first time, since we are now parents ourselves, we are celebrating in our own home. Last night Manny and I bought (what I think is) a beautiful Christmas tree from Big Lots for $20. It's pre-lit, I just need to dig up my ornaments and ribbons. I love Christmas lights, and Christmas decorations in general.

But before that of course is Thanksgiving. To host it in our home for the first time, we've purchased a folding table (solid wood, dark finish, for only $55 at BB&B), folding chairs - $20x2, tablecloth - $12, kitchen towels to double as runners - $4, utensils - $12, serving dishes - $9x2, dinnerware - $28, trivets - $1x3, and we've started purchasing some of the food as well. It does add up, but we searched around for good values and I'm pretty pleased so far.

Naomi won't remember any of this, but it will be captured in our photo albums and scrapbooks. And in my memory. I love how she stares at those lights. I don't love how she likes to play with cords. She is far less interested in her bright, colorful toys than her grandparents' coffee filters. I'm sure when Christmas comes around, she'll shrug at the toys and play with the boxes and wrapping paper instead. :)

misc update:

-I voted as an absentee. Some people say that's unpatriotic, but I find that I feel less rushed at home, and my materials are readily available. As much as I enjoyed waiting out in the cold the last time I went in person, I prefer this method.

-We'll be hosting ten adults for Thanksgiving. By "we," I mean Manny and I only have to provide the venue and some of the food, but Manny's parents are handling the major food preparation. I'm pretty excited already.

-Added Helen, Dominique, and Sabrina's blogs to the reads list. :)

-Purchased a labelmaker. Love it, love it!

-Naomi has a kung-fu grip. And she likes when I make kung-fu (i.e., Bruce Lee) noises. I would like to say that is so beneath me, but it makes her laugh, so...

-Finished reading From Fear to Freedom by Rose Marie Miller (thanks, Jenni). Every page of this book was compelling to me. It's always good to examine ourselves, probe our lives, and bring submerged thoughts to the surface and into the light.

from li'l pumpkin to li'l monkey:

Probably time to remove the bassinet from the playpen.

Naomi's new thing is climbing out of her plastic bathtub. I pick her up and sit her back down every few seconds now. She tries to climb out of her crib and pull herself up onto her swing our bouncer, but she can't reach yet. We'd better start Naomi-proofing the house soon!

spoke too soon:

Well, last night we were up every hour from 10-7 with Naomi again. I should've known that seven hours the night before was a fluke! Re: May's kind words, Manny, Naomi, and I are just happy in the photos, so we look awake, but we look very exhausted in person, so people tell us. I seriously never thought I, the insomniac, would obsess over sleep like this. All day I feel like I'm trying to wrestle with Naomi to take her naps. And all night to get her back to sleep. Letting her cry, nursing, rocking, walking, driving, we've tried it all. She usually will nap well on the third or fourth day when she's had it. I think she doesn't need that much sleep or she's just really wired because she's constantly wiggling and kicking. I finally gave up on the books at five months, and we just moved her crib into our room last weekend. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and honestly, we all sleep better with her in the room. I'm kind of glad I've met other moms finally with these same issues. Many of them said the baby got over it at about one year. We hope so!

phoenix:

I've been watching a Korean drama called "Phoenix" (Bulsae) and in looking up some info, was shocked to find out that Lee Eun Ju (who was also in Taegukgi) committed suicide this past February. She was really a beautiful, talented actress. What a horrible tragedy. Anytime I hear of people taking their own lives, I always wish I could have known them, talked to them. Not that I have the abillity to change lives, but God does. I was there once, and I was rescued from that fire through Christ. There is a way out. There is hope.

conversation piece:

First off, Naomi went seven hours last night without waking up! I can't believe it. Most babies sleep about 10-12 hours at this age, but I'd been going on 3-5 hours total of sleep for so long that I forgot what it was like to sleep this many hours consecutively! I think I can actually get on the road now without being a hazard to myself and everyone around me! I hope and pray this continues...

Babies make the best icebreakers. The other day I went to the post office and it started as soon as I got out of the car. An elderly lady next to me: "It takes so much more time to get out now, doesn't it? But before you know it, you'll be chasing after them!" When I went in, Naomi was babbling and playing peekaboo with her teething blanket -- "mmmmBAH," "elbooopfffttt," and the infamous "ah-goo."

A woman in line commented, "Wow, she looks so clean!" Standing there with my frazzled hair, red eyes, sweats, flaky skin, and glasses, I figured she looked so clean next to her disheveled, unkempt mother. Another woman said, "Hao ke ai (so cute)" in Mandarin and then asked in English, "How old is she?" I replied six months and she said Naomi was really big (only Asians have said that thus far).

Even the postal worker and Naomi exchanged smiles. I love it. She can be the social, clean, cute one when I'm too fatigued and disgusting-looking to seem approachable.

photo time:

It's that time again: Photos from October.

Close-up

At Frieda's with the Sahs for an Italian feast.

Saturday night, Frieda, my dear prayer sister, invited us over for dinner. She went full out on our Italian dinner, everything from Italian music to homemade meatballs from a stone pot, to red and green decor. We had a great time. Naomi likes Miss Frieda. The Sahs were there as well, soon to be grandparents themselves. Good times had by all.

Drew and Vicky with Naomi.

Friday night, Drew and Vicky came over to help us out a little with Naomi. They wanted to do more, but Friday night just doesn't feel like the right time to have someone scrub your tub, so we just enjoyed dinner and fellowship before they head off to China this week. Naomi was smiling and giggling non-stop from 6-10pm while they were here. I love how they got to see her hunt down a tag and beat them both in a staring/blinking contest. It's not the same to just say "she likes tags" and "she doesn't blink."

pobrecita naomi:

This week has been rough for the little one. She threw up her infant vitamin drops this morning. This after getting stuck after rolling off the bed while playing with Daddy. That after having an explosive diaper and bad gas. She scratched the side of her eye pretty badly in the middle of the night. She had her shots Tuesday as well, which meant waking up every couple hours crying and wanting to be walked or held upright. I finally gave her infant Tylenol last night and she was back to normal (well, her "normal," anyway). I think we're going to move her crib into our room.

We're having company over tonight. The Wans are coming over to help us around the house. They'll also be joining us for dinner. It'll be fun. Plus, since Naomi's starting to have a bit of stranger anxiety, it'll be good to have people around. As far as hospitality goes, we've cut back a bit. Can you believe I had the audacity to ask a guest to bring salad and dessert? I just can't do it all.

more survey mania:

It's more fun for me to answer specific questions than to think of things off the top of my head. Here are some more questions and answers, courtesy of cyn's page:

1. Name someone with the same birthday as you.
My husband's boss.

2. Where was your first kiss?
In the high school auditorium.

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
No, we were always at the receiving end.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Many times.

5. Have you ever sang in front of a large number of people?
Yes, but not a solo.

6. What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex?
If there's a smile, the smile. If not, it's a toss-up between the eyes, hair, and shoulders.

7. What really turns you on?
My husband's smile.

8. What do you order at Starbucks?
Caramel apple cider (if they have it). Maybe pastry sometimes. But no coffee yet.

9. What is your biggest mistake?
Can't choose a biggest one, but all were instrumental in my spiritual growth.

10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Several years ago, I accidentally cut someone with my keychain knife (I didn't know it was sticking out), so I cut myself to show him how sorry I was. As a child, I also tried to imitate the banana peel slip from cartoons, and slipped.

11. Say something totally random about yourself.
I'm terrible about asking for help.

12. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?

Chucky and Jin
Someone said I looked like Chucky, the evil doll from Child's Play, and someone else said I looked like Jin from FinK.L.

13. Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
Yes.

14. Did you have braces?
No. No money.

15. Are you comfortable with your height?
For the most part, although I dislike not being able to reach top shelves in stores. (5'3")

16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the opposite sex has done for you?
Pretty much everything Manny has done - special dates, unique gifts, kind words, etc.

17. When do you know it's love?
Feeling-wise, you just know. But love is acted out. Sometimes only the recipient can say whether or not you love him/her.

18. Do you speak any other languages?
Mandarin and some Spanish. Limited Japanese and Korean as well.

19. Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
No.

20. What magazines do you read?
Currently, only baby magazines (American Baby, BabyTalk).

21. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yes, for our wedding.

22. Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Yes.

23. Do you watch mtv?
Only if I happen to catch 'true life' or 'Miss Seventeen,' but I'm only watching the latter for as far as the Asian contestant gets.

24. What's something that really annoys you?
Someone being treated as inferior.

25. What's something you really like?
Cute things. Game shows. Surveys. Being a child of God.

26. Do you like Michael Jackson?
I still like Jackson 5 & old school Michael.

27. Can you dance?
I've been doing party and street dance since I was 9. Not much ballroom (but my dad was ballroom-trained and showed me a couple moves once - haha).

28. What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
Almost 48 hours, no naps.

29. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
No, I was rushed to the ER in a truck.

30. Do you actually read these when other people fill them out?
Yes.

"mama"?:

Naomi's been saying "mama" since a couple months ago, but I've been shrugging it off because she only says it when she's fussing. Plus babies don't equate words with meanings for a year, supposedly. But, today, she turned right to me in her crib and said "mama" and motioned to be picked up. I said, "Did you really mean 'mama'?" and she said, "mmmmama" a couple more times. I picked her up, she smiled, and I decided that I'll just call that her first word, even though I still don't think she means it.

We took her for her appointment today. She checked out okay. :) Had a whimpering cry the whole time, probably because she needed a nap. She got her shots and so I've been giving her some extra TLC. :) The doctor said her "response" to oat cereal might be because there's too much fiber in her diet. That's good to know. To you moms out there -- how do you know if your baby is allergic to something?

weekend:

Our li'l pumpkin with all the li'l pumpkins.

Naomi's been having frequent night wakings again. I was so tired on Sunday that when Manny asked for the car keys, I handed him Naomi's plastic toy keys. 8^.

Manny's been working on the guest bedroom and will soon be redoing one of the bathrooms. It wasn't hard to pick a theme - Manny's mom got us some duck and frog things, so that became the theme. If you would have told me last year that we would have a bathroom theme, I would have called you crazy, but things change. :)

We went to Target to shop for some winter duds for Naomi. Up until now, we haven't had to purchase anything as we received an over-abundance and variety of clothing from generous gift-givers, but I have to say it was pretty fun to pick out her holiday clothes. And I am not a big shopper, either. Afterwards, we went to a pumpkin patch. Naomi donned a pumpkin sleeper I found on eBay for $6.99. Again, if you would have told me I'd put her in something like that last year, I would have said no way, but things happen.

20 random facts, 11-20:

Ok, home stretch. I tag Jenni and Ivan. And anyone else that wants to participate.

11. Famous alumni from my high school include Snoop Doggy Dogg, Cameron Diaz, John Wayne, Gene Hackman, Tyus Edney (UCLA, NCAA 1995) and Billie Jean King. The Nestle Quik bunny was also modeled after our mascot.

12. Throughout school, I had stellar grades, but poor conduct. My mom received quite a few notes and phone calls from my teachers on a regular basis.

13. I like sandwiches. I like them a lot.

14. I had to run a pentathalon event (with hurdles!) in a denim skirt once because both the registered participant and the alternate were no-shows. Our team placed second!

15. I am the only one in my family (parents, brother) who's left-handed and wears glasses/contacts regularly. And the only one never put in handcuffs.

16. The strangest thing I can recall eating is snake, but the grossest was a snail soup that tasted like snot.

17. I went to etiquette camp when I was 15 to learn how to be lady-like, but I'm still a tomboy at heart.

18. Most of the Chinese I can read I learned through karaoke or song lyrics.

19. I seem to have a thing for black and white animals (pandas, penguins, white tigers, Snoopy, Pochacco).

20. I am ridiculously clumsy.

six months:

Happy 6th month birthday to our little Naomi! Over the last couple of weeks, she's been creeping forward and backwards (though the latter is probably unintentional). She can sit up unsupported for a few seconds. Still loving her tags and teething toys, but now she throws fits if I take a toy (or something she thinks is a toy) from her. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen till later. :P She's also banging toys together and trying to tear things apart. What a little monster. Cute monster, though.

We just started her on homemade baby food this week in addition to her rice cereal. She insists on pulling the spoon from my hand and the food gets everywhere. But she's had quite a few successful attempts at feeding herself. I have to scrub her onesies 1-4 times daily with all the explosions. I think they should invent diapers with "explosion guards" or an extra piece that goes up the back. We've tried both Huggies and Pampers (and Luvs, Target, and some bobo brand, too). Pampers has a slight edge right now, but it still gets all over her back.

20 random facts, 6-10:

6. My legal name did not become Amy until after I was married. When I was five, I haphazardly chose the first name off of a list given to us by a neighbor (Amy), but we never changed it legally.

7. I did not attend my prom. My date and I decided to go to Medieval Times instead.

8. I really don't like it when people treat certain groups (e.g., waiters) as second-class citizens.

9. I have not picked up a fiction book and read it all the way through in almost ten years (and that was for a class). Before college, I used to read a book every couple weeks.

10. I became a U.S. citizen in 1993.

shower and sunshine:

Manny and Naomi at Christopher and Angela's baby shower.

Yesterday after church we went to C & A's baby shower and BBQ at the park. The weather couldn't have been better. I had my hands full at times, so I missed getting photos of the games -- a pregnant man relay (heavy backpacks worn in the front) and the bottle drinking contest (Manny worked hard, but James smoked everyone). We had a great time, even though we were exhausted from a rough night. Some more photos here.

20 random facts about me:

I am honored to have been tagged by Kev, although I'm not sure I have 20 interesting facts (at least 20 that I can disclose). But I'll try. I don't have large blocks of time, so I'm just going to go through five at a time rather than finishing the draft after two weeks or so.

So here's all you never wanted to know about me, minus anything I mentioned in a previous survey post:

1. From grades 1-6, I attended eight different elementary schools across the U.S.

2. When we came to America, my mom misinformed the school about my age, so I skipped a grade. Later, the powers that became aware, tested me, and offered to skip me again (thankfully, that didn't happen).

3. Up until college, I mostly wore second-hand clothing. I'd never heard of J. Crew, Banana Republic, or Eddie Bauer until my freshman year.

4. In high school, I was very involved in JROTC (qualified rifle sharpshooter, color guard, drill instructor), ranking second in the city. While I was there, my program was all over the news due to two separate murders allegedly involving the program (media distortion).

5. I own a lot of soundtracks to movies I've never seen.

Is it love at first sight? With Moni, Baby Joshua, his mom Frances (and Kathy) at a noodle place. Click to enlarge. Naomi then proceeded to bite Joshua's foot, but I didn't get a photo of that.

Baby Joshua meeting Naomi. Can you believe they are less than a month apart? Joshua is off the charts already in height and weight.

home life:

Yesterday, Naomi began creeping again, this time with full force. Creeping is when she's on all fours, raises her rear, and lunges forward. I think it's what babies master before crawling, not sure. I recorded it for Manny. One of the benefits of being at home with her is getting to see all her firsts. I know not everyone has that choice, and I am really thankful for our situation. But even with our thrifty lifestyle, we still aren't saving much after motgage and school loan payments (i.e., for the college fund), so I really need to start looking for something to do from home. We are definitely saving more now that we've decided to discontinue being a source of extra funds for my family.

So it's official, we're having Thanksgiving here. Manny's parents will be driving up and hopefully others in the family will be coming as well. We have a tiny oven - it doesn't really fit a full-size turkey, so we'll have to take some measurements. :) The oven's better than the one at our old apartment, though. It didn't even fit the cookie sheet, so if I did bake, I had to do it with the door slightly ajar.

I think I mentioned before that we didn't celebrate birthdays in my family growing up. So I'm already thinking about Naomi's first birthday. I know it's way too early to do any sort of planning, but I seriously don't know the first thing about throwing such a shindig, even if it'll be a very intimate affair (family only). It's a lot of fun, though. I'd rather think about this any day than whatever racial or sexist remark I'd heard at work. Or wonder about when honesty and integrity left the workplace. I had a rough start, but now I love being a full-time mom.

milestones:

We decided to put Naomi in the nursery at church on Sunday just for the end of service (about 20 minutes). I handed her over, got the pager, and Manny said I had a guilty look on my face when I walked back. I apparently was the only one with separation anxiety, because when we went to pick her up, she was smiling and happily playing with the new toys. Haha. Good for her. Well, supposedly separation anxiety will come when she's 7-8 months old (she's 5 mos now), so we just wanted to head that off (is that the right expression?).

In terms of her development - she's babbling a lot (why does "mama" usually have to be accompanied by fussing?) and she has a thing for empty water bottles.

We're going to a baby shower next week and the mom of the father-to-be asked Manny to give some words of wisdom from a young father. I know Manny is not big on public speaking, but I think he has a lot of wisdom to offer. I do learn a thing or two from him. Daily.

Manny's turning 30 next month. I thought of throwing him a surprise party originally, but he didn't want one. Neither of us like much fanfare or attention on our birthdays, so I understand. The other thing is that now that we are down to one income, I feel like I can't just go and make any kind of purchase, so I'll have to think about what to do. He reads my blog, so I'll just leave it at that.

yay, i found the tags! they're on my doggy's butt!

again with the tag - chewing on the clothing tag.

throwing the teether aside to play with a tag on the mattress pad.

p.s. (re: lost)

One more thing - when I used to be a history/psych buff, I knew the ins and outs of B.F. Skinner and John Locke's philosophies/accomplishment. Then of course, I forgot all of that to make room for engineering and sciences. Now that those degrees are over with, I'm back to looking up Skinner and Locke, and unfortunately it took a show like Lost to make me do it.

Karen, her son Ryan, and Moni (with Naomi trying to pull Ryan's hair)

Naomi with the book Moni made her.

wednesday tv / thursday lunch:

Happy Birthday to Peg's daughter, Ashlyn!

Last night we watched 'The George Lopez Show' and taped 'So You Think You Can Dance.' And of course we watched 'Lost.' On 'Dance,' I was thoroughly impressed that they invited the Groovaloos to perform. They are huge in the bboy and funk styles world (funk styles being my favorite dance genre), but to have them on a national TV show like that, and to have Jamile come in third without any ballroom training, might mean the masses are ready to accept these street styles. Then again, what a lot of people like about funk styles is that it's not mainstream. Ok, nuff said, I know you all care so much about that. Anyway, good for Nick. 'Lost' - when I have time, I'll have to look online to see if anyone caught anything subliminal or unusual from that Dharma orientation film.

I got together with a couple mom friends/old coworkers for lunch today. Last week, Manny's old coworker and her family came over. New faces for Naomi, and she was very calm the whole time. I guess she's just selective with strangers now. But she still seems to prefer men and little boys. :/ What a flirt. :)

happy birthday, roger!

Happy Birthday, Rommel! Maligayang something something?

cultural lines:

Compiled from various visitors, some paraphrasing for humor (but not much):

Asian: Maoni/Nayani looks big! Wow, she's really muscular and strong!
Caucasian: Naomi's so tiny! Is she feeding okay?

Asian: You're looking chubby, like your mom. But I guess nursing moms can't diet.
Mexican: You look so skinny! Is Manny not feeding you?

Asian [to their own kid]: Okay, what's the square root of pi?
Caucasian: You wuv your wittle bah-bah, don't cha?

Asian: Does she need those socks? Babies run on the warm side anyway.
Mexican: She better have socks on - she's Mexican!

Asian: Wow, look at those eyes! They're studying everything!
Caucasian/Mexican: Wow, look at those eyes! They're so round!

Asian: You know what you should do is...
Mexican: What I think is...
Caucasian and other remaining races: The key is... and Have you tried...?

another "unique" celeb baby name:

say it isn't so -- kal-el (as in superman) cage!

naomi update:

what naomi's been up to at 5 months:
-currently, her favorite toys are tags (on blankets, clothes, stuffed animals, what have you -- she turns them around until she finds the tags.)
-drool city
-double-rolling
-sucking on her toes
-repeatedly bringing her legs up and slamming them down
-creeping left and right, sometimes turning 90°
-razzing and laughing a lot more
-starting to bang and throw things down
-still some teething symptoms, but no teeth
-(yes, mare,) i've now cleaned her face with my saliva
-still nowhere near sleeping through the night, but getting a little better with naps
-14+ lbs, seems to be going through a growth spurt, which means i'm going through a weight-loss spurt.

Wow, she was out for three hours without crying! We actually didn't have to rush through lunch!

Naomi meeting little James and his dad Henry.


With James' mom Wendy.

thursday tv and urban music:

Last night, we decided to give 'Alias' one more shot and recorded 'Smallville' to watch later (plus I flipped back to 'Everybody Hates Chris' during commercials). 'Smallville' did not disappoint, finally moving forward with the story, and giving me nostalgic warm fuzzies. It's increasingly violent, though. Boy, how many ways can Lana Lang be beaten up in a series?

As for 'Alias,' we'd already heard unconfirmed reports that Michael Vartan was leaving the show after this season. Losing Vaughn means this will probably be our last season watching it (p.s. we don't know if he's dead, but as most things go on the show, it was probably staged). Yeah, I said that two years ago, though. Sydney is not as much of a draw, not because she's pregnant, but it's hard to separate the character Sydney from the real-life Bennifer 2: Electric Boogaloo (borrowing a term from Vh1). Some of our friends had an 'Alias' party last night. Now with a baby needing to sleep at home, I don't get out much. It doesn't really bother me anymore. I'm not as lonely as I was when Naomi was just born. Naomi's more interactive now, plus the internet helps quite a bit.

I don't watch much TV during the day because of the baby, but one of these days hopefully I'll catch Hip Hop Honors on Vh1. I still listen to old school once in a while. Back when I was growing up at the border of Long Beach/Compton, I was in the middle of it. Now I'm out of that scene and can't relate. A lot of urban music today, if it is music, isn't really the same anyway. Just my dos pesos.

photo time:

Here are our photos from September 2005.

I've...almost...got 'em... (at Denny's)

thanks but no thanks:

Last week, we started letting Naomi cry a bit longer at night and not feeding her. It's been a few nights now and really it seems to be getting worse, so we decided to do one thing at a time. We decided we won't feed her between midnight and 6 am, which is working, but we will tend to her if her crying goes for too long until she's a bit older. On Saturday, Manny's aunt, uncle, and cousin visited in the afternoon. Naomi had not slept well and only took 25 minute nap that morning (she skipped the afternoon naps altogether), but she was happy and smiling. (How in the world is this the same baby that was colicky just a couple months ago?) I'm still working on her routine/schedule, but we have to employ our best judgment.

A number of my mom friends give me the old, "Well, Amy, the key is..." and "You know, Amy..." followed by something that conflicts with another mom's advice. I take it all with a grain of salt now. There isn't anything that they've suggested that I haven't already tried and put my all into. I am grateful for the advice, and they mean well, but it's more the delivery that affects me. Plus, it's amplified with my running on adrenalin for 5 months. Okay, I get it, we're all experts on children! :P But every child is different. Otherwise there wouldn't be a point in my being with Naomi all day.

I shouldn't complain, though. I know I've been worse, wise in my own eyes, leaning on my own understanding, giving advice condescendingly. One of the wonderful blessings about being with Manny is really what I've discovered about myself through his wisdom. We have the best conversations. I also enjoy talking to Cecille (Naomi's middle namesake) a couple times a week -- it's refreshing to talk about different topics. And if she does have any advice, there is always humility and kindness in it. Man, what a friend. :) Well, she doesn't have kids, but even if she did, something tells me she'd be the same way.

tv:

I recently started watching TV again, just in time for some premieres. The other night I was flipping through the channels and saw someone that looked like a former coworker on 'House Hunters' (HGTV) -- then they said her name and it WAS her! I feel kind of strange seeing her family and house on TV, like I now know more about her than I should. Well, $12.41/mo for basic cable and most of it goes to news, Travel Channel, and HGTV.

'Smallville' starts next week. This should finally be the Clark vs. Lex season. No more footall, yay. I'm watching 'Lost' now as well. Manny had been watching it, but now I've jumped on the bandwagon. A surprise hit for me is 'Everybody Hates Chris.' It reminds me so much of my childhood, down to the actual situations. Hey, anything that makes me laugh about my childhood is fine by me. And Manny and I were big Wonder Years fan, too.

We'll have to tape 'Chris' and watch 'Smallville' for the remainder of the season. Yes, we have a VCR instead of Tivo. *gasp* Just minimizing our monthly expenses.

five months old:

(This was started on Monday)
Happy 5-Month Birthday to our little Naomi! At this point, she's recognizing her name, but not sitting up yet. I love to watch her change everyday. I like the way she crinkles her nose before attacking something with her mouth (like Daddy's head or her big toe), how she smiles after she sneezes, and how her cheeks look like juicy peaches when she sleeps. I like the way she holds on to her feet, even when I pick her up. I love her puppy dog eyes, especially when she (finally) starts to get tired. And, of course, there's so much more.

The other day I was browning some ground beef and had a flashback to when I was nine, standing on a stepping stool, making hamburgers for my brother and myself. My mom, then a waitress, had to work in the evenings. My dad was unavailable at the time (euphemism), and so we were latchkey kids in the worst sense. Then I was back in the present, looking at Naomi and telling her that her father and I would do everything we could to raise her in a decent home.

As for me, I wasn't able to see a doctor right away (no one had appointments available until end of Oct), so my ob/gyn just evaluated me over the phone and called in a prescription for antibiotics. Right now, the lump is shrinking and I'm feeling better. I could just use a bit more sleep, but I'm sure it'll come when I need it most.

At R&S's wedding reception at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco.

under the weather:

We started Naomi on solids two days shy of her 5-month birthday. She was very ready (photos below). Didn't do much for improving her sleep as far as that myth goes. But the timing is good since I'm having some nursing issues these past few days.

I seem to have come down with mastitis, a breast infection. On Wednesday, I felt some pain, but nothing unusual. Then Thursday morning, I felt like I just ran a marathon (or how I imagine that to feel). By that afternoon, after I did some chores, I felt like I'd hit a brick wall (or how I imagine that to feel). Thursday night I slept only two hours. The rest of the time was spent oscillating between fevers and chills and also trying to pacify a very awake Naomi throughout the night/morning. Anyway, it's a good thing Peg wrote about mastitis when she had it, so I could at least have some clue what was happening. You never know how what you write on your journal/blog could be used to help someone else!

It wasn't all bad. Manny made and brought me breakfast in bed on Friday and helped out a lot. :) I actually stayed in bed all of Friday with Naomi. I couldn't move my arms much, so I kept rolling and repositioning her during her "activity" time. Couldn't trick her for long though, haha. Every part of me hurt, even my toes and fingers. I do feel a lot better now. At least the flu-like symptoms are almost gone. I just have to get the lump checked out as soon as I get all the insurance logistics squared away.

solid foods:

First time eating solids (although rice cereal gravy isn't very solid).


Trying to feed herself.


*thumbs up* She loves it!

Happy Birthday, Peg!!!! (sorry about that caption - i took the photo from a scrapbook site)