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).