our trip, second up, the party:

I read somewhere that a child's first birthday party should be limited to close family. I doubt they had Manny's huge, but close-knit, family in mind. With no one on my side showing up (my family doesn't do birthdays - boo), we still had almost 50 guests.



Now here are ways you can tell our party was Mexican, aside from the number of guests:
1. Everyone is fed. No, not finger foods and punch. We're talking a full-on cooked meal: enchiladas, tostadas, quesadillas, sopa, beans, nopales, etc...
2. The piñata is bursting at the seams with about ten lbs of candy and toys.
3. Funk music for the musical chairs game. Picture "Brickhouse" playing while little kids circle the chairs.
4. The adults participate in games, too (no cerveza -- everyone was very considerate).
5. Everyone speaks and understands Spanglish.
6. The kids help out, and clean-up is done faster than you can say frijoles.

We thought the party went very well. The butterfly theme turned out very nice (thanks, Oriental Trading Co. and the Dollar Store). Naomi, aka Noemi, fell asleep at the start of the party, but woke up happy as ever. She loved the cake. We've been holding sugar out on her for a year. And she actually likes gifts more than the wrapping or boxes, which I'm sure pleased the gift-givers. I think we've only shopped for three articles of clothing for her this whole year. Looks like we won't need to shop for yet another year. People are too kind. She's definitely better-dressed than we'll ever be!

So much attention for the first grandchild...it makes me motivated to do something very special for the next child(ren), too.

Video of N eating cake. After she ate hers, she started working on Manny's.

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More photos from the party and the wedding:

Naomi's First Birthday

Next up: Disneyland!

our trip, first up, the wedding:

Pretty centerpieces. They also had balls of roses hanging from lit trees and a huge box-stack cake with these colors.

I love weddings. Having a baby has made it difficult to make every wedding, even those of close friends. This was actually Naomi's longest road trip for a wedding yet. She wasn't too happy about the car ride, but she really likes to see new things and meet new people. Well, just like me, I like to travel, minus the traveling part.

We had to miss Salina and Joseph's ceremony, but made it to the wedding reception in Newport Beach. It was beautiful, and I probably wouldn't expect any less from someone as creative and design-savvy as Salina. The bride and groom looked amazing. I mean, all brides are beautiful, but Salina was extraordinarily stunning in her gown. There were about 400 guests, which meant there was no telling if we'd have a lot of time with the newlyweds, but at least I spoke to Salina a bit...in the ladies' room!


Gotta give props -- they managed to place 400 guests in a fairly intimate setting. Bravo!


View of J&S from our table.

Dream-like atmosphere, no rain, excellent food (even a roast pig!), humorous and riveting toasts and speeches, a touching slideshow, and a very special song by the groom! Naomi started melting down, so we couldn't stay past 9pm. That's the way the cookie crumbles. :( :) We're still not ready to leave her with anyone, and if we were, we'd probably still have to leave early to pick her up.

We really enjoyed visiting with long-distance friends and sitting with the Wongs, the Rojas', and the flower girls and their parents. I had a strange out-of-blogging experience. I'm always reading Jenni's xanga, so it was somewhat awkward for me seeing her again in person. I thought, I feel like I've been spying on your life! I know too much about you! And I really do forget sometimes that I actually have readers myself.

Here's a photo of us with the Wongs and the Rojas'. And once again, Naomi is poking someone (Dave) in the head. She is so uninhibited (how is she our offspring?).


Naomi is very squirmy and stubborn (okay, she is our offspring), and she kept trying to stand up in her highchair. She can't sit still for beans. We weren't sure if she could walk on the grass yet (by now we know she can). Anyway, J&S' wedding site is a great read -- Salina's one of those people I really wish had a blog. But I guess I should cherish the fact that we still keep in touch in other ways!

Next up: Naomi's birthday party!

and we're back:

We had a fantastic week with Manny's parents and sister. It was also great to see old friends at Joseph and Salina's wedding. Our prayers for good weather were answered! Will write up the highlights later. For now, here's a random video of Naomi feeding her aunt:


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she's one! (updated):

Wow the first year is already over! And we all survived! :P Our little gift is constantly changing and enriching our lives. And we love it. What an incredible journey it's been so far.

It's sobering to think of how we are training Naomi to actually leave our home someday (what?! she can't stay with us for the rest of our lives? and she can't stay this small forever?). What a charge for us as parents -- parents who are far from perfect! We trust in God for wisdom and guidance.

Naomi's a complete girly-girl so far (yay! because I sure wasn't). She loves to wear things as a bracelet or a necklace. When she has something pretty on, she might fluff up her dress in front of the mirror and twirl a little, or cock her head when she has a bow in her hair, smiling and admiring herself. Oh, the vanity. :)

Side notes (updated):
We went to a birthday lunch today for an old coworker of mine. None of the men paid much attention to Naomi. I was actually kind of sad about that. Poor Naomi, tough crowd that day for her comedy act.

The "Happy Birthday" background caused my avatar woes.

We're leaving Friday morning for SoCal. Yay! In case I can't get online that day, Happy birthday, Kev!

As if you hadn't seen enough photos of Naomi, here are the April pre-birthday photos. Wedding, birthday party, Disneyland photos later. I'm excited to finally update our travelogue after a two-year hiatus!

how you treat a waiter:

My avatar won't update. Oh well. Imagine a fun avatar to commemorate Naomi's birthday. Can't wait till our trip next week!

Interesting article, although I'm not sure about the part saying it depends on how you were raised. One thing that always strikes me is how kind Manny is towards servers and buspersons. When they come by, he stops his conversation, makes eye contact, and says "thank you." I myself have often not acknowledged them this way, even though I was once a waitress. It's not just politeness, but true kindness on his part.

We witnessed some true rudeness at Stanford Shopping Center many years ago, when an apparently affluent woman demanded that a worker go purchase a type of soda that the cafe did not serve. The main issue wasn't even the absurdity of the act, but her treatment of the employee, as though he were sub-human. It was also at the expense of other patrons, holding up the line to have her demands met. How do you explain something like this to your children? We must still show kindness rather than judgment. One of my closest friendships unraveled largely over this friend's treatment of servers. I'm still deeply saddened by it and only came to terms with it recently. Not that I don't love my friend, but we just couldn't see eye-to-eye on this issue.

happy easter:

Happy Easter! Rejoice for He is risen! The family Easter party was postponed, so we had an Easter dinner at home of ham, asparagus, and stuffed potatoes. :9

playtime (videos!):

Now that Naomi's almost a toddler, we love thinking of all the new places we can take her. On Friday, I took Naomi to The Jungle. Admission was free (for adults and infants), and it was a great place to be on a rainy day. Thanks to the inspiration of May, Cynthia, and Peg, I posted a couple videos recorded on our digital camera. I think the ending to each video was funnier than the video itself. In the first one, Naomi throws a ball at someone's head and in the second, she "needs a little help."

Friday, April 14, 2006


Here's a photo from Thursday's playgroup at Monica's:


Naomi and Tyler playing bumper cars.

good friday:

see the easter story cookies from jaimi's xanga.

read me a story:

Naomi "reading" Buenas Noches, Luna to Manny. She looks so grown up. Naomi has another bruise on her face. Actually, three of them in two days, since she falls forward while walking rather than on her behind. She screams a lot as she walks around. Hasn't quite learned "inside voice" yet. eek. She has a playgroup tomorrow and another one Friday. Not sure if it's more for her or me. I guess we both would enjoy a respite from the norm. :)

it's beginning to look a lot like...winter:

Yesterday we went to Max's for lunch with Colleen. (Oh man, I don't recommend the pulled chicken salad unless you're a mayo lover). Here is the view of the parking lot from inside the car. Sure doesn't look like spring. This past winter looked more like spring! And while I didn't mind the rain before, it's hard to get the baby and stroller out now. Or maybe I just haven't mastered it yet.

what's going on in that mind of yours?:

This is as close as she gets to sitting still at the supermarket. Still likes to howl into the air.

almost one:

Naomi walking. Can you believe a friend of mine sewed this dress for her?


Naomi feeding herself.

Naomi's walking pretty well now. And she's becoming a real chatterbox, like Mama. She's fighting her morning (cat)nap and eating less, which is supposed to be common at this age, but it's still a problem. I wasn't letting her feed herself because of the mess, but she seems to eat more when I do let her, so I gotta do what I gotta do. :) She's asserting her independence -- it's too cute (at this age).

Because it's my brother's (and Mario's) birthday, it's spring, and because Naomi LOVES this picture. It's now my desktop. I miss the days of Keroppi.

Naomi standing next to black felt.

100 ways with chicken:

I look back on the effort I used to make for dinner...and laugh. Nowadays, I often buy large packs of meat, like chicken breasts or a roast. I cook all of it at the beginning of the week, shred/dice a huge batch, separate it, then throw it in whatever recipes I can think of or find. Slow-cooker, casserole, stir-fry, skillet, whatever. We've had other meats, too, but it's mainly been chicken chicken chicken. I guess we'll get our fill before the bird flu hits. Any easy recipes welcome.

harmful to infants?:

What do you think of the Sesame Beginnings controversy? I said it myself before Naomi was born -- no TV till 2 (and a host of other rules). No Baby Einstein, nothing. But for a couple months, Baby Einstein was all that would calm N down. Now at 1 year, I don't see any problem with letting her participate in the Teletubbies bye-bye a couple times a week or watching Elmo's World once in a while.

communicating with baby:

Naomi says a couple more words on her own now. Today she waved and said "hi" at a picture and she also points at pictures of babies and says, "baby." Then again, she also pointed to a guy on Winnie's site and said, "baby." I said, "Yes, men are babies." Just playing -- I didn't.

Her favorite sign is "more." I was hesitant to teach it, but one day she wanted more food and did everything from clap to wave to slap herself repeatedly on the head, like one of these has got to be "more."


She sang at church the other day. Her version went like, "aaahhhhhhhhhhh[breathe]ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh{breathe]" and so on and so forth. She even raised her hand. Haha.

Naomi gets help by pretending to try to open something very hard, grunting, and pushing till her face turns red. I have this on video -- maybe I can post that someday. She tries to do things herself to the point of frustration. Often when I try to put her socks on, she's like, "gimme that" and yanks it out of my hand and tries to do it herself to no avail. Then she gets frustrated and starts beating the sock. Same with trying to undress herself (at which she does sometimes succeed). It's cute, but I don't want her to be so easily frustrated. I can't wait till I can talk to her about that someday.

I probably should talk to her more now than I do, but it takes a lot of effort and forethought for me to have a convo with a baby. Either way, I think the caresses and kisses are the best form of communication right now. And Papa flipping her upside-down.

Manny won his pool at work. A whoppin' $11, but hey, I ain't complainin'! And he came in second on our wagerless Stanford pool, because UCLA lost. Boo. Hiss.

mother tongue:

I've been really busy with a particular church ministry. A few days in, I said to Manny, "What did I get myself into?" Without more than 2-3 hours uninterrupted sleep, things seem to take ten times as much energy and brain power. However, it was a great lesson for me in how God gives us strength and mercy, and works it all out, when we ask, when we do it for Him.

Last week I took Naomi to the library to crawl around, sort of out of desperation. I met two Chinese moms with their sons. I hurriedly told them I could speak Mandarin, just in case they'd say something they didn't want me to understand. One thought I was Korean the other thought I was Japanese. Anyway, I think I'm starting to forget some of my Mandarin. That's a little troubling, because it's the one unique legacy I have from my parents. So I'm glad I got some practice that day.

One thing both moms did was call their sons "mei-yo yong" (useless/good-for-nothing) because they didn't crawl or walk or act social. They kept saying, "Why can't you be like jie-jie?" (big sister, meaning Naomi, even though they were the same age) My mom was kind of like that with me as a kid. That is one thing, if it's truly cultural, that I won't do. So instead of insulting Naomi in sort of a pretend humility contest, I just tried to compliment their children. It's our choice as parents which legacies and traditions will continue through the generations.

btw, lately, Naomi's just been so pleasant (like the meaning of her name, I'd almost given up) -- even let the Yings hold her for quite a while yesterday! And, go Bruins!