naomi's first year scrapbook:

I'm finally about 99% finished with the scrapbook for Naomi's first year. The 8x8 album was a gift from my friend Katie (Ed & Katie, those who know them), and I loved finally being able to work on it. I did the majority of it when we went down to visit the grandparents last year. It was pretty difficult to select just a few photos and to shrink some down to fit in the album. The family tree page is the one that I haven't completed yet. Enjoy!

Naomi's First Year

misc wknd:

So about that last post, Manny reminded me that whether people think you're dumber or smarter than you really are, you have an advantage. Either way, I shouldn't care too much what other people think. I know that, but I still do.

We had Bryan, Orawin, and Melissa over last night. Naomi LOVES to have people over. I definitely don't/can't go all out with dinner anymore. But our friends are very gracious. Naomi did really well, and we even got to play Balderdash for a couple hours. Manny's "answers", especially for the movie category, were so hilarious. It makes me a little proud to have others see what a creative, funny guy he is. Sometimes I wish more people knew him better (he's really reserved), but other times I think it's something special for me to know him like no one else does. Oh so mushy. Our anniversary must be coming up. :)

More funny Josiah/Naomi stories: Josiah got on a rocking chair today. Naomi asked his mom to put her next to him, which she did. Then Naomi put her arm around Josiah like she was the boss. Haha! Naomi also spanked Josiah after he threw a tantrum (not like he felt it, though), but that's another story.

We went to our vision ministry meeting at the pastor's house after church today. I think I mentioned before Naomi does so well with his daughters, and it is seriously the most relaxing time that Manny and I have. They live pretty far away, but we'll have to consider picking them up to babysit someday. :)

part of the solution:

In my reviews at work, I often received positive feedback for problem-solving skills. I used to think of that as more of a technical skill, but I'm finding nowadays that that is a big part of my personality--to be part of a solution, or at least a partial solution. But I get the sense that when people don't know me that well, they just think I'm dumb. I know that sounds funny, but I think I have a clueless aura about me or something. I guess I am naive and not very eloquent--maybe it's that. I find more often than not that people are surprised when my proposed solutions work.

For example, last night we went out for Chinese/Islamic cuisine with the community group. Someone had brought food for their child, but it turned out the restaurant did not have a microwave. So I suggested heating it on the teapot. It pretty much got a laugh and a comment that it would take forever. So I recanted. Pretty much everyone reacted in their own way--defensiveness, encouragement, analysis (Manny). But the mom had despair in her words, and if there's anything that troubles me, it's when someone is discouraged. So I opened up the lid of the teapot and hoped they would at least try it. It pretty much worked. Yay! (Now, I'm not saying I'm smart over this little thing--I'm just saying I believe there is a solution to be found in most cases).

I am always in a hurry to get to a solution, though ("works fast" was also a common comment I received), and that can sometimes get me in trouble. Manny arrives at a solution, too, but he's very thorough in his evaluation of situation, to ensure he has found the best result. I'm sure I often want to tell him to hurry up and he wants to tell me to slow down. It's a good balance. :)

Some photos:

Naomi picking out her dessert at Flames.


Josiah unsure about their first date.


Naomi makes the move. Haha!

misc update #2:

After our picnic Friday, I had five tuna sandwiches left over. I had cut them in quarters, so it looked like 20 sandwiches. I think I caused some ladies to stumble--they continuously remarked about wasting the food. I would've made the sandwiches there, but Manny was concerned I'd be distracted from watching our accident-prone Naomi. And he was right. So I called around to churches and shelters, but the last meals accepted were for Friday lunch. Oh well. I ate them. Not having tuna again for while...

Naomi had her 18-month appointment today (3 months late). She's actually growing well, despite refusing milk and Pediasure for a while now. She's up to 63rd percentile height and "up" to 7th percentile weight. The doc said to go ahead and give her Benadryl because she didn't really sleep till past 1:30 a.m. again. I don't know if we want to. We'll see if she gets over this phase after a couple days. She's not sick. I'm just concerned because Manny has to work (even though he doesn't complain).

Here's something that blew me away last week:
Me: Naomi, do you want to sort the stones? How about the big ones here and the little ones here?
[blank stare, crickets chirping]
Me: Ok, how about in a year or so? I'll be right back.
I leftfor a minute to put some food away, and I returned to find the stones grouped into fours. Whah? Coincidence? Is she counting?
Me: Wow, can you show Mama how you did that? [mixing the stones]
[Naomi gets up and runs in circles again]

Grouped stones.

Eating with the big kids at the park.

misc update:

People are often concerned when they see Naomi's top front teeth (central incisors). They have had this permanent brown staining ever since she was given prescription iron/fluoride/vitamin drops. I stopped giving them to her and the staining stopped spreading. Brushing doesn't do much of anything. Anyway, the pediatrician said it's iron staining that will come off with the first dentist visit, but now I'm wondering if she actually had fluorosis. Looking at this photo, this is very similar to what hers looks like. I have been giving her mostly fluoridated water under the direction of the doctor, but I'm starting to get a mother's hunch about it. It makes me feel terrible for Naomi.

Naomi went to bed at 1:30 this morning; we started putting her down at 10pm. She still got up a little after 8:00, so she's a mess. She doesn't have any unusual symptoms, but she really hasn't slept well for weeks. The good thing is that she has a check-up scheduled for tomorrow anyway. We noticed Sunday she had some clicking in her teeth or jaw (couldn't tell which). We haven't heard it since, but I hope she's not in pain or anything. I have a jaw that clicks and slightly dislocates at times; it's quite painful when it happens.

I am still doing the remedial work for the medical transcription. Thanks for asking, those who did. I'm doing well so far, but I hope it's over soon. It's been a couple months, and I'd really like to get back into the meat of the course and finish before we have another baby.

We got this letter from the state asking if Manny might've fathered a child when he was maybe 15 or something. Nope. I guess that's what happens when you have a common name. I like the name Maria, for example, but I doubt any of our daughters will have that name. On the other hand, we don't want something so uncommon that no one can spell or pronounce it. One of the latest trends is adding "y's" to names (we know a Nayomi). It looks cool, but I'm thinking that going with the common spelling isn't so bad. Ok, I digress again...but don't I always?

We are planning to go to Carlsbad & San Diego this April for our family trip. Yes, Naomi will be too young to remember it, but who said it was for her? ;) We'll only be in the area maybe three days, so we won't overdo it. No zoos (too large) and no Sea World in the plan. Saving those for later. I gotta say I love to travel, but planning a trip right here in Cali is easier for me. Did you hear about that family that got thrown off the plane because of their toddler's tantrum? I could just imagine...

21 months of motherhood:

Rather than tell you all the new things Naomi has learned to do in the past month (that would be a lot to remember), I wanted to say a few words (okay, a lot of words) about being a mom. I really love it, even though the first year was extremely challenging. Recently [graphic text warning], there have been reports of mothers putting their babies in a microwave, oven, and in the ocean. I am just as horrified as the next person, but I am more sympathetic than I would expect to be. Not that I ever wanted to hurt Naomi, but there were many times I just wanted to check out, I mean completely, from reality.

After the first couple weeks at home with Naomi, Manny had to return to his long work hours, the grandparents were gone, all I could take for the C-section was Advil because of my drug allergies (which made the stairs quite a pain in every sense), my hormones were crazy, and Naomi started becoming colicky. And by colicky, I mean 5-10 hours straight of crying, without eating or sleeping. I would sometimes sit there and watch that minute hand or continuously walk with her while reading one of those eventually useless baby-calming books. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. And I drew so close to God those days. I could keep praying about my troubles ("Mine, mine, mine. Amen"), but that would only increase the self-pity. I kept telling myself, at least she's not terminally ill, but that's really not the way to go either. Instead, I remembered and thought about what Christ did on the cross. I looked heavenward, and it got me through those dark days. And it still brings me great joy and comfort now. I wish I could have been there to tell these moms this...

We did have about six months of bliss in there, but now Naomi's terrible-two stage is coming out with full force. At the same time, she can be such a happy kid. I think she's all cried out from the colicky days! She is so much fun to be around (for the most part). I can't complain much about all the physical play and chasing and stress--it's certainly keeping my weight down, and I'm pretty much eating anything and everything. I do still miss sleep, but I think it's fine, in preparation for the next one, to not get too used to sleep again (nope, not expecting yet). I'm actually enjoying involving Naomi in most of what I do instead of working so hard at finding distractions for her so I can get it all done faster. She can't stay occupied with a pile of special toys, and she isn't too interested in watching TV by herself. I'm learning to be okay with slowing down and accepting her "help." :)

Speaking of which, when Manny tried to help around the house, I usually got upset. Because I'd be filled with pride--does this mean that I can't do it myself or do it right? It took me so long to even ask for help out to the car at the grocery store. Shopping with Naomi usually leaves me covered in sweat. And I'm not a profuse sweater either. Haha. That's not the reason we don't have babysitters, though. I'd love to get a babysitter sometimes for a break, but most people seem to have so much trouble watching her. I think they just don't expect her to get hurt so often or to have such limitless energy and curiosity. She's also very claustrophobic and independent. And way too friendly with strangers. Hopefully as she gets older, it'll be easier to watch her.

Do any of you know of any good FREE videos for teaching children about safety? I'm going to get the one from livesecure.org, but any other suggestions would be very helpful.

P.S. Naomi loves Blue's Clues right now. I couldn't figure out for a while why she kept showing me paw prints and "flashing" her hands.


The headstand.

Loves to raise her hands on slides and swings.

Story time at PBK. (Tuesdays 10am)


Crying in the corner after she threw a huge tantrum because she didn't know if she wanted to go up or down the stairs with her soap. This landing is in the middle of the stairwell.

With Dorothy (Janean's youngest) at the playground. I love her puffy hand-me-down jacket.

incident #2:

I was not actually there for this one; a friend who lives in another state told me about it. Her car had broken down near her friend's house, where they were holding a bible study. She reluctantly asked two guys to push the car. These guys who'd never owned cars (mainland Chinese generally bike) didn't know about waiting till the car was in neutral or how to help turn a car, but eventually she got out and explained it. Grateful, she thanked them and let them head back. She decided to wait inside the car for AAA for her safety.

A police car pulled up, and the policeman rolled his window down. It was only slightly drizzling, but for whatever reason, he never got out of the car.
Cop: Is everything okay?
Friend: Yeah, can you help me jump my car?
Cop: Uh, no I don't have jumper cables.
Friend: Oh, that's okay, I have cables.
Cop: Um. I just helped someone else jump their car, so I think I'm low on juice.
Friend: Oh. Okay.
Cop: Well, if you run into any trouble, call 911. [rolls up window]

What a strange conversation. Not a very helpful policeman there. At least he stopped to check (unless he just stopped out of seeing a suspiciously parked and occupied vehicle). I guess it's kind of laughable now. And thank God her car broke down where and when it did.

incident #1:

We had our Chinese mom playdate today at the park. I'm sort of the tag-along . Usually I'm introduced as the one that speaks some Mandarin and is married to an American. Haha. Anyway, I witnessed something that has left me a bit shaken.

Eric, who is 3, was playing at the top of the slide when an older girl, probably 5 or 6, wanted him to get out of her way. I think she said something to him, and he hit her with a small plastic truck. I didn't see him hit her, but I heard it wasn't that hard. It was enough to make her very upset, though. The girl told her grandparents, and I am 99% sure I saw the grandfather come and strike Eric before pulling him down from the top of the slide with great force. There was so much anger in the man's face, even I was scared. Most people would call the cops if someone did that to their own child, let alone someone else's. And I was just about to, but everyone else there only saw the elderly man pull Eric down forcefully and chalked it up to him not knowing Eric's age.

The couple (the girl's grandparents) was Eastern European, I believe, and there was another woman (Mrs. X) there who spoke their language and was translating. When I stated that I saw him strike Eric on the arm, that woman was very adamant that she saw the whole thing and I was wrong. She said he had pulled the toy away from the child, and that's what I saw, but the swinging motion of an arm pulling something away versus hitting something is completely different. I know what I believe I saw, but I did have to face the fact that she would definitely be a "stronger" witness and I couldn't be 100% sure. Eric's mom approached the grandparents and told them that using that much force on a 3-year-old, when they simply could have come and spoken to her, was way out of line. The couple was extremely defensive and would not apologize. In the end, we decided not to call the police. We had our say, and we decided to forgive them. Eric had moved on and was smiling and laughing, so it was probably best not to remind him of it.

If they weren't the same nationality, and if it had happened to Mrs. X's own son, would she have been so ready to defend them? They seemed to all be sticking around for a while. After our picnic, I had to leave for another appointment, and then one of the kids threw up, so we sort of let it go at that.

I really had to think about it. What if it were Naomi (she is a hitter herself, which is why I have to watch her so closely)? I'm usually the type to let things go, but when it's such a young child...I think I would've called the police at least to help them understand that it is illegal to do what they did, if I knew for sure. But I also want to teach my children to forgive and not to dwell on their fears or hurt.

my favorite color:

Wow, Hello Kitty in purple! I love it! Aren't I getting too old to be fascinated by this (or to receive Sanrio newsletters)? Nah.

and it's only 10:00 a.m.:

Jack is back! It's probably not the full experience, being that we watch it with the sound down and closed captioning on. Of course, I spend most of the show distracting Naomi from the TV, so Manny has to summarize and fill me in every so often. And the VCR's running in case we miss something crucial to the plot if the little one decides to wreak havoc. But, yeah, the premiere did not disappoint. It's always good as long as you brace yourself for the violence and understand that one man will continually accomplish the impossible by doing ugly things. Boy, this poor traumatized man with the peeling hands still has to save the world a dozen more times after he just got off the plane, after almost two years of torture...

hilarious best week ever take on 24 [via 6].

aren't we like this sometimes?:

When presented with dessert last night, Naomi clasped her hands, bowed her head (on her own) and said, "Mine, mine, mine. Amen." haha!

Not much selection for MLK Jr.'s Birthday in the avatars, so just the sweatshirt there that says, "Keep the Dream Alive."

one:

Naomi has been waking up every hour or two at night since we returned from our visit to SoCal. I don't know if it's the weather, teething, or something else. At 4am Saturday morning, I was fervently praying for some REM sleep so I could function for the drive to a church brunch the next morning, and the prayer was answered. I was so thankful that I could make it. I brought Scottsdale potatoes (a hash brown casserole).

At the brunch, we sang, talked, and listened to a couple ladies' testimonies. It was encouraging and amazing. The first person was someone who more or less saw herself as a "good person" with no real need for Christ. She became a Christian and then experienced the hardest trials of her life. Her relationship with Christ helped her through it. The second woman, on the other hand, had a horrific childhood, did everything you could name, and didn't feel good enough for God. She experienced a completely new life with great blessings after she became a Christian. I'm really summarizing here, but it's incredible to see two people so different coming to one result. It reminds me of God's grace in how someone with my background and past could be so accepted and loved by my husband, who came from a stable and loving upbringing.

This also brings to mind the fact that two people could sit in church together and serve in identical ministries and one of them could just be a Christian in name. I know I was like that. I attended bible studies, called myself a Christian, but had no real relationship with Christ. People around me couldn't tell, but God and I knew what was in my heart. You could have a preacher that isn't even truly Christian but a former heroin addict who is. It really is about the heart. This was a major part of the sermon today as well. God not only shows us how we need to change, He makes the changes as well. I know some people think I'm crazy to believe. I can only tell you that I was very much against it myself and somehow I was transformed irreversibly.

I watched the men passing out the communion elements (crackers and juice)--one was a Chinese pediatrician, another a Ukrainian-Argentinian immigrant, another a Jew who grew up in a stable Christian home, and one who was formerly incarcerated. And we're all in one place worshipping together. It's truly amazing grace.

By the way, when we went to pick Naomi up from the toddler class, we looked through the window to find all the kids sitting at the table doing the craft except Naomi, who was screaming and running in circles around them. When we opened the door, she darted out with her hands raised, screaming some more (freedom!). I ran after her and said, "You're not even going to thank them, huh?" and she turned around and said, "Bye-bye!" and resumed her running.

what "they" don't teach us:

The other day I found an old notebook from an engineering class. I thumbed through it and recalled how much I enjoyed eigenvectors and Laplace transforms--they were among the less difficult of the mathematical concepts in my engineering classes. None of that really helped me in the post-college world, with the exception of teaching me how to learn and live on just a couple hours sleep. And to see God's amazing design in these details.

While topics of subjects such as history and science are often beneficial, and perhaps critical, to our understanding of the world around us, there really wasn't a lot taught to us to help us manage our lives. Using our own logic and good intentions, we strive for the best, but without skillful living (wisdom), we can end up in dire straits. With our degrees in hand, we join up with the rat race.

There was a recent article about cold remedies being dangerous to infants and toddlers. If I weren't so sensitive to medicine myself, perhaps I would be the well-meaning parent who'd inadvertantly given too much to their baby. We put so much trust in our doctors, but remember that they're human. We went to school with them! They are following ever-changing guidelines and opinions and educated guesses themselves. Yet they certainly seem to know more than we do. Whom do we trust?

Likewise, I think bad debt can also come from good intentions (or ignorance or greed). If it weren't for biblical passages on this topic, I would have little to no instruction regarding managing money. In Economics, I learned about mathematical trends, formulas, and stocks, but very little about personal budgeting and APR's and reading fine print.

So who was supposed to teach this to us? Our parents? Public schools? (Don't say Oprah!) Maybe this country is lawsuit-happy because we feel someone is to blame. It seems like we stumble through life picking up whatever lessons we can along the way. This makes me thankful that our walk is not aimless, and that we may have God's guidance through it.

lady in the water:

I guess it all comes down to expectations. Despite all the bad reviews and poor box office showing, I thought The Lady in the Water was my favorite of all the M. Night Shyamalan films, or at least tied with The Sixth Sense. I went in knowing it wouldn't be a suspenseful thriller, and I just really enjoyed the story for what it was: a fairy tale. There were no A-list actors, but that is actually probably the whole point, that these "second-class" citizens (perhaps not all U.S. citizens) could find their purpose in...well, don't want to ruin the movie for those who haven't seen it. It's not a blockbuster, doesn't have a huge twist (read: gimmick)--it's just what it is, an entertaining story. 'Heroes' and 'My Wife & Kids' fans will like the fact that Noah Gray-Cabey is in it. Actually, there are a lot of minority actors. Paul Giamatti is excellent in it and there are great elements of fantasy, humor, and commentary on the lack of originality in today's writing. There were a couple plotholes, maybe, but I was pleasantly surprised. Update: I forgot to mention that I liked the camera angles, how people were up-close or had their backs turned and you had the sense you were there with them.

wishlist:

I added my Amazon wishlist to the sidebar. My birthday is about a month away. I wondered if it would be lame to ask for these things (not that I ever thought any of you with wishlists were lame, just that I don't have that many readers as it is). These are things I really want but don't need. We could buy any of these items, but I'd like to use that money elsewhere. I think a number of these items would help me organize and manage our home a little better (so I guess that Millenium Falcon Transformer can wait). If you have a desire to help us out, or just to know me better through the wishlist, click away. :) Your support is immensely appreciated.

Oh, and another cute photo of N for the road:

Frying up an egg with a whisk at PBK.

papi!:

Our friend "Uncle" Chris stayed with us this weekend. I gotta tell ya--Naomi adores him to no end. While she said "Chris" (more like "Tiss") when coaxed, she still insisted on calling him "Papi" most of the time. That sort of came out of left field. But I like it when people come over who make Naomi forget we exist. She'll actually play with all her toys and act like she has never had any fun before.

Chris brought his Xbox 360. I only got to play Lego Star Wars for a few minutes. I had those med transcription remedial exercises to do. We went to the mall, where they had a Wii demo set up. We couldn't stop there with those lines, with Naomi needing her nap. I really miss video games, but they require time and attention I don't have. Someday, when I'm back to playing them, I'll probably miss the time I spent with Naomi. (In case you don't know me, I spent a majority of my spare time playing video games throughout most of my life, so this sounds petty, but it was quite a change for me).


Naomi likes to check on guests using the restroom. As in repeating "Knock-knock" and calling out to you until you're done.


Naomi was constantly nestling in Chris's lap.


The Wii demos.

Naomi setting the table at PBK.

catching up again:

Dec 30: Naomi and Papa went out in the morning for quality time together while I completed another remedial exercise for my medical transcription course. :P Pottery Barn Kids has great display areas for play. I'd like to check out their story time. We attended the Mills' Holiday Open House that night.

Dec 31: We reclaimed our living room. Our home was starting to resemble an amusement park with all her gifts, so we did some hiding and rearranging. My aunts and cousin stopped by before flying back to Taiwan. Oh right, I'm supposed to be teaching her Mandarin!

Jan 1: Happy New Year! Took the little one to Ikea for more free indoor fun. Her Christmas present from us was a fun Ikea rug ($14.99, yeah boyyy) to help declutter her play area.


Stanford Shopping Center. The backpack is a leash. Someone remarked, "Poor kid has to carry around her own diapers." Someone else told Manny that someday Naomi would get him a limo, just like his kids did. :)


Loves to cook (at Pottery Barn Kids).


At the Mills'.


It's a living room again! Except for the Elmo Toolbench, her favorite toy of the moment.


The rug.

thank-you note:

I received a beautiful pocket calendar with a handmade cover from mare. I'm once again amazed and inspired by her handiwork. There are so many reasons why this is the perfect gift:

1. I love to organize.
2. I can't get to a computer most of the time when I think of something I need to check or jot down in my calendar.
3. The blue-brown combo is one of my favorite color schemes.
4. I love presents with a personal touch to remind me of the giver.
5. It will remind me on a regular basis how much God has provided for me through others.

Thanks so much, mare, for your generosity!

lol videos:

Even though I only caught a little of this, it's still pretty funny to me, considering Naomi's age.

Naomi randomly breaks out in song at King Noodle:


This was from her Daddy-and-Me time (while I worked on my medical transcription stuff) Saturday morning:

photo time:

It's that time again.

Dec 2006 Part 2

Dec 2006 Part 1

dec 27 and 28:

Ok, wrapping it up here. I still call SoCal home and miss it sometimes. Sometimes we even think about moving back...we'll see where God leads. We had a great time down south, although I guess it's best we'reback to our regimen.

I was a lot more lax with Naomi while we were visiting the family. I hope that's not why she learned the word "mine" over the break. And she sure liked bossing the dogs around. She threw the worst tantrum yesterday when I asked her to say "please" for something. I'm talking almost one full hour of crying, jumping, screaming, and rolling around on the ground as well as pulling my hair and pinching me when I picked her up. I really wanted to give in, but I didn't. I'm pretty calm with her tantrums--months of colic training will do that for you, I guess. But afterwards, she was so well-behaved at lunch with my old coworkers and at the play area at the mall that I wondered if she got something out of her system that morning. I think the terrible twos are definitely here. More on that another time. I pray for wisdom for the year ahead. :)

A few more photos.


Picked up Grandma's bag to go out.


Helping Grandma with the potatoes.


She looks so grown now with her pigtails. More stone transferring.


Snow by the I-5. The snow actually caused the Grapevine to be closed down, so we opted to leave a day later.

dec 26:

I guess I can mention that Naomi had a nasty eczema flare-up in SoCal, all over her legs, arms, and face. We thought it might have resulted from oranges and tangerines, but she ate so many different foods, it's difficult to be sure. It's just that she flared up at both grandparents' houses and those were the only common foods. Also, Grandma Mona had orange allergies as a child. Good thing we had the Benadryl. And a Mexican cream that seemed to help.

We returned to have lunch with Manny's mom at the Macaroni Grill. I had a trio of lasagna, chicken, and cannenoli. I gained 5 lbs over the week of our visit. I ate as much as usual (which is a lot), but did not have my usual exercise of chasing after Naomi and also hardly ate any veggies, so I guess it made that much of a difference.


At Macaroni Grill. Yums.


Once we returned, Naomi immediately resumed her stone-transferring duties.


And dog-sitting duties.


Grandma put her hair up in pigtails, which we loved.


Naomi readily gave Grandma many kisses. And, yes, some treats were involved.