roll out:

Chris visited us against this weekend. Manny watched Naomi so I could see Transformers. It's only the second movie I've seen on the bigscreen since Naomi was born (Star Wars was the first). I loved the Transformers cartoon, and also G.I. Joe and Superfriends, as a tomboy kid.

I think taking a break from action films made the movie that much better for me. The script wasn't fabulous, and a lot of the side (human) characters were unnecessary, but those robots in action...wow. It's 2 hours and 23 minutes, but it didn't feel that long. I won't spoil it, but there were a few goofs, even at the end. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but it is PG-13 (the girl next to us asked an adult what m__turbating meant). I loved the famous lines they used from the cartoon, but I wish I could've heard the original theme song. I can't believe I almost cried for Bumblebee! And I almost had a robot crush on Optimus Prime! Why am I admitting that to you?

I saw the 1-18-08 trailer, too, and I guess it was already over-hyped for me. But it is J.J. Abrams, and in true Abrams fashion, he's turning us all into cybersleuths. I heard all the characters already have myspace pages up.

Naomi always loves it when Uncle Chris visits. She only wants to hold his hand and sit by him. Manny and I become chopped liver. Haha. She kept waking up at night this weekend, maybe because she was too excited. But now I'm so tired.


Playing ball with Chris.


She eats so well at Fresh Choice. Good thing she's still free, plus there's the AAA discount.

preparing for takeoff:

Last night we went out to eat with the community group, and a couple people mentioned stuff from this blog. Anytime that happens, I feel kind of awkward. I forget people I will actually run into are reading this. I feel like I've wasted their time, and that they've read more than I would normally mention to someone in person. Haha. But it doesn't change much.

So now I'm finally thinking about the upcoming trip to my in-laws' home in 2 weeks. I read the news about the TSA memos saying there were te_rrorist dry runs recently. It's just to be aware, but we're still going. I also just finally read up on the carry-on items (most fluids/gels/creams 3 oz or less, 1 one-quart Ziploc bag). I think for convenience, I'll just be leaving a lot of stuff behind. It makes packing easier, I guess. It's kind of unsettling that I can't bring my new UVA/UVB sunblock while the person next to me can bring a 6-inch screwdriver. But I understand. I still remember when Ray got us an awesome cleaver for our wedding in Feb 2000 and had to get it on the plane.

I definitely am bringing a string of cheerios, some new toys/books, and ziploc of disinfectant wipes as suggested by you, but the DVD player is still up for debate. Will it be more trouble than it's worth for a 1.5-hour flight? And I think I'm going to go buy a cheapy umbrella stroller. Is that an accepted carry-on? I'm trying to avoid checking in any luggage. I probably sound more worried than I am; it really is a short flight. I just have a couple busy weeks coming up and wanted to start thinking about what I need. Plus I can't wait to go, even though we'll really miss Manny.

naomi, 2 years 3 months:

Personality: I've gone from recording Naomi's firsts to more of her favorites. Her favorite color is yellow. Her current favorite games involve pretending--pretending to be a cook, construction worker, cat, dog, or firefighter. Sometimes the firefighter rescues the cat, and sometimes the cat rescues the firefighter. She is still a night owl and very, very active. Friday night Larissa came over, and Naomi went to sleep at 1:30 a.m. after much struggling, only to wake up at 7:30 a.m., ready to play again. :P I love that she can talk more and more now. And what a ham, always telling me to take a picture of her! Everyday she does or says something to crack us up. And there are some tough times, too.


Naomi set this photo up, Minnie's arm on Elmo and all, and told me to take a picture. Ham I am.

Discipline: She's in her terrible twos, but that term is more about knowing what to expect than excusing bad behavior. Before she punches or kicks me, she gets in this strange matador/kung-fu stance with one arm raised and the other wrapped around her waist. It's so hard not to laugh at that. Sometimes I turn away to laugh, and then turn back to correct her. She requires a lot of discipline. She even gives herself time-outs sometimes. We are trying to talk more about her feelings as well. Sometimes I know it seems unfair that she seems to be the only one getting disciplined in a two-way fight. Often the parents aren't paying attention and only catch Naomi hitting their child. That doesn't make it right for Naomi to fight, but I do try to tell her that it was also wrong for the other child to have pushed her or whatever he or she had done. Nevertheless, she has to eventually learn to be responsible for her own actions.

Assertiveness: I know most people wouldn't believe she's like this. Naomi is actually very sweet and agreeable for the most part, but she definitely is at the age of asserting her independence. The other night I told her to go to sleep, and she folded her arms and replied, "No, Mimi's the boss!" We discussed it, and she conceded that Mami and Papi are the bosses God gave her and went to sleep. :/

Vegetarian?: Naomi is still only 23.5 lbs, which is what a lot of 1-year-olds weigh. She is sort of a fruitarian/vegetarian. At the DDR party she picked the veggies off the pizza to eat. Sometimes I feed her fruits and veggies last just to get her to eat protein first (but I definitely prefer this over the alternative). Good thing she likes fish, tofu, and hard-boiled eggs every now and then.

Cavity: She has a small but growing cavity on one of her front teeth. She often refuses milk, and she did have reflux. I brush her teeth twice a day and wipe her teeth after she's had sweets, which isn't very often. I still feel guilty about it, though. Especially because I really don't want to put her under to fix her teeth unless absolutely necessary. I don't want to find out the hard way she's inherited my problems with anesthesia. I'll see what the dentist says after I return from our SoCal trip.


She gave me a plate with a donut, ice cream, and chicken, and this is what she put on hers: a carrot, corn, peas, rice, and oh, of course, chocolate.

weekend:

Friday - Larissa stayed with us. Visit was short but sweet.
Saturday - Great America. We were so tired, but just to see Naomi smile...
Sunday - DDR Party at Damien & Janean's. I miss playing DDR at home.


Having breakfast with Larissa. I just missed Naomi's big smile!


Meet the Nicktoons.


Naomi on Manny's shoulders.


Big hug from Chucky. Naomi has no clue who he is, but he's nice!


With Olivia, who's usually scared of Naomi, after church. They look a bit alike. Olivia is 1/4 Japanese.

Tammy Faye Messner died on Friday. It was sad to see how frail she'd become from cancer. May she not only rest in peace, but live in peace eternally with God.

so you think he looks like...

Thought I'd do something different for a post. People almost always look familiar to me. Even though I haven't watched as much of SYTYCD as I thought I would, whenever I watch it, I get deja vu. Of the remaining contestants, here are some of their celeb look-a-likes to me. Helps that Dante and Nia were dancers as well. I promised myself not to spend more than 45 minutes on this, so here are the ones I did in that time:


Danny and Off-the-Wall-era MJ--who didn't see this one coming?


Cedric and Dante Basco (from The Debut, Take the Lead, commercials)


Dominic and John Leguizamo (Vegetable Man on Sesame Street, among other things)


Lacey and Lisa Marie (most famous as a daughter and ex-wife, I guess)


Kameron and Merry Charlie Dominic Monaghan


Sara and Nia Peeples (anyone remember her from Fame? Trouble?)


Pasha and young Val Kilmer (Top Gun, The Saint, Batman)


Shauna and Kelli Pickler from her days on American Idol

Got a feeling this post is going to attract the webcrawlers...

food post:

Summer Express: 101 Recipes Ready in Less Than 10 Minutes

The article pretty much reflects how I, and probably many of you, cook now (minus the seafood), but it's so great to have one place with all these light and simple recipes. This week there was a huge sale on London broil, so we've had a beef week--burritos, steak, lo mein--except for a teriyaki salmon break in between. :) We rarely eat red meat, especially because Naomi can only eat it ground.

Manny got this cool gift from a co-worker. They're molds that shape your hard-boiled eggs into various animals. Last night he made Naomi a fish-shaped egg. Granted the little one loves hard-boiled eggs anyway, but she enjoyed them.



Naomi fooling around. I usually don't like her to play with her food, but sometimes I can't help laughing. She just had a bath--it's weird how long her hair is without the curls.

weekend thoughts:

Since Manny had to work so much the past couple weeks, I was really looking forward to this past weekend. And we even had our first evening out without Naomi. Yes, it took over 2 years. :) My emotions ran the gamut this weekend (maybe it's hormones).

Saturday after our usual morning and midday outing, we returned to see some people apparently clearing out our neighbor's home (he did pass away). Another neighbor was playing "Yesterday" on the piano during this while I was watching the second half of The Painted Veil. Yeah, waterworks for me.

Then we headed out to Damien & Janean's for a barbecue dinner and some fun with their family. DDR was fun, but it's hard to keep Naomi off the pads. Manny and I both ended up holding her while playing. :)

On Sunday, I was in to teach the toddlers. Naomi received four time-outs from me for disobeying, but she was pretty good about staying put. I was really frustrated at someone, an adult, that day. I mean I was so angry that Naomi said "Mommy stop talk" on the drive home because I started venting on Manny. I won't say what it was about, because you wouldn't have that person's point of view. Even if I was right, it was wrong for me to be so mad about it. I was able to forgive after Manny offered a couple words of wisdom. :)

We had Japanese for lunch, which Naomi really seems to like. She had miso soup and some of my agedashi tofu and tempura. She's had soba, udon, California rolls, teriyaki, and more and has liked it all except for the seaweed--that's where she's more like Manny. We also took her nextdoor to the pet store. She shouted out "Nemo!" and "Dory!" at the clown fish and blue damsels.

Greg & Ana's wedding. At last! Yes, the decor was beautiful, the bride looked gorgeous, and the food was outstanding, but to think of the journey they took to get to this point of grace just made it that much more special. We are so so happy for them. I loved the wasabi green/mango tropical theme, and how the groom wore traditional Filipino attire (he's white). In lieu of disposable cameras, they had a station set up where guests could upload our digital camera photos to share with them. I thought that was cool. We were seated with good friends that were also parents out on a date, but of course all we did was miss and talk about our kids. I wanted to stay a little longer, but I think Manny felt it was time to rescue the babysitters. :)

When Manny's aunt, uncle, and cousin arrived, Naomi said, "Baby Doll (family nickname for the aunt) take Mimi bye-bye to Chuck E. Cheese!" Yeah, it's amazing how clearly she says Chuck E. Cheese. :/ And take her there they did, along with In&Out and McDonald's! She and cousin Francesca scored 300 tickets at CEC and got a cool flashing wand. I don't remember when I was 2, but I'm sure life wasn't like this. :) Naomi later told me that Francesca told her she couldn't touch Chuck E. Cheese (the robot), and that it made her sad. I explained it was to keep her safe. Then she told me that Francesca took her to the potty. It's interesting once kids can talk even a little...Okay, I admit I asked if she got hurt and she said no. It would've been okay if she did, but I was too curious.

All in all, it was a lovely, bittersweet weekend. I'm posting fewer photos now to save space, but they'll be posted in the monthly albums if you're interested.


At Damien & Janean's.


*thumbs up* to the Japanese food.


Our table with the bride and groom. Don't you love it when you don't know which camera to look at? LOL


A nice photo someone else took. Look at James, Ana's bro, all smiles in the back.

fear and protection:

A 4-year-old boy drowned yesterday at a wave pool in the same water park we went to several weeks ago. He drowned in just 2 feet of water. It was so tragic--my heart really went out to the family. There is no age limit and no life-vest requirement for the wave pool, but they did have 6 lifeguards on duty. I think they depend on the parents and guardians to supervise the children. It's more like a beach than a pool in that respect. The park will probably have to have stricter regulations now, or at least encourage the use of life vests. I keep imagining the mother dealing with this; it's so sad.

I was surprised when Manny thought Naomi wouldn't need a life jacket, at first, as long as he was with her. Right after he said this, she dove right in the water and went under. So he put one on her. :) I know I'm a worrywart when it comes to her safety, but Naomi is too fearless for me not to worry. You let your guard down for a few minutes, and she's already in trouble. I was foolish like that as a kid--I injured myself sliding on banana peels, sliding down poles head first, walking into the street blindfolded (on a dare), and the list goes on and on. And just like Naomi, I often hid my injuries from my parents just so I could go out and do crazy things again. I was a prankster/experimenter as well. I once stuck about 30 toothpicks in my brother's pillow, and I probably only remember it because I got in trouble big-time for that one. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him. (Prov 22:15).

AND YET I will be flying out with Naomi in a few weeks and not buying a safety seat for her. The carseat we have isn't approved for aircraft. The flight is about an hour and fifteen minutes, and it would be so cumbersome to carry a seat while keeping my hands free for Naomi and the luggage and stroller. So, yes, unless it were against the rules, I will probably opt to bring some form of entertainment for her over purchasing and bringing a seat. What do you think about that? Any advice for the mom traveling alone?

visit turned playdate:

I remember when Naomi was just born--I wanted to introduce her to everyone, but it was so exhausting, and I could barely stay awake for a conversation. Actually I was like that the whole first year, but anyway... Josiah's parents, on the other hand, welcome anyone in their home and host them tirelessly. We got to meet Josiah's little sister Sofia. I admit that it's been bittersweet meeting and holding all these new little ones...I'm so happy for the parents, though!

Naomi and Josiah just have a ball together! They've been asking for each other for the past couple weeks, so it was a sweet reunion for all of us to see. At one point Josiah pushed Naomi's face (trying to adjust her goggles) which made her cry the saddest cry. He said, "Sorry, Naomi." She was crushed and went to the other room and sat down. He went over to her, sat next to her to comfort her, and apologized again. When Naomi didn't reciprocate, he fell over and buried his face and cried. It was so sad but cute to see. Then I told her she could forgive and his mom said they could be friends, so they went back to being good buddies. :)


"Cheese!" and crackers.


Swim-goggle sunglasses.


"Cheers!"


"Dora!" Naomi lasted 15 minutes in front of the TV, which is pretty long for her. They climbed into the chair together and made room for each other. *melts*

good times:

The Coastside Community Group hosted our group yesterday for a fantastic barbecue lunch. It's not all about the food, but the food sure was good! It's interesting how the demographics are different in our geographic regions. A number of their members (some grandparents) are older than ours (mostly young professionals and new parents). It was a nice mix. They wanted to hear about all our special events, but we could learn a lot from them as well. We could probably benefit from a constant older, wiser presence in our community group, but it's also good that we're at a similar stage in life. For instance, it's actually kind of nice for people not to be so shocked by Manny's work hours. ;)

Also this weekend, we shopped at Whole Foods for the first time because I had to get some probiotics there that my friend/doctor recommended. I think I'm in love. I felt like buying up the store, but it is more expensive than shopping at Safeway with its club prices. Manny said if he were single, he'd be there buying their prepared foods all the time. And they have mini shopping carts for kids. Naomi went crazy. I forgot the camera again.


Congregating outside.


I first had M.'s BBQ 9 years ago. It never disappoints.


Naomi and J. with D.&M.'s dog Peanut.

how we deal / thank you:

At Thursday's community group, the topic for discussion was our integrity and speech. I know I struggle with speech everyday. I talk too much about seemingly frivolous things and don't say enough when I should. And then I can hardly ever seem to find the right words when I do speak. Then I interrupt or ramble on without getting what I want to say across. My foot really should just permanently be attached to my mouth. :) I have learned a lot over the years, especially from friends that cared enough to admonish. I appreciate that about fellowship and marriage.

On a related note, I want to say I appreciate all of you who wrote a message or simply thought about us through our trial. The sadness comes in small waves now. I don't wear that emotion on my sleeve, though. Despite my openness in this blog, I'm a lot less emotional in person. Talking a lot actually helps me bottle up my emotions sometimes. I cry a lot at the news, or when I see others cry...when I'm by myself. I think in public, and in person, there's just too much on my mind, which never seems to cease in its wandering... But I do want to express my gratitude here. I am really touched by how people have reached out to us in your own special way. Thanks.

fourth of july:

On July 4, we went to the All-City picnic. We bumped into friends there, which was nice, but our kids wanted to go in two separate directions, so our visit was a bit short-lived. Naomi wore a 4th of July headband and white dress Grandma bought her (the next day she received a bunch more clothes in the mail). :) The fireworks sounded great, but we were satisfied with the previous evening.


Corn on the cob.


Loves to feed animals.


Another fantastic childhood experience--a bunny in the lap.


Naomi on the motorcycle with Officer "Ah-po" (as in Guapo, because dude was pretty good-looking). I have a better polaroid they took but haven't scanned it.


The only smiley picture I got. She's saying "Seeee-yaaa!" to me.

photo time:

June Part 1

June Part 2

alternative medicine:

I recently had a consultation with a friend from church who is a nutritionist and functional medicine specialist. It might not be covered by insurance, but we're putting aside the money for it. As Manny's coworker said, we don't spend enough on our health. Well, at least we don't spend enough on preventive measures, I think. My ob/gyn said it's not considered a problem till the third miscarriage, and I just didn't like the sound of that. We want to see if there's something we can do. I've always thought I had hormone imbalances but never got checked.

It's probably best to research it, but functional medicine basically tries to limit what they consider unnecessary and unnatural medical intervention. A poor and toxic diet, antibiotics and drugs in general, mercury fillings, tonsillectomies, vaccinations, and pollutants are among the items on their bad list. Free-range foods, breastfeeding, and natural supplements are part of their good list. I'm starting to see more and more support for this in standard health care, and some of it is almost common sense.

Before I became a mom, I was pretty skeptical about holistic/homeopathic remedies, even though a number of people I knew had success in managing disease where everything else failed. Plus Chinese medicine is largely holistic. But now even trying a few of the suggestions from doctors and big supporters of functional medicine, I see results. But we take it with a grain of salt--we're not against all vaccinations or medical intervention. We just want to do what we can to hopefully sustain a healthy pregnancy the next time around. Plus feeling better for managing the home and my studies wouldn't hurt. :)

fireworks:

We went to Stanford to watch fireworks on Tuesday. Naomi really enjoyed it, even though it was late (we arrived at 8:15 and the fireworks started at about 9:45 or so). It's not the best fireworks show ever, but the atmosphere is fantastic. It was a long drive home, but Naomi just reminisced the entire way: "Up, up, up, booom!"


My handsome and blurry husband. :)


Datsa a tasty meatball!


Family photo.


Me and Naomi. I didn't have time to put on make-up, sorry.


Naomi with her glow jewelry and flower. I always wanted one of these glowy things as a kid. When Manny and I got engaged, he bought me a glow rose. That made up for it. :)


Fireworks over Stanford. Naomi said, "Up-up-up, booooom!" And "Uh-oh" when she saw a plane appear to fly too closely to them.


We forgot the tripod, but the new camera has a fireworks setting which is still pretty good. :)

clifford and chris:

Chris came by this weekend. Naomi couldn't contain herself when he showed up, and she just ran around in circles screaming in glee. She adores him to no end. He was a good sport going with us to the Children's Discovery Museum. Naomi had way too much fun there. Those are the times I want to buy a membership on impulse, but I realize she can have a blast anywhere. She's like me and Manny--as long as it's something new, it's fun. She was so excited with all the dinners gracious friends brought over. I'm glad Chris was here to help us eat it all.


Chris and Naomi enjoying lots of food that friends provided for us.


Down the Clifford slide.


Lots of long hugs for Clifford.


Making pizza for us.


Balls and water, a winning combo. I tried to teach her to say "vortex," but I don't think she got it. :)


In the tree in the Wonder Cabintet. I only posted it because Naomi likes to look at this photo (and make me draw it for her at home).