anaheim sunset condo:

If you or anyone you know is considering a Disneyland/Anaheim vacation, Sherie is advertising a beautiful, newly renovated condo for rent just 230 ft from Disneyland! See details and photos (scroll down for all photos) here. Naomi would be all over that bunk bed. The prices are reasonable, and there is a 25% discount for bookings for July and August. Check it out!

water baby:

We went to Boomerang Bay during the heatwave this past weekend. I was so preoccupied with getting sunscreen on Manny and Naomi that I forgot to reapply it on myself and totally got sunburned. It was fun otherwise. It's actually really comfortable for my big belly to be in the water.

Naomi loves the water. During the winter and the spring, I kept hearing, "Is it summer yet? Can we go swimming?" So here we are at summer. She could go swimming at other times if we put her in lessons, but we're holding off till later.


Naomi loves that mini water slide. That's her making the big splash.


The whole day, Naomi said, "This way, Papa!" I didn't want the camera to get wet, so this was as far as I went on the water playground.


Loves to paddle.


And try to float.

fw: aluminum foil:

A friend forwarded an email to me about how aluminum foil and saran wrap boxes have tabs that lock in the rolls to keep them from falling out. I know that's happened to me many times. Being skeptical even after seeing it confirmed on Snopes, I checked out my Reynold's Aluminum Foil 250 ft, which indeed had locking tabs on either side but no printed indication that they exist. Moving on to the cling wrap, Stretch-Tite (Costco), there was no lock, but the box design is sufficient. Lastly, I looked at Reynold's Parchment Paper, which is the one I have the most trouble with--unfortunately, no tab. Still, I'll be sure to use the tabs in the future.

one more month:

Eight months pregnant! Got to use the gorillapod at last.

This pregnancy totally flew by. I was too busy to daydream, but also it was just physically a lot easier this time, aside from the stronger pelvic pains (is that from aging?). I was nauseous almost all nine months with Naomi, and I had more discomfort, including Naomi's round-the-clock kicking (no surprise now). This pregnancy's been so straightforward, by the book. Nausea let up in the second trimester, baby mostly kicks at night, no infections, nothing unusual. Please let this mean the baby won't be as challenging. For all the adages that the more challenging the baby the more you'll mature, easy babies end up being harder later on, and easy babies are neglected babies...yeah yeah, been there, done that...I'll take the easy baby. Well, it'll be easiER anyway--I have a little more experience and discernment, fewer perfectionist expectations, and a promise of a little more patience and support from my husband. Plus, we're lining up a little help as well as I recover from the surgery. Naomi's also old enough to help now.

I am scheduled for another c-section July 21. From second and even third opinions, there's really no safe way I can do a VBAC with my physical issues (something with my pelvis and uterus). Delivery should be easier this time. It has to be, as long as the anesthesiologist reads my records. Last time it was torturous. Even though I'd warned them that my body rejects painkillers quite violently, how do they know what works until they try it? So anesthesiologists and nurses were trying to let my system clear, scrambling to find some cocktail that wouldn't make me convulse, consulting the pharmacists, and I'm lying there still strapped down in the corner of the room by myself staring up at the lights, praying and thinking, "Wow, this is what it feels like to get stabbed." I hadn't eaten in almost two full days either. Yeah, worse than when they had to continue removing my wisdom teeth without anesthesia. Manny tried to stay with me, but they needed him to go as Naomi had been left alone for a few hours already, and it was a particularly busy night in the neonatal unit. I think I've mentioned that there are times I deal with things better alone with God anyway.

I know natural birth is not a walk in the park either, but those drugs--sometimes I think one of them will be the end of me. But modern medicine still saved Naomi, so I'm more than willing to do it again. Plus no labor-induction drugs this time, no 26 hours of full-on labor, no emergency with the nurses rushing in, hearing the baby's heartbeat slowing down...I hope. All I pray for in the end is health, for the baby and for me. I kind of neglected me last time, but who's going to have to bounce back as quickly as possible to care for it?

It was 100 degrees today. I feel hot all the time lately, but wow. Even though it was a packed day with Naomi's preschool science class, Ranch 99, and another prenatal visit, at least I was mostly in air-conditioned space. I was exhausted by Naomi, though, who flip-flopped between extremes of superb angelic behavior and deliberate chaos. Sometimes I've put her on a backpack leash (and I get a lot of comments, but hey, a little embarrassment is worth not seeing her get run over by a car), but she's become so strong, I don't want to strain my body pulling her. I like going to Ranch 99 (why do we call it that when it's officially 99 Ranch?) but only usually do so for special occasions. I am making a black chicken soup for a friend's mother. It reminds me I'll be doing my own month-long Chinese recovery process once again (except I'm definitely washing my hair). Those chicken eyes--I hate the part where I have to yank off the head and neck. :P Man, what's with me and the gory details today? Oh well, prepping myself. :)

300-mile trip for chemo:

A friend of mine working for an NPO out in Cambodia sent this letter regarding a family she's very close to. If you're interested in helping (and I know you), please let me know.

Meet “Mom,” a 35-year-old mother of three, who lives in Kampong Cham, Cambodia. She, her husband, and 2 older sisters, manage a noodle soup restaurant on the outskirts of town. The family business brings in just enough money to support the basic needs of Mom and her 13 extended family members, all of whom live in a stilted wooden home attached to the restaurant.

Mom was content with the simple life that the business afforded her: she and her family had enough to eat and her daughters were in school. But, in February 2008, a visit to the doctor to investigate a pain in her chest brought news that changed her and her family's life – Mom had breast cancer.

Mom has since had a mastectomy and is now receiving monthly chemotherapy treatments. Her trips to the hospital are no walks in the park. She rides over 50 miles on the back of a motorbike to the Cambodia-Vietnam border. In Vietnam, she boards a bus that makes her carsick along a 100 mile journey to an area around Ho Chi Minh, where health care quality far exceeds that available in Cambodia. With the quality, though, comes a high price. Mom's medical bills total over $1,000 per month, and her cancer treatment is expected to last 10 months.

In a country where medical insurance is a foreign concept, and with the family business only bringing in enough money to cover basic needs, Mom and her family are struggling financially. Only five months into her treatment, her family has exhausted all of their savings and have plunged into debt. Mom has three daughters - Cheatra (age 17), Nika (12), and Dthin (2). Cheatra and Nika have not only been emotionally impacted by their mother's illness, but they are also on the verge of dropping out of school. Cheatra, in particular, foregos her high school classes to help out with housework and the family business, so her mother can rest.

happy father's day:

Just in time for Father's Day, Robb & Randi have a new addition to their family! The picture of adoption is so amazing. BTW, I loved (and lol'd at) the Lost onesies, Cynthia.

For Father's Day, we went to church (just starting the marriage series now and enjoying it) and then went to lunch at BJ's. Photos are on Manny's cell, so who knows when I'll get to posting them. I seem to forget the camera on important days. Guess there's too much else going on. Our church took a collection for China and Myanmar, and now there's the flooding in the midwest. There are always opportunities to give and pray for relief and not be so far removed (I'm plenty guilty of that). There is so much trouble going on with my side of the family right now--the same can be said there.

I couldn't come up with just the right words to say Happy Father's Day to Manny. I'm just very thankful he's Naomi's father. Someone I met through a friend, who only knew me through this blog, said that Manny seemed to be a very involved father. Well, in this current trend of seeking fairness and 50/50, and hearing from some friends, sometimes I get selfish or envious and want him to do diaper duty or help in other ways, but just recently I've really thought it over, and he's involved in just the right way--leading, providing, protecting, disciplining, loving, guiding, and being an example to our family. Oh, and taking out the diaper trash, because that's just nasty to me. :P That might go away soon, though--Naomi's doing very well now with the potty--just in time for the next one. :)

Our roles are the perfect design (we're just not perfect in it, but our perfect Father helps us). When I was in junior high, someone asked me what kind of guy I'd want to marry someday, and I said without hesitation, "Someone who would make a good father." That was definitely fulfilled. Happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there.

baby shower / bbq:

Saturday was A's long-awaited baby shower. The hostesses did an awesome job. It was packed, at least 30 women present. She's expecting a girl, so of course there was a lot of "awww"ing going on there with the cute clothes. Her family gave her various handmade knits, even the outfit she went home in as a newborn. I think that's so neat. I only took four photos--I was taking advantage of having adult conversation without trying to keep an eye on the little one. And one hostess asked me not to take a picture of her. :P

G alternately hosted a BBQ at a park for the male counterparts. Naomi ended up going with Manny, which he convinced me was the wisest thing to do. She played with an older friend, but then another older boy came, and she started self-talking and grumbling, probably feeling left out. At least she's still at an age where she's open to talking about it afterwards. Stubborness, jealousy, anger, overanalyzing (i.e., not thinking on what is true)--of course I've struggled with the same things as Naomi. And I'm not always willing to discuss and accept correction right away.


The onesies were a cute decoration idea. Food was splendid as usual.


New-mom-to-be opening the gifts.

P.S. Happy birthday to Larissa.

happy birthday g & a:

"Uncle G is so handsome!"--Naomi


Naomi joining in on blowing out the candles.

G. & A. came over our place Thursday for a game night. We also had an ice cream cake and gift to celebrate their back-to-back birthdays. They brought over Bohnanza. It was a little tough to keep Naomi away while still not completely excluding her. She's very sensitive about feeling left out (that's been my latest spiritual puzzle piece, even though I struggle with the same thing). It's fine to teach her not to interrupt at the appropriate times, but I also don't want to ostracize her all the time. So A. basically split her time and hands between our game and playing Hungry Hungry Hippo with Naomi. :)

packed weekend:

Last Saturday, we helped some friends move. Well, Manny and Jesse did. I just hung out with the kids and put things in boxes, which was still tiring for me (what isn't nowadays?). We probably got about four hours of sleep the night before. Sometimes I want to shoot that owl with a BB gun. :P I'm extremely happy that our friends were blessed with a home, especially one a little closer to us.

We saw Chris for a few hours that afternoon. Naomi got a second and third wind when she saw him. She was pretty exhausted Sunday when I woke her up. I taught my last Sunday school lesson for now, and Naomi held on really well in class. She started falling apart that afternoon, just in time for us to meet up with our friend for tea at Lovejoy's. T is a (really nice) friend of ours from grad school who now resides in Hawaii.

Naomi lost it during the tea. She spilled warm tea on herself and probably felt a bit claustrophobic. Manny and I took turns taking our screaming child out. Ah, just like old times. She finally fell asleep, not the norm for her in public places, and we got to have a very pleasant visit. The place is really eclectic and frilly (we counted only three male customers). Space is tight, and we were thankful to get in within 15 minutes without a reservation since it was booked two weeks out.

Naomi and I had another opportunity to exercise patience on Monday when we went to pick T up at the BART station half an hour away. It was delayed for almost an hour with mechanical problems. Our cell phone calls weren't going through either. It all worked out, and at least we got out to an open space. We bought sandwiches for a picnic and went to a park by a large lake. The playground got too hot, but Naomi just liked having a new friend around. When we dropped T off, Naomi said she wanted to get on the train and go home with Auntie T. I told her she lived far away in Hawaii. Naomi said she wanted to get on the plane and go see her. It might be years away.


She was happy at the start.


Then she was not so happy.


We ordered the High Tea for Two for the three and a half of us. We got mango tea and peppermint tea. Chicken and asparagus, chicken apple walnut, turkey and cucumber, and there was also supposed to be a artichoke and hummus sandwich, but the artichoke was nowhere to be found. The scones with double Devon cream were terrific.


"Push me higher! Higher, Auntie T!"


"Naomi, please don't chase the ducks." "Aw, they won't play with me!"

gilroy gardens / toys r us birthday:

We had a full weekend, but I'm still catching up, so here are some photos from two weeks ago and last week. Manny took Naomi to Gilroy Gardens while I did some homework and rested (pregnancy discomfort). We also finally did the birthday thing at Toys R Us. This year she got a free mylar balloon, free $3 purhcase (we paid tax), a free garbage truck (Naomi loves garbage trucks), and a crown and happy birthday sash. Fun trip, plus we got our baby shower shopping done at Babies R Us.


She's awesome.


Always enjoys her flying rides.


Wee!


Excited to be on the people-mover-like ride. Last year she wasn't tall enough.


Wow! Garbage truck! She's totally posing--what an actress. She says she wants to be a garbage man someday because she loves "to pick up garbage" ("no, not trash!").

my bro:

My brother graduated recently from community college after 17 years. This was a monumental achievement and took a lot of hard work and determination. Some of you know he is diagnosed with a mental disorder. His life story is pretty heartbreaking, and I believe God has purpose in all of it. We really wanted to be at the ceremony, but the doctor advised against distant travel in the last trimester, which has been a little rough. I encouraged my mom to go. My parents didn't attend any of my graduations, but I always had surrogate families to hang out with, like Cecille's or Manny's. My brother does not have anyone, so I was so glad my mom went. He said they released doves and had fireworks. It must have been surreal. It is possible that his case worker has found employment for him, and this will be the first time he'd be out on his own, let alone employed and having a schedule. Since I left home, I've always encouraged him to get out of that situation, press on, look at everything with hope. It's not selfish to leave an environment that presents physical or emotional harm, especially if you've done all you can to change the situation. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

photo time:

May 2008 Photos - E&L's Wedding, Great America, Cassidy's Bday, Linda Mar Beach, Junior Museum & Zoo

I finally uploaded the rest of the birthday and Disneyland photos. Then I just picked a fraction (still more than 100 photos) for the web.

Apr 2008 - Disneyland/CA Adventure

Apr 2008 - Naomi's parties

If you don't want to surf through a ton of photos, here's a sample of the ones Dolly and Denny took.






Having fun on the giant Sun Wheel.


Going fast in the teacups.




Naomi being silly.

naomi in the garden and on the computer:

I forget what she was planting here already. It was some vegetable.


Her favorite part--watering.


Checking out the corn.


The pansies they planted the first week are thriving.


The wall fountain at the memorial garden outside my doctor's office.


Very peaceful, but we had to leave once Naomi started throwing rocks.

Naomi's gardening class came to a close. It wasn't as consistently organized as her other classes, so we probably won't return, but I liked the foundation it gave her. Of course, she learned a lot of it already from playing online gardening games, but it's nice to see it in real life. I'm probably the only person that trusts her 3-year-old (and really, starting when she was 2) with the laptop. She opens up IE, goes to the bookmark she wants, and just plays the games on her own with very little instruction. Since she's not huge on TV, this works out well for me, and it's interactive and educational. She also loves to play the Leapster L-Max her Aunt Dolly got her (the next child(ren) will probably never have it this good). She especially loves this Numbers on the Run game where you have to count and write a lot. I totally underestimated her once again. I told her "15" was too hard to write, and I should help her, but she tried and tried and proudly surprised me and Manny with it.

Naomi has to accompany me to my biweekly obgyn visits. Manny used to watch her because of the blood tests and other things, so the first time it was just her and me, she said, "Mami, Papi takes me outside to the garden. Papi buys me milk from downstairs. Papi...." Haha, guess they had a routine going.

lost finale:

I've changed my mind so many times about the characters on this show. When the Tailies and Others showed up, I was disappointed that there wasn't more focus on the main characters. Now I like watching the Freighter folks and Ben in action and have grown a little tired of Jack and Kate. I love the Penny and Desmond story, and I'm totally not a romantic person. I'm bummed they offed Rousseau--she was much more awesome than Juliet who gets/got way more screen time (well, so far, who knows when I'll change my mind again).

*spoilers ahead if you didn't catch it* I really enjoyed the finale except for Michael's demise (the actor confirmed that he is dead--no word on Jin's fate, though). I guess I held out hope from the start that he and Walt would have a triumphant reconciliation. From the moment they had him shoot Ana Lucia and Libby, I felt they really wasted his character.

Otherwise, I thought the finale was spot on with a few twists and not too many answers or new questions. I had a lot more thoughts, but for some reason I just have the image of that poor guy getting the grenade kicked to him. I couldn't help laughing--terrible, especially since I can't handle much violence. I hope they get back to the island before Locke's corpse becomes really nasty as well.