Put into Perspective

Welcome to the world, Danielle!

Welcome to the world, Danielle!  It has been a long hard pregnancy with you, but we are happy to welcome you to our family and to our little world.  Your brother and sister are super excited to have you join them and cannot wait to play with you.  

A few things about you:

• Your birth was one of the hardest and happiest days of my life.  You were a couple days past your due date, and since your big sister came quickly, we figured you would too.  Unfortunately, that did not happen and Mommy made the huge mistake of trying to give birth naturally. Alas, 8lb 7oz babies are not easy to come into the world.  But you are a cutie so it was worth it.  
• You are one sleepy baby! Since you were born, you have been so sleepy, and you only open one eye to see what is going on and go back to sleep. We like the pirate look, but we would love to see you pretty eyes more often.  
• You look just like your brother and sister when you were born. You have their identical expressions and features. I wonder if you will also have similar personality traits.  
• We wish you did not have your nights and days mixed up.  Daddy and I have not slept in over 4 days because you are up all night and sleep all day. Good thing we are night owls, but still, we hope you will switch over soon because we are tired. 
• Your brother and sister are your biggest fans.  They are always asking to hold you and play with you.  We are happy they love you so much.  

We look forward to learning more about you soon!  

Love, Mom and Dad

Baby Number 3!

 

It has been awhile since I have been here posting.  Mostly because of the big news - we are having baby number 3.  The first few months were pretty bad, so I have been playing catch up again.  Here is a peek into the world of our little girl.  Jonathan is super excited he will have another little sister, but Bethany is a bit ambivalent.  She keeps saying "But I am the little sister!"  She does not understand that when we call her "maymay (little sister)" it is generic.  She has been stressed out that there is another one since she does not want to be displaced. Poor little one. Baby number 3 will be here in October. So hopefully the house renovations will be done around that time...  crossing our fingers. 

I am 2 years old!

Time has been flying!   I am now two (count em - 2) years old.  I have had a wonderful couple of years so I wanted to catch everyone up to date.

• I am 33 lbs and have been wearing 3T clothes for the past 4 months.  I am a tall little girl at nearly 3 ft!  They say that you will be 2x the height you were at 2, so that means I will be 6 ft tall, right? 
• My favorite person in the world is my brother Jonathan.  I am his biggest fan.  But when he steals my toys, I scratch him.  We are both best friends and worst enemies.  But we love to play together.
• I love Mommy's new iphone.  I learned to use it so I can watch videos of myself singing songs.  I ask her to see it everyday when she comes home from work.
• I love Grandpa (gong gong).  I ask to talk to him all the time.  I wish he lived closer to us because it is way too far away to go to Dallas.   We pray for him every night because he is sick with cancer.
• I love watching Chopped, but not Iron Chef.  I like to say "Yucky Iron Chef, let's see Chopped!" 
• I get sick a lot lot, so Mommy and Daddy worry about me.  I had croup 4x, viral pneumonia, tonsilitis twice, a double ear inflection, and the stomach flu at least 3x in the past year.  The doctor said I am fine, but I just need to stay away from germy kids for awhile.  When I am sick, I cough and throw up a lot.  It is messy and my stuffed animals will never be the same.
• I have a menagerie that I sleep with.  There are my favorites - Baby Bear (from Auntie Susan), Rabbit (from Uncle Stuart), Panda (from Auntie Caroline via big bro), Pooh Bear (from Auntie Mary Ann via big bro) and many more.  I need them to sleep in my arms or I cannot fall alseep.  Heaven forbid one of them go missing.  Mommy and Daddy spend a lot of time looking for them since I lose them a lot.  One time they found them in a cooking pot behind the washing machine.  I thought I would never see Baby Bear again.
• I suddenly started speaking only English.  I used to only speak Chinese, but now I switched.  It makes Mommy and Daddy crazy!
• I played a funny trick on Daddy the other day.  I will show you pictures of it next month when Mommy downloads the photos. 
• I love our new house.  It is big and there is a big backyard we get to play in. 
• I sleep with 3 blankets just like Mommy!  I like them in a certain order with the paterns facing out.  And I like them tucked in mummy style.
• I love Chinese songs. I know a lot of them though I sort of make up the words because they are hard to understand.  You should listen to me sing them sometime.  Youtube video anyone?

That is it for this month!  See you all soon when I will be back with more toddler adventures!

Blessings in the midst of cancer

 

In September, we got a call from my father that there was a shadow on his chest x-ray.  I thought back to when Bethany was born, and he came to help out with her.  He had coughed and coughed all night when he was here.  He thought it was an allergy to black pepper.  When he called, I remember thinking, why didn't I make him go see a doctor sooner?  She was 20 months old already.  He had sat up with her all night rocking her when she could not sleep.  Would he not be able to watch her grow up? 

We found out a week later it was Stage IV lung cancer.  We are not sure of the cause since he did not smoke, but about 1 in 10 cases of lung cancer are in non-smokers.  How could this happen? 

The past few months have been tough.  We convinced my parents to move in with my sister's family to undergo treatment.  It is hard to be so far away and know there is not much I can do to help.  We visit, of course, but in the end, we leave all of the hard work to Caroline and David.

The treatment has been hard on him, but in some ways we are so blessed.  The average lifespan for a lung cancer of this type is only months, but he has been doing pretty well.  The metastasis in his brain are gone, and his cancer tested positive for the EFGR mutation which makes him a good candidate for an amazing drug that came onto the market just a few years ago.  Only 10 to 20% of people are lucky enough to have this mutation.  Today we found out that his cancer is down from 7cm to 2cm.  He is beating the odds. 

Life is so precious.  I want my children to know their Grandpa.  He was the one who came and cared for them when they were each born.  He held them when they slept and rocked them when they could not.  He took the 5am feedings when I could not handle it, and David was back at work.  But I want them to know him as I know him once they are old enough to understand.  I pray we just have that time. 

Blessings come in different forms. If I could wish this cancer away, I would do so in a heartbeat, but barring that, I need to find something meaningful out of it.  And I choose to think of it everyday as a reminder of how fragile and unpredictable life is.  And how we are blessed to be able to love and be loved. 

Love you, Dad!

I am 22 months old!

I have been pretty busy growing up the past few months. Mommy has been sick for nearly a month, and I was too!   Daddy and Jonathan have also had a cough for a long time.  And today, we got the stomach flu.  Yuck!  

A few things about how things are going:

• I love to talk, talk, talk and talk some more.  I speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese.  Unfotunately, most people are not sure what I am saying because I like to mix it all up.  But when I have something to say, I will say it!
• One of my favorite things to do is to scoot along on my big brother's tricycle. He recently got a new trainer bike, so I inherited his nearly new trike. 
• I sleep with a menagerie of stuffed animals.  I MUST have my baby bear (from Auntie Susan & Uncle Greg), Jonathan's Pooh Bear, my doggy, a giant Nemo fish, a rabbit (or what Mommy thinks is a rabbit) and my long pillow to sleep.  I count them and ask for anyone who is missing. 
• I am my big brother's biggest fan!  He is my best friend, though he does take away my toys a lot. 
• I love baths!  I often stand at the tub and beg to get in even if I already had one today. 
• I love my Chinese music.  I dance at dinner when big brother turns on the tunes.
• My favorite food is Chinese shrimp dumplings.  Yummy!  I pretend to go shopping and I always buy shirmp dumplings.
• I like to draw.  Unfortunately, that includes drawing on the walls, tables, and other things I should not draw on.
• I have been sick a lot this summer and fall.  I had croup, bronchitis, and a double ear infection.  That was after I had hand, foot and mouth - TWICE!   
• I dressed up as a ladybug for Halloween.  We only got to go out for about 20 minutes because I was sick, but the doctor said that the cool night air is good for croup.  Thank you, Mr Doctor!
• I love blankets.  I sleep with at least two, and I like them wrapped up tight.  It makes me happy to be mummified by blankets with lots of stuffed animals.
• I call myself "maymay" because that is what big brother calls me.  I cannot say "I" or "me" so "maymay" it is!
• I am not a very confident runner yet since I am a bit clumsy, but I do love to go out for walks.
• Whenever I fall or hurt myself, I always say that my big brother knocked me over even if he was not home.  I am not sure why, but if I am hurt, I always think he has something to do with it. 
• We moved!  I like our new house!  It is a little bigger and it is closer to Mommy and Daddy's work.  I like it a lot because it has a big yard for me to play in. The old house had a pool so I was never allowed outside.
• Daddy had to give up his old car.  It was on its last legs, and he was afraid to let Mommy drive it anymore.  So we got a new Hyundai Elantra.  I like to play in it. 
• Both my grandpas are really sick.  So please pray for them.  I am sad, and I ask Mommy and Daddy to pray for them everynight.  I miss them lots. 

That is all for now.  Take care and I will visit more often. 

I am 18 months old!

I know, I know.  I have not been here to blog in a LONG LONG time.  Mommy is really sorry, but she has been working very hard recently.  We are moving and things are very hard to keep track of.  But the important thing is that I am back and here to blog again!  Mommy said I could try to fill in the other months if I could remember, but it is hard since I am only a little toddler. 

• I can say about 50 words.  My doctor said that is a lot for a little one at 18 months, but I just like to learn new words.  Mostly I mimic my big brother until I learn it on my own.
• I like to pick a word for something and stick to it.  Sometimes it is English, sometimes it is Cantonese, and sometimes it is Mandarin.  But I know what I like and I will just say it that way.  For example, when I say "thank you" I always say "xiexie".  If mom says please say thank you to me in Cantonese, I know what she is saying and just go with "xiexie".  I am stubborn that way. 
• My favorite foods are tomatoes and popcorn.  I cannot get enough of those two things.
• My skin is allergic to acidic things.  Unfortunately, I like Chinese vinegar on my dumplings, tomatoes, and lemon.  The doctor said it was okay for me to eat those things, but I have to be very very careful not to touch it on my skin. Since I am pretty messy, Mommy feeds it to me. 
• I just had Hand, Foot, and Mouth again!  It was not good.  I was sick for a long time and had to miss a lot of time with friends and church since Mommy and Daddy quarantined me.  I got Mommy really sick with the same thing.  The doctor said adults rarely ever get it, so I guess she is just unlucky.
• I love to play with my big brother. 
• Since we are moving, my Mommy and Daddy took away all of my toys and staged my room to look fancy for people looking at our house.  I miss everything, but as long as I have my 2 bears and blanket, I am set.
• I can speak in sentences.  I put words together to create new things all the time.  My big brother taught me that. 
• I am wobbly when I walk still.  Daddy thinks all of my energy is going towards higher level thought and language, but I think I just fall down a lot. 
• My favorite song is "Row Row".  I get mad sometimes if Mommy and Daddy do not sing it to me.  They do one that is in a round that I love.  I am shouting "Row Row" a lot in the car.
• I am still a milkaholic.  I love love milk and I drink a lot. I can drink up to 40 oz a day and still eat regularly meals, but Mommy is on a rationing plan because she thinks it is way too much.
• I like to draw and write like Big Brother.  I love pens and I walk around with them a lot.  Mommy thinks it is sort of dangerous, so she is always taking them away from me.  But I find them all the time.
• I think yummy food comes out of foil packages.  There is a toddler level cabinet that holds all of the really good snacks, mostly healthy ones like seaweed, popcorn and Goldfish.  And I am always raiding it.
• I like to grab a couch pillow and throw it on the floor.  Then I flop down right on top of it and giggle.  It is fun.
• If I do not want to put on sunscreen, Daddy says "Don't you want to be pretty?  If you are burned, you will not be pretty."  And I stop wiggling and let him put it on. 
• I am fearless.  I like to climb on things and jump off.  Fun! 
• I am very very tall. The doctor says I am still off the charts.  People think I am a clumsy 2.5 year old all the time rather than a slightly wobbly 18 month old. The other day at a restaurant, I saw two little twin kids and I pointed and said "Babies!"  Mommy found out later they are a year older than me and that I am bigger than them.  She hopes I will be taller than her, but then I would have to be close to 6' tall!
• Big brother is protective of me.  He takes care of me, and if he gets something, he also wants me to have one.   But if there is only one, he wants it first.  I wonder if my whole life will follow this pattern.  

That is all for this month!  I have many new adventures ahead.  Until next time... 

I am 14 months old!

Mommy is way behind on updating what is going on in my life.  I have to say that things are pretty exciting in my neck of the woods.   A few things about the past month. 

• I learned about 20 words.  But my favorites are "car" and "fork" in Chinese.  I love playing with my brother's cars and I always want to feed myself.
• I am a very happy little girl.  I like to smile and laugh and play.
• My favorite book is "Barnyard Dance" by Susan Boyton.  I really like the rhythm and the animals.  I pick it every time I have a choice. 
• I recognize my own reflection.  The other day, I was sitting in front of the mirror, and I saw I had a barrette on.  Immediately, I reached up, pulled it off and put it inside of my mouth. Yum! 
• One day, Mommy came home to me with the open Settlers of Catan box.  I had a city in hand and a die in my mouth.  I always wondered what was so great about the game, and I know now that it is just plain yummy!
• I am 25 lbs!  I am tall too.  But that means I grow out of my clothes quickly.  Already wearing 2T clothes, and I am only 14 months old. 
• I never forget to pray.  At dinner or before bed, I fold my hands to remind my parents it is time to pray. 
• I do not think I will be a girly girl.  I like to play with my brother and follow him around.  I eschew all dolls and go for the cars.  They are yummy and fun!
• I like to sleep just like my parents.  I go to bed at 8:30 and get up around 9 or 9:30.  Then it is down for the nap by 11 and again at 4.  I love to sleep.  Just put my down and snooze I go without much of a peep.  I get my 15 hours in every day.
• I have been sick this past month.  I had hand, foot and mouth which I think I caught from church the first day I was in Infant Care.
• Daddy thinks I am the cutest little girl ever.  I think I am Daddy's little girl. 
• I am mischievous. Sometimes if Mommy is holding me and Daddy holds his arms out, I will turn him away and laugh and laugh.  Then I do it to Mommy.  It is funny. 
• I crawl with one leg tucked underneath me.  It is fast and efficient, if a bit unorthodox. 
• I can stand by myself, but I do not like the walk much.  I can hold someone's finger and walk quite far, but I am not sure I like it so much on my own.
• I love playing with the Xbox, Daddy's CD collection and remotes.  I think I have a future in Silicon Valley ahead of me. 
• I like to "unpack" whatever Jonathan cleans up.  It makes him crazy.

Be back in a month or so!  Mommy has been trying to juggle 2 jobs, the taxes, and of course, the two of us.  Makes for a crazy place here at home. 

I am 12 months old!

I am here, a year old!  We had a fun party with all of my little friends and aunties and uncles.  Instead of decorations, Mommy and Daddy got me a jug of helium and about 100 a balloons appeared on our ceiling thanks to Uncle Ed and Auntie June. 

• I am 12 months old!
• I spent New Years in North Carolina with my grandparents.  It was cold, but fun.  Then we came home sweet home.  And I was back in my crib where I sleep 15 hours a day instead of crying all the time in the pack n play.  Ahh... it is good to be home. 
• I learned by first real words.  I can say "nainai" (milk) "dada", "mama", and "gogo" (big bro).  Mostly I just say "nainai", but hey, who can argue with more food?
• I am about 22 lbs and wear 18 to 24 month clothes. 
• Mommy likes to tie up my hair into pigtails.  I like to take down the bands and chew on them.  I have lost at least a dozen of them so far.
• I learned how to kiss my parents.  I lean forward, and make a "mmm" noise and then kiss!  I only do it occasionally and without any rhyme or reason.  
• I mimic everything everyone says.  The other day, Mommy said, "Da-VID" and I repeated it with the exact tone.  Make Daddy laugh.
• I love to put stuff in my mouth.  Everything - food, toys, game pieces, paper and more.  Yummy!
• I learned to drink from a straw, so I switched to a new straw sippy cup.  I love it.  I open and close it and drink milk from it.  I also like to throw it to the ground which makes Mommy a bit mad.
• I like sing. When we are at church, I try to sing along to the worship team even though I don't know the words.
• I love blocks.  I can stack them, but mostly I like to knock over what Jonathan builds.  Fun!
• Favorite food - everything!

See you next month! 

CHA Winter 2010 - An Alphabet Story

Every show, we put out some new Maya Road alphabet sets. These are one of the most fun things for me to design.  I started out with the Jonathan and Noah sets.  Then came the David set.  Next was Bethany and Caroline.  And finally this show, I got to Deborah and Olivia.  We are now officially out of names, so I guess that means the end of alphabets or we have to have more children.  (I do not want to start any rumors here, so I will officially say that no one is having any more children right now!) 

I love designing alphabet in chipboard because they are different from everything else.  There is a flow and rhythm to designing letters.  But it is a lot harder since there are 26 different pieces that all have to match.  I even use Font Creator to make them into fonts for my own personal use in scrapbooking.  It is like my own handwriting only I can type it...

We have done many different styles of alpha from tall to fat to scripty to funky.  So check them all out.  No one can have too many alphabet sets especially ones you can mist and use without any extra work.  Now if only I can think of a new name for the next release...  I already have some in the works. 

Another CHA Winter story

We did our first layer book 2 years ago, and they have been an enduring favorite.  It started out as Caroline's idea to do something different than our popular tab books.  She wanted something just layered.  Thus was born the one that is about 2" x 6".  The next show, we did a larger one.  And then we got fancy.  We did a couple more which had scalloped edges, a mixed one and more.  At some point, you release you need to something completely new and different.  So here we are with our wave layer.  I actually designed the first version a year ago, but it was not to C's satisfaction.  We decided to shelve it for a bit.  I secretly used the same concept on our kraft envelopes released last show.  After that, I was able to convince her that this was the way to to go! 

Check it out...  It is definitely unique.  Just spray or paint and you have a lovely book for your favorite memories.   There is one in acrylic and one in chipboard.  What do you think?