Chloe

Ethan

Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

3-Year and 9-Month Stats

Chloe and Ethan had their checkups scheduled for the same day on 12/14/12.  Here are their current stats.

Chloe at 3-years-old:
29.25 lbs = 13th percentile
35.25 inches = 35th percentile
She grew 2 inches and almost 5 pounds in one year.

Ethan at 9-months-old:
18 lb 13 oz = 34th percentile
28 in = 34th percentile
45 cm head circumference
He grew 2.75 inches and 3 pounds in three months.

Way to grow kids!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Happy 3rd Birthday Chloe!


Already three?  How can this be?  You will always be mommy's baby.



Monday, November 19, 2012

Chloe's 1st School Portraits

My baby girl took her first official school portraits on October 8, 2012.  I can't believe how quickly she is growing up.  I must remember to pause from my busy work every now and then to savor up the moments of my child's life.



Since picture day happened to be Columbus Day and Ethan's daycare center was closed for the holiday, Ethan came along with me to his Big Sister's school to help Big Sister with her outfit and hair.  While there, we saw that other parents had brought siblings to take pictures with their school kids.  One mother even joined in and took some portraits with her sons!  Following their lead, I put Ethan in for a few poses as well.  All the pictures came out really nicely.  Here is a collage of a few of my favorites.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Ethan the Dragon and Chloe the Chicken! A home-made chicken. Grandma made the costume.


Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Random Chloe Moments/Sayings

10/3/12: We were singing "If you're happy and you know it snap your fingers" in the car on the way to school, she said "My hand is too small I can't snap my fingers."

9/17/12:  Tucked her in FOR THE 3RD TIME tonight and yet she still found another excuse to get out of bed. "Mommy, got to hug and kiss first.".

9/13/12:  She finally mastered how to do 2 and 3 with her fingers. And since she already knew how to do 1, 4 and 5, I threw her a curve ball and asked her to do 6. Her face turned really serious and she shook her head and said, "No, you can't do 6."

8/14/12: Tutu, ballerina slippers, leg warmers, fisherman hat, and the shirt she was already wearing today. She put all that together and said "I'm a princess. You like it Mommy?" 




Thursday, September 13, 2012

Ethan's 1st Haircut




Ethan got his first haircut a day before he turned 6 months.  His hair stylist was no other than his loving Bachan.  He started off cooperating very nicely.  He sat in his Bumble seat and let Bachan move his head this way and that way to shave and cut.  Big sister Chloe helped by spraying water on his hair, both when asked for and when not.  Then about 3/4 of the way through, he started fussing and wanted out.  I held him in my arms to let Bachan finish up the task.  And now he proudly rocks his new hairdo, looking sharper and cuter than ever.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

ETF is 6 Months Old!


I blink my eyes and voila! he's 6-months-old.


The Family Rivalry

When Mommy is a San Francisco Giants fan and Daddy is an Oakland A's fan, the kids get caught in the crossfire.  


My Sleeping Beauties

Sleep..it's so readily available for kids, but so elusive for their parents.


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

ETF is 1-Month-Old

Happy 1-month-old to our little dragon boy!



Photo Card
View the entire collection of cards.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Note:  I started drafting the following entry on Friday, March 9th.  I didn't post it right away because I was allowing myself another day or two to collect more thoughts about the pregnancy.  Little did I know at the time that another day or two later ETF would already be born and I would have no time to post the entry before my pregnancy was over.  Here is the blog entry as it was drafted on Friday March 9, 2012 (two days before ETF was born) and now posted on Thursday, April 5, 2012 (25 days after ETF was born).


Random Thoughts About This Pregnancy (written Friday, March 9, 2012)


1. More queasiness in the first trimester as compared to last pregnancy.  Last pregnancy was pretty much symptom-free.  This time around I was constantly tired during the first few months.  I also felt dizzy.  In fact, now I  sometimes get reminded of those feelings of dizziness if I do something I had done in the first trimester.  For example, during my first trimester Chloe watched a lot of "Wonder Pets" on Netflix.  Then she stopped watching this show for a while.  Recently she asked to watch it again.  I sat with her to watch it and interestingly I had a deja vu  feeling of the dizziness again.  No, it's not the show that gets me dizzy, it's the reminder of my first trimester.


2. Both Randy and I have not been able to enjoy this pregnancy as much as last time and the reason is Chloe.  She is taking our attention away with her needs.  This is vastly unlike last time when we had no kid to attend to and we were 100% focused on the pregnancy.  This time I wonder if we are even 50% focused.  For me, maybe.  But for Randy, probably much less since he's taking on caring for Chloe more.


3. Since it's sort of a been-there-done-that experience, the experience this time is definitely less novel or unique. Not only to us, but for people around us as well.  I guess that's the unfairness associated with being #2.  Sorry ETF.


4.  At around the same time I got pregnant, my company announced it was going into bankruptcy reorganization.  After months of speculation of what is going to happen, now the company is in the process of transferring ownership to our three primary creditors.  Rumors also have it that the new owners are simultaneously in the process of selling our flagship station in the SF market to another company.  My job duties span across 3 stations in SF - the flagship station rumored to be being sold and two smaller ethnic stations for which I take on a main role in their operations.  It's not over-exaggerating to say the reason these two other stations function so smoothly is because of me.  But...as they say in business, nothing/no one is irreplaceable.  With the new owners taking charge, no one in the company is safe from being replaced or all out eliminated.


The dark cloud of possibly losing my job has been hanging over me since the beginning of this pregnancy.  As optimistic as I am, I am also realistic. With two mouths to feed plus a mortgage to pay, Randy and I cannot afford losing one income.  I started to look for a new job back in September (still within my first trimester) to hedge against being laid off.  I had a good interview with one company who seemed very interested in me.  But for whatever reason they dragged their feet in the hiring process and didn't reach out to me again until late December.  They were ready to offer me the job with the caveat of needing me to travel for training in late January, which would have been well into my third trimester.  Not sure whether or not I should travel in my third trimester plus the uncertainty of insurance benefits with a new company (whether or not paid maternity kicks in right away) plus having to take a lot of time off for doctor visits during the probation period as a new hire, etc etc all pointed to changing jobs in my third trimester as NOT being a good idea.  So this company and I came to a mutual agreement that we will delay the prospect of me joining their team until I am done with my maternity leave.  We agreed to reconvene when I'm ready and see where things are for both parties. So...due to no fault of ETF's....it's just all a big "bad timing", I couldn't seize the opportunity for a new job even though I was proactive in looking for one.


When news of the bankruptcy first broke, I wasn't sure how quickly I will lose my job and subsequently my insurance coverage.  Will this drag on long enough for me to go into the delivery room with my current insurance?  If I have to jump over to Randy's insurance, will we have enough time to get the change processed?  Will I have to change doctor and hospital affiliation because Randy is on a totally different network?  All those were my concerns earlier in my pregnancy and the company's bankruptcy proceedings.  Now that we are already in the calendar month of ETF's arrival, I can rest easier knowing that I can go into the delivery room with insurance coverage with my own doctor at our chosen hospital.  This is one big financial relief.  However, as I prepare to go on maternity leave, the idea of possibly not having a job to return to still lingers.  All these worked together in the last many months to darken the mood of happily awaiting the arrival of a new baby.


Post Note: Last week my work formally informed me that I will be retained at my job after the bankruptcy proceedings are over.  Even though our flagship station will be sold, I am needed to run the remaining two ethnic stations.  I will be retained at my current salary and benefits.  The dark cloud of possibly losing my job has finally passed and I lived to say I have weathered the storm.

Friday, March 09, 2012

ETF

In less than 2 weeks, the newest addition to our family will be joining us.  While his official due date is 3/30/12 (Daddy's birthday), we have a planned C-section scheduled for 3/23/12.  Today, at 37 weeks gestation, he is already head down and in position to come out.  With my achy body and inability to sleep comfortably, I'm ready for him to come out at any time.  I feel like I've been pregnant forever and wouldn't mind just getting it over with sooner rather than later.  He has also been kicking a lot lately.  At times I feel like he will puncture my water sack with his constant kicking.  That's what happened with Chloe when she came 10 days early.  Who's to say little brother will not follow suit.

However, there are downsides to having him early.  They are:

1. I'm still slated to work one more week.  So I have had no rest yet.

2. Having him out means having an alarm clock that sounds every 2-3 hours.  But this is bound to happen anyway, whether it starts now or 2 weeks from now.  This could very well fall under the "get it done sooner rather than later" category.

3. If he comes unexpectedly, he may not be delivered by my doctor, Dr. Stephanie Chun.  We were very fortunately to have Dr. Chun perform Chloe's C-section 2 years ago.  She happened to be on duty the time my delivery had to take place.  (After 18 hours of labor, the shift had actually just changed from Dr. Shu to Dr. Chun.)  Dr. Chun did an extraordinary job.  My incision point was clean.  I had had no infections or side effects from the surgery.  I healed quickly and nicely from her great handy work.  She also has a very soothing and warm demeanor that makes her patients feel comfortable. Plus, she was nice enough to let us schedule ETF's C-section on her birthday, a day she originally planned to have off. (We chose 3/23 because that is the earliest date allowed by either insurance or the medical board based on the official due date.)

Since Dr. Chun has been my primary OB, I'm less familiar/comfortable with the other 3 others on her team.  I know for a fact that one of them, Dr. Hu, is brand new.  She joined the practice just this year.  Her experience definitely lacks behind that of Dr. Chun's, who's been in this practice for many years.  On the opposite end of that spectrum is Dr. Shu, she's been in the practice even longer than Dr. Chun, thus making her the most experienced doctor on the team.  However, she has a drill sergeant-like demeanor that is hated by many, including all the nurses in the hospital and myself.  She speaks with a condescending tone and makes people around her feel inferior.  Whenever I asked her questions, she often answered in a way that made me feel like those were stupid questions to ask.  The last doctor, Dr. Chu, falls somewhere in between Dr. Chun and Dr. Shu both in terms of her years of experience and her personality.  If ETF does indeed come early, we will have to take whichever doctor happens to be on duty.

Point #3 is probably the biggest downside to ETF coming early. #1 and #2 are things we can deal with.  #3 relates to the quality of care we will receive so it's of greater significance.  But hey, #3 may end up being a non-factor if we are lucky enough to end up with Dr. Chun again.  The chance of that is 1 in 4.  We hit that 25% jackpot last time with Chloe's delivery.  Let's see what our luck is like this time around.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

恭喜發財, 新年快樂

恭喜發財, 新年快樂, 請請 from Chloe

Monday, January 23, 2012

Happy Lunar New Year - Year of the Dragon!



Wishing everyone



. 新年快乐
. 恭喜发财
. 龙马精神
. 生意兴隆
. 万事如意
. 金银满屋
. 心想事成
. 财源广进
. 万事胜意
. 如鱼得水
. 青春常驻
. 梦想成真
. 新春大吉
. 一帆风顺
. 一本万利
. 如意吉祥
. 身体健康
. 学业进步
. 龙年吉祥
. 事事如意
. 货如轮转
. 步步高升
. 要乜有乜
. 笑口常开
. 发财好事
. 大吉大利
. 买乜升乜
. 合家平安
. 横财就手
. 出入平安
. 五福临门
. 招财进宝
. 旗开得胜
. 百业兴旺
. 大展鸿图
. 得心应手
. 官运亨通
. 老少平安
. 福星高照
. 富贵双全
. 吉星拱照
. 人兴财旺
. 东成西就
. 从心所欲
. 恭贺新禧
. 飞黄腾达
. 龙马精神
. 万事如意
. 金银满屋
. 迎春接福
. 如意吉祥
. !

祝你 
2012㊗龙年快乐㊗
恭-贺-新-禧

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

A Beautiful Story

Mom reunites with biological child 77 years later (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/01/02/national/a121653S70.DTL)
I read this heartwarming story over breakfast this morning.  It put a smile on my face.  It's rare to find happy stories on the news.  When I do find one, I can't help but to share it with others.

Enjoy.

Monday, December 05, 2011

1st Day of Preschool

Today was Chloe's first day of preschool.  She woke up in a good mood and was ready to tackle her new journey.  She did so well that if you didn't know it was her first day, you would've thought she's been there a long time.  She was like a preschool pro.

Immediately after we arrived, she dove right into playing.  She completely made herself at home.  She explored all the different rooms and checked out the different books and toys.  She didn't need to warm up at all.  At one point as I was talking to the school director, I noticed she waved hello to a parent as she dropped off her child.  Then she waved goodbye to that same parent as she left.  There was no stranger anxiety at all.

About 45 minutes later, the director (who is also one of the teachers at the school) announced that it was story time.  She started walking over to another room as the children followed.  Randy and I stayed behind the crowd to observe Chloe's reaction.  We were proud to see that Chloe followed the group without prompting or needing directions.  She just followed the herd and sat down in the circle along with everyone else.  She remained seated and quietly listened to the story.

We took the opportunity of her being engrossed in story time to quietly sneak out.  She had no idea we left.  I went on with my day wondering whether she cried when she realized we had left; whether she ate her meals; whether she drank her milk; whether she napped; whether she wet her pants; whether she paid attention in class; etc etc.

While Randy and I were on our way to pick her up after school, we made a bet on whether she cried this morning when she realized we were gone and whether she will cry later when she sees us again.  My money was on her crying on both occasions.  Well, I lost all my money.  The girl didn't cry one weep all day long!  When she saw us walk through the door, she happily greeted us with a joyful "Mommy! Daddy!"  and then she proudly showed us the lego pieces she was playing with.  The teacher gave us a quick run down of her day and it was all positive.
  1. She did look for us once after story time, but she was quickly distracted by something and forgot she was looking for us.
  2. She drank all her milk.
  3. She ate most of her food.  The only thing she didn't really eat was the carrots.
  4. She didn't have any potty accidents.
  5. It took her a little time to settle down to nap.  She kept wanting to get up and play (which is what we expected).  But she eventually did fall asleep.
  6. She got along with everyone.
Overall, Chloe adapted to preschool really well on her first day.  I credit this to two factors:
  1. She has an easy going and outgoing personality.  The fact that she is not shy or afraid of strangers makes for an easier time to adapt to a new environment.
  2. She has had experience with group settings because her babysitter had taken her to her son's preschool for drop-in play once in a while.  Those drop-in play sessions consist of free play, group story and singing times, and snack times.  Therefore in a way, Chloe had been exposed to preschool-like settings in the past.  The only difference is this time she was all alone without her babysitter nor us in sight.
All in all, Chloe had a really good first day of school.  We could tell she had a lot fun along the way because her excitement carried on well into the evening.  The little chatter box kept talking and laughing, talking and laughing all the way home from school, throughout bath time, throughout dinner time, and on and on until she finally fell asleep at 10pm.  We could not turn off her enthusiasm.  We didn't want to turn off her enthusiasm.  If only we could bottle it all up and save it forever.  





Chloe's 24-Month Checkup Stats

Height: 33.25 in (30%)
Weight: 24lb 12 oz (30%)
Head Circumference: 48.8 cm (90%)

Chloe had her 24-month wellness check on Friday 12/2/11.  In the 6 months since her last checkup, she grew 2.25 inches and 3 pounds.  That's a mighty good growth spurt if you ask me!  In fact, if you look at where she stands as compared to other children in her age group, whereas at 18 months she was in the 28th percentile in height and 13th percentile in weight, she is now in the 30th percentile in both categories.  That's right, she went up in both. Way to go Chloe!

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Chloe's Second Family

Yesterday, Friday 12/2/11, was Chloe's last day with her beloved babysitter, Auntie Felicia.  姨姨, as she calls her, has been like her second mother ever since she was 2 months old.  Over the course of 22 months, Chloe has built a strong relationship with 姨姨.  Every morning she looked forward to going to 姨姨's house.  When it was time to go home at the end of the day, sometimes she didn't even want to go home with me.  That's how highly she thinks of her 姨姨.

As we prepared her for preschool over the last couple of months, I was also dreading the arrival of Chloe's last day with Felicia. I felt sad for Chloe to have to leave someone she loves so dearly.  I myself felt sad that we had to leave behind such a good caregiver for our daughter.  Felicia had been a god-send for us and we counted our blessings everyday that our daughter was in good hands.  On top of that, I wasn't sure if Chloe understood that a long farewell was approaching.  To be honest, I didn't think she understood.  But just in case she is smarter than I thought, I've hyped up the fun of going to school and meeting new friends.  Hopefully that would soften the impact of leaving 姨姨.  I also refrained from telling her that going to school means she could no longer go to 姨姨's everyday.  I didn't want any bad connotation attached to the idea of school. 

Finally this past week, I couldn't refrain myself anymore.  I finally said to her, "Chloe, this is your last week with 姨姨.  Next week you are going to school. Ok?"  I think I said that to her twice this week and each time she replied differently.  One time she just curiously asked "Gool?".  The other time she actually said "No gool.  Go ".  So...did she realize what was about to happen?

Finally on Friday morning, the bittersweet end was here.  In the morning, I told her, "Chloe, today is your last day with 姨姨.  You have fun with 姨姨 ok?"  Chloe replied, "Ok Mommy. Have fun Mommy."  Her reply made me think she didn't know what was going on.

Randy went with me to pick up Chloe from Felicia's this last time.  I needed Randy to go with me because I knew I was going to cry.  Yes, I'm weak and sentimental that way.  Sure enough, tears did roll out of my eyes even though I fought really hard to keep them in.  Felicia was teary-eyed as well.  Both of us remained calm and composed, however.  We didn't want to alarm the kids.  The kids, including Chloe, Keith and Max, showed no signs of sadness.  It was a regular pickup session in their eyes.  In fact, Felicia told us that when she told the boys Chloe will not be coming over next week, the boys thought Chloe is about to go on vacation.  When Felicia told them it was because Chloe will be going to school next week, Max excitedly asked, "Is she going to my school?"  This proves that all three of them are still too young to understand what farewell means.  Which is probably a good thing.

Before we left, we took this picture of Chloe and her second family.  You can see how happy they are together.

Even though this was a last farewell as caregiver and care receiver, this was not a last farewell altogether.  We are making a point to visit often.  We do not want Chloe to forget  and all the things she's done for her.  At the tender age of 2, I know Chloe will probably forget a lot.  But we promise to do the best we can to prevent her from forgetting too much.  We have to have frequent get-togethers and play-dates to preserve this close-knit relationship.  


Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy 2nd Birthday Chloe!

Happy Happy Birthday to our sweet little Chloe.  Two years ago she came into our lives and since then she has been bringing us joy and love ever since.  Here's to many more years to come.


Below is my photo project to forever capture her sweet look on each birthday as compared to previous years.

2nd Birthday
2nd Birthday
1st Birthday
1st Birthday