Seattle Day 3 (7/19) & Mount Rainier Day 4 (7/20)

We spent Tuesday on a boat tour on Puget Sound. As you can tell from the picture, the weather was a bit cloudy, but at least it didn't rain; so we were grateful.  This is Sarah's first boat ride.  We were a bit worried about how she would take it but since we were on a big ship and SQ carried her on the Ergo, she probably didn't feel anything different. She is a lot stronger than we think she is. :-)

An unobstructed view of the Space Needle from the water

  

 

 

  

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and began our journey down South (destination: Portland). But on the way down, we wanted to stop by Mount Rainier National Park.  Mt Rainier is about a 2.5 hr drive from Seattle and according to some geological report, it is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. We took our chance and got to see some of the most incredible scenery as a result!  Mt Rainier National Park has 4 entrances (one on each corner). We took the most popular Southwest entrance at Paradise.   

Along the drive route, we stopped by many, many scenic points and passed by beautiful waterfalls.  This is my favorite, the Narada Falls - the waterfall drops in 2 tiers.

Narada Falls

 

As we continued our drive up the side of the mountain, we began to see snow on the ground. I guess that because of the heavy rainfall this region had in the last few months, the snow hasn't all melted yet.  We came across a family of 3 deer roaming around.  It was awesome to see wildlife in their natural habitat. We also saw a fox along the way.  

We originally intended to only spend 2.5 hrs at the park, but ended up taking over 4 hours because everywhere we looked, the scenery was so spectacular and breath-taking!  As we exited through the Southeast side of the Park, we finally Mt Rainier after the clearing of the clouds. So surreal! 

 

 

Mt Rainier after clearing of the clouds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally left the park and continued our journey to Portland.  Today was also SQ's 40th birthday.  Because we didn't leave Mt Rainier until 5pm, we ended up celebrating SQ's birthday with a dinner at Red Lobster in Kelso, Oregon....a very random place in a very random town.  SQ said his favorite part of this entire trip was the day spent at Mt Rainier. I'm glad that he got to spend his birthday in such a beautiful, memorable place.   

Seattle Day 1 & 2 (7/17 and 7/18)

This past week, we experienced our "whole lot of firsts."  We took our first vacation with Sarah to the Northwest Pacific region.  Before this trip, we have never spent more than 1 night from home.  So you can imagine, travelling with a baby for a week long trip was somewhat scary for us...we had no clue what to expect.  We decided to bring Sarah's car seat and stroller with us, which fortunately we were able to check them in as baggage for no charge.  Sarah took her first flight on Virgin America from San Francisco to Seattle.  The flight was early at 8:45a. We woke her up early and left the house by 7a.  She did great on the plane!!  She took turns sitting on our laps.  She spent some time pressing buttons, playing with her boxes (we brought those with us), and eating a small snack.  She also napped for a good 40 minutes.  By the time she woke up, we were about to land. Perfect timing. She did not whimper one single sound throughout the whole flight; our neighbors wouldn't have even known we had a baby with us.

We landed in Sea-Tac Airport around 11a and it was raining.  Of course it was raining -- this is Seattle afterall!! Luckily, we decided to spend the extra money to rent from a car rental company inside the airport, which was the way to go, especially with a baby in toll.  We left the airport and went straight to our hotel at the Sheraton Bellevue.  Bellevue is a suburb 20 minutes away from Seattle.  We went out for lunch first and then moped around the neighborhoods before returning to our hotel.  The first day was quite uneventful and not much to rave about.  We drove along some neighborhoods and I was truly amazed at the beauty of the houses in Bellevue and Medina (right along Lake Washington). Actually, shame on me for using the word "house," these were mansions!! estates!!  Each building was masterfully crafted and has a private driveway with perfectly manicured landscapes...(yes, much better than St. Francis Woods or Sea Cliff houses). I heard that one of those mansions belongs to Bill Gates, but didn't know which one.  All of them were so grandiose!

Sarah had her own crib and we all slept well on our first night in Seattle.   

We left the hotel around 10a and drove to Seattle's Space Needle. Yes, yes, we did all the touristy stuff since it was my first time to Seattle.  We took the elevator up to the observation deck to view the city.  Thank goodness it was a clear and sunny day so we were able to see a lot of the surrounding areas.  Did you know that the Space Needle was built for the World's Fair in 1962 and it will celebrate its 100 years birthday next year?!

After the Space Needle, we took the Monorail to Downtown Seattle and walked to Pike Place Public Market.  I really like this place, but it was really crowded, even on a Monday.  We stopped by Pike Place Chowder, which served one of the best clam chowder I've had.  We visited the original Starbucks there too.  By 2pm, we met up with our tour guide.  We signed up for a 2.5 hour walking tour in the Seattle neighborhoods.  This was quite an ambitious feat since the walking tour involved some walking on uneven pavement, stairs, escalators, hills, etc so they didn't recommend us to bring a stroller (they told this to us beforehand).  So for the next 2.5 hours, I carried the 23 lb Sarah on the Ergo.  ** I am 200% endorsing Ergo as the BEST baby carrier out there.  At the end of the day, my feet were sore from walking, but my shoulders and my back were absolutely fine! I was really amazed because I was expecting to be sore, but I wasn't at all!!    

The walk took us through Pike Place Public Market, the bubble gum wall, the Convention center, the Public library, Pioneer Square and various Downtown parks. We ended up at the Waterfront as our last stop, at the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is famous for the Alexander Calder sculptures.  I especially love the Sculpture Park, because it's very spacious and peaceful here.  It's the waterfront with tons of green grass to sit, relax, and soak in the sun. 

People playing life-size chess in Downtown Seattle

Seattle Public Library

Crochet poles at Occidental Park

Olympic Sculpture Park at the Waterfront

Google personalized home page

 I don't know how this happened (must have been SQ)...every time I log onto Blogger or Gmail, and then go to Google, I see this picture as my Search page...















Did you know that if you log into a Google program (Gmail, Blogger, Picasa, etc), you can personalize your Google homepage?  I just learned this and absolutely love it!!  But don't ask me how to do it... I don't know!  I love this picture of Sarah! She was about 2.5 months in this picture..and yes, her pinky is still up like a girly girl. I used to call her "Spidy Hands" (as in Spiderman's hands when he shoots his web) for this reason.

A Letter to Sarah at 13 months 10 days

Hi mao-mao,

Recently,

• You are walking all over the place!  I can barely keep up. You walk back and forth, in and out. 
• You say mama and baba indiscriminately, although I don't think you really know what these words mean yet. Regardless, we answer you back every time you say these words. You also say mum-mum, duck-duck, and El-mo!
• Your "fly-kiss" consist of you putting your palm on your open mouth and you saying "ahhhhhh." Your hands stay there...as if your kisses don't fly. They stay with you. :-) 
• You like to point at the light, the clock, and everything in between. 
• Your toilet seat is still working like magic. Every morning, you daddy plops you on the seat and you do your business.  I find it utterly fascinating.
• Every time you enter an unfamiliar place, like a restaurant or someone's house, you need time to warm up. You tend to stick really close by us and not let go.  After a while, then you become more comfortable to roam around.
• We have not been diligent in weaning you off the bottle because you drink so much faster from the bottle. But we will start giving you the straw cup so you can practice more. 
• You are drinking 1/2 formula and 1/2 milk now.  I keep you on formula because I want you to get all the nutrients, longer.  I don't think you eat nearly enough solid/table foods!
• You have a total of 7 teeth right now, 4 on the bottom, and 3 on top. The 4th one on the top is coming out, but not quite yet.  The weird thing is that on your bottom right gum, one of your molars is sticking out. I can see the white part of the tooth already. Weird. I thought teeth erupt in an orderly fashion. Apparently, yours don't!! 
• The eczema on your face is a lot better now.  We haven't used aquaphor or hydracortisone on your face for a long time already. You still scratch your neck and it gets red there.  We still need to apply aquaphor onto your neck.

With Love, mama

My 2 Loves

Pretty Shoes

Sarah loves her pretty pink shoes. But whenever she wears them, she can't walk properly.  She ends up tripping and falling because they are not like her Robeez. But yet, no matter where I put these pretty pink shoes, Sarah finds and brings them to me so I can put the shoes on her.  

Silly girl, there are plenty of women shoes that look pretty but we can't walk on them.  This is only your first one...!  

She's Baaaaaaack!

After an overwhelming pool experience on Father's Day, Sarah got traumatized by water. She was not liking her baths anymore. The second we put her into the tub, she tries to climb out. For an entire week and a half, Sarah cried through her baths.  What happened to our water-loving baby that loves to splash, splash, and slash? We tried different things to reverse her fear... We let her sit inside the tub without water, let her play with her rubber ducky, and heck, we even let her watch an old video of herself playing in the water.  Nothing seemed to work... I missed her giggles and her laughs and seeing her splish splash in the water.

My sister so happen to be cleaning out her old baby stuff so she gave us some bath toys.  There were a couple of squirt toys. I am not a huge fan  of squirt toys because I read somewhere that they don't usually dry thoroughly so the toys have a high chance of mold and bacteria growing in them.  Yuck! But at this point, I was desperate.  The daily baths were becoming challenging especially when Sarah wouldn't sit down.  So we gave her the bath toys and they worked like magic. They got Sarah's attention and now, she is baaack!! Sarah is back to having fun in the tub.  She is beginning to enjoy her baths again.  Oh, I am soooo glad that her smiles and all her splashing are back!

Cousins

Top Row (R to L): Hayden (5),  Evan (5), Ethan (7)
Bottom Row :Sarah (1), Tyer (2), Kyle (3)

Every Thursday night, my sisters and I would congregate at my parents' house for a family dinner.  It's a day of the week that I always look forward to... not only because I can be lazy and don't have to cook, but it's a time to eat my mom's delicious home-cooked meal, to see my sisters, to catch up on the latest events, and for Sarah to see her little cousins.  They don't play with her much, because all she does is to go destroy their buildings, rip up their paper airplanes, or steal their trucks to play. hahaha LOL  

Here is a rare picture of Sarah and her little cousins (she has older cousins too!)  Missing is in the picture is little Hailey who turned 3 months about 2 weeks ago. 

Sarah turns 13 months old

Sarah the Thinker

This is not Photoshop.  Picture was taken near DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park. It's one of those wooden board where you stick your head through the cut-out hole.  Yes, we stuck Sarah's 95th percentile head through the hole. Note that there were barely any gaps in between... lol

Moments: Mommy, More!

New Addiction: Fashion Story

I know this sounds really silly, but lately, I have been addicted to this game called Fashion Story.  It's one of those free online apps you download for your phone or tablet (I so happen to have it downloaded on both :-))

Basically, you own your own fashion boutique. You are given the essentials such as a couple of clothes rack, dressing rooms, tables, and mirrors to start.  You are also given some coins to purchase some clothes and accessories to start selling.  The items each have different prices and time it takes to arrive, which ranges from 1 minute to 1 day.  The longer the item takes to arrive and be ready for sale, the more units you have and the longer it will take to sell down. When the units are sold out, you will need new items to replace the empty rack/table. The objective of the game is to be in-stock and keep the customers happy.  As you collect more coins from sales, you can expand and upgrade your boutique, buy more tables and racks, etc.  It's really addicting because I constantly want to check if my tables are empty and what I need to buy more in the pipeline because it takes time.  My husband jokes that this is exactly what I do in real life anyways!! hahaha

Ok, now you know my current silly addiction - please don't judge me. :-) 

Busy Weekend

We are usually very low key during the weekends. We often don't leave the house until after Sarah's morning nap, dine out for lunch, do some shopping, and then head home in time for Sarah's afternoon nap.  But this weekend, we had a couple of special events, which made for a rather unusual busy weekend. 

On Saturday, we went to my friend, YW's daughter, EW's Red Egg and Ginger party in Emeryville. We had a great time, eating and catching up with kids' talk at our table.  After Sarah had her meal, she was eager to release some of her energy.  And after she had the yellow balloon in her hands, she went on a little sugar high. She walked around and around - falling down and then getting up.  She was having a lot of fun with friend CF.      

Sarah and her Yellow Balloon

Because it was time for her afternoon, we left around 2pm and Sarah quickly fell asleep in the car.  She was tired.  Since we don't go to the East Bay often, we decided to stick around the area for a little bit.  We drove to Berkeley, Telegraph Ave/College Ave area.  SQ went to school in Berkeley so he did a little reminiscencing of his college years there (which is a long time ago!)  Later we drove up to Tilden Park. I've heard about the Steam Train there, but have never been. So we decided that it would be fun to go there since the weather was beautiful.  

By the time we got there, the train was about to arrive for the next ride so we quickly woke Sarah up (she had napped about 1hr by that time already) and hopped onto the train.  It was such a beautiful ride! The weather was perfect as the train went through the forest park.  Couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day to be on the train.  Here is a picture of us as we came out of the tunnel. Sarah's expression on the picture is simply priceless. 

Daddy and Sarah pose in front of the Steam Train at Tilden Park

On Sunday (Father's Day), our family had a party at Rinconada Park in Palo Alto. We had a Hawaiian-themed party.  The Hawaiian dress that Sarah got as a gift from my sister was still too big for her, so she had to wear another dress.  She was walking on the grass but once she fell down, she didn't like using her hands to get up (the grass was too prickly).  

This park has an outdoor swimming pool, and since the temperature was in the high 80's on Sunday, it was a perfect day to introduce Sarah to the pool. She got suited up and ready to go in the water with Daddy.

Unfortunately, even though Sarah loves taking baths**, she was not happy to be in the water.  She whined and whined ~ she just didn't like being there!! So after a few minutes, we took her out.  We left the park around 5pm and Sarah finally took her afternoon nap.  Because it was so late in the day already, I woke her up after 1/2 hour so she can still sleep at night.  

** Don't know what happened... but maybe Sarah got traumatized by the pool, she is not liking her baths these few days. Every time we put her into the tub, she wants to get out.  Oh no, what happened to my bath-loving, water-splashing baby Sarah??  Hope this is only a phase!! 

Happy "Da-da" day!

A Letter to Sarah at 1 yr 10 days

Hi Mao Mao!!
Boy, you've had so many new developments this past month! You're ONE and you're a big girl now!

1. You now have 6 teeth! The 2 upper ones grew undetected for a while. Whenever you smile, only your 2 lower ones would show, so I didn't even know you had upper ones already... but now they are clearly visible out of the gums.  You also just grew out 2 additional lower teeth!  they are about 30% out right now.  With more teeth, you can eat more things!
2. You love to play with the nesting cardboard boxes.  They are hand me downs, but you love them regardless.  You absolutely LOVE IT when I stack them up in a tower and you in turn knock the blocks down!  No matter where you are in the room, the minute you see the blocks towered up, you come to destroy them.  You laugh hysterically afterwards!  
3. You are now walking steadily! You know how to get up from your knees to your feet without support. You walk everywhere now...even though you continue to do balance checks and periodically fall down on your butt! 
4. You love to dance! Whenever you hear music, you bounce your legs up and down (if you're standing) or you sway right and left (if you're sitting). I love it when you do that!
5. You are constantly curious of everything around you.  You love to touch everything and examine the object with intensity. 
6. You understand the word, "no."  When you're about to touch something I don't want you to touch, I say "no." Although I can see how much you want to touch it, you understand my direction and walk away.
7. I want to start to wean you off the bottle, so I've been practicing with you during dinner time with regular milk.  I haven't been able to find a good straw cup for you yet, so I just use a small milk bottle and a regular straw. You are able to suck the milk out of the straw just fine (you've learned this a while ago). So far, you're only have the patience to drink about 1-1.5oz of milk from a straw.  With practice, you will soon be able to drink a lot more.
8. Not sure why, but lately, you've been throwing up at night around bedtime.  We can't figure out why.  We've tried giving you your bedtime formula earlier, giving you food instead and foregoing the formula altogether - but nothing seems to work much.  The doctor doesn't seem concern since you're gaining weight, which means you must be getting enough nutrients.  We'll continue to try other things. 
9. Your favorite word is 'doh-doh.' Every time you see something interesting, you point to it and says, 'doh-doh.'
10. We always carried you up and down the stairs to and from the garage but never attempted to let you crawl by yourself.  So it came as a surprise that you were able to crawl up the stairs by yourself without practice.  I guess you learned it at daycare??  Don't know.  Right now, we're trying to teach you how to get down from the sofa / bed using your feet first.  You haven't quite mastered it yet, so more practice, my dear!

 I am so proud of you! You are developing so fast and learning things everyday! You continue to amaze us with all your new "tricks!' 
 

Sarah 12month checkup

I brought Sarah for her annual check up this afternoon.  The minute I drove into the parking structure, Sarah began to cry, as if she was afraid of something. I wasn't sure if she was just afraid of the dark winding parking structure or did she have a previous memory of that place, knowing that it led to the doctor's office? Can't be the latter, right?  She's too young to have that kind of association, especially it was 3 months ago since I last brought her to the doctor's!  Sarah continued to cry more in the elevator.  She seemed to be very scared of the confined space especially when the doors closed.  Even when I took her out of the stroller & carried her, she cried hysterically.  She finally calmed down when we got to the waiting room. So when it was time for her measurements and for the doctor's visit, she was fine.  

weight 21 lbs 9.5 oz (57%)
height 30.25 inches (82%)
head circumference 18.7 inches (96%)

Overall, Sarah is doing just fine. She is right along the growth curve, maintaining her weight, height and head circumference for her age.  She is also developing on path.  After the doctor's visit, it was time for Sarah to get her vaccinations.  We waited a while until the nurse called us in so Sarah spent her time walking around the big waiting room.  Then the 3 shots.  She cried and cried and this time, she didn't stop for a long time.  Previously, she stopped crying after the shots came out.  This time, she cried longer than normal... then of course, we had to go into the elevator to get down -- so more crying.  And of course to make matters worse, Sarah had to get her blood drawn to test for her blood count and lead levels.  I had the option of taking the blood test today or at 15 months.  I thought mind as well get it all done.


At the lab, I had to hold Sarah down and basically pin her legs inside my thighs and hold her really tight.  Of course, she resisted. Of course, she was besides herself.  Tears rolled down her cheeks like waterfalls - her face turned beet red.  The nurse had to solicit another nurse to hold her down because she had to prick a needle into Sarah's vein for the blood draw.  And boy, silly girl was STRONG!  Thankfully, the nurse was successful finding her vein the first time around and after a few minutes, it was all done. After a distraction by her blocks, she finally stopped crying. She was so tired from all the commotion that she zonked out in the car on the way back home.

Sarah examining the bandage on her arm from her blood test

June 13

2 things of significance : June 13 was Sarah's original due date but she arrived 8 days early.  June 13 was also the day I checked back into the hospital with a 103 fever and diarrhea. I went into the ER thinking that they will give me some anti-diarrhea medicine and some Tylenol for my fever and I would go back home in a few hours, but I was wrong. I ended up staying in the hospital for the next 24 days.  The doctors thought I had C-difficil, which is a type of infection when the antibiotics kill not only the bad bacteria but the good ones too.  after a couple days of stool samples, C-dif wasn't the problem. the problem was a whole bunch of abscesses have grown in my abdomen due to an infection during my c-section. Although I am well now, I think I will always remember June 13, the morning of, the route we took to the hospital, the time spent in the ER that day....

Sarah goes to the Potty!

Nooooo, I am not a tiger mom forcing my just-turned one year old to potty training already!  As you may remember, say for the past 300 days or so, we bring Sarah to the bathroom every morning when we change her diaper.  We hold up her legs into a sitting position so she can go poop (she poops consistently 95% of the time).  This extra step means less messy clean up for us and it is another way to prevent diaper rash.  As she grew, it was more and more difficult for us to carry her (she got heavy), so we wanted her to sit on a potty.  We started off with a kiddie potty that SQ bought in Chinatown. But the design (and probably the craftsmanship) of the potty was heavily flawed because every time Sarah sat down in the front, the back of the potty would flip up.  So it didn't work.

My sister gave us this kiddie seat since my nephew has since outgrew it. Most kids don't like the toilet seat because they are "afraid of falling into the hole."  But we gave it try.  Luckily for us, Sarah didn't have this fear, or maybe because she doesn't know better at this point?  The first couple of times we put her on the seat, she whined and wanted to get off.  After the 3rd time, she was OK with it.  Then for the past couple of days, she even pee'ed and poop'ed while sitting on it!!  I was truly amazed and couldn't believe it!  Don't get me wrong, Sarah's still NOT potty trained - meaning she doesn't come tell us when she needs to go.  She still needs a diaper to be on her at all times.  We just let her sit on the seat in the morning to go poop.  Hopefully, this will help her get used to the seat so when it's time for real potty training, she won't be afraid of the toilet!

Happy FIRST birthday, Sarah!!

 

We celebrated Sarah's 1st birthday at Canton Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant in the City.  We had about 80 guests and we had a dim sum lunch. We had a lot of fun ~ the venue was perfect.  We had the space private to ourselves so we could mingle yet there were ample space for the kids to run around.  Everyone seemed relaxed and enjoyed themselves. Sarah blew out her candle on a mango mousse cake from Schuberts.  She was curious about the frosting on the cake, but when we gave her a bite of the mango mousse, she spit it right back out! 

Happy Birthday, my silly mao mao!  

Feeling Happy Blue

Tomorrow is my baby Sarah's 1st birthday.  I have many thoughts in my mind today and honestly, feeling a little blue. I guess I can't come to terms that a year has so quickly gone by...! Still remember a year ago, I was laboring at home - in pain - but somehow managed to withstand all the contractions to get to 10cm dilation without any meds. A blink of the eye and it's a year later with Sarah in our lives.  A rough start for me as a mommy of a newborn, but alas, I was able to spend quality time with Sarah before I went back to work.  It was the best time ever and I still miss those days the most.  Although we took tons of pictures and recorded a lot of videos of Sarah during this past year, I always feel like it's not enough and we should have taken more...she has grown so much! Is it silly of me to sometimes wish that Sarah could stay little just a tad longer? :-)

I know that I like to make myself sad by always reminiscing about the happy times in the past. But this time around, I understand that I also have so many more happy times in the future! I can't wait for Sarah to walk (steadily) so I can bring her to the beach, the zoo, Crissy Fields so she can run in the wind.  I can't wait for Sarah to learn how to talk so I can hear her say the darnest things.  I can't wait to see her grow up (slowly, I hope)...

Shared Learning Experience Part II

I'm attending Part III to my leadership workshop.  In the class, I learned that people make decisions not only based on facts, gut feeling, emotions, etc but they draw from their own personal life experiences. In this exercise, we were asked to write down important life changing moments that happened to us, what we learned from them and how it changed us.   I wrote down 3 pivotal events that happened to me so far:

1.  When: Junior Year in College. What Happened: I was the only "A" in a Poli-Sci class of 50.  I felt so proud that as an ESL speaker, from an immigrant family, with parents with no formal educational background, I was able to beat all the Caucasians out there.  Key Learning: I felt empowered and a sense of accomplishment.  I also built self-confidence and told myself that I am in NO way disadvantaged.  I can just be as good as everyone else.

2.  When: when I turned 30. What Happened:  I was married, had a house, was a Manager at work...everything in order, but I asked myself, "what was I most unhappy with in my life at that time?"  It was my teeth.  I decided to get braces and have a jaw surgery. Key Learning:  I actioned on something that bothered me, instead of just being unhappy and complaining about it.  It took me 2.5 yrs for the whole process...which was brutal at times, but the results were worth it. 

3.  When: Summer 2010. What Happened: I got really sick after delivering a baby.  Key Learning:  I am stronger than I think I was.    

Birthday weekend

I can't believe today is already Monday and my 5-day mini birthday/vacation long weekend is coming to an end. Can I NOT go to work tomorrow?  :-)   After 3-day off-site seminar, I took Thursday and Friday off as vacation days. What sucked was that I got sick late Wed. I most likely caught the bug from mao-mao (she's a germy baby!).  So on Thursday, I did nothing but stayed home and moped around.  I have to give myself credit though for finishing Sarah's 6-9 months photo book.

On Friday, I was a little better after some OTC drugs, so I did a whole bunch of errands, i.e. Costco and Target runs.  I feel like that's what I always do during my day off, especially since SQ hates going shopping so we seldom go during the weekends. He doesn't realize that diapers and toilet papers don't get filled up miraculously!  After SQ came back from work, we went to Mandalay Burmese Restaurant. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the City. All the dishes are soooo tasty and good.  I always order my usual dishes because I can't afford not to order them (and satisfy my cravings) whenever I go there.  However, I guess it was sort of a bad day to go ...because of my congestion, I didn't enjoy the food as much as I would have.

On Saturday, my sisters took me to Spiazzo Italian Restaurant in West Portal..  I thought the food was just OK, but I was happy for the birthday treat!

I feel especially happy this birthday (despite my cold) because it's my first time celebrating my birthday with Sarah.  Same time last year, she was still inside my tummy! :-)

Shared Learning Experience

For the past 3 days, I attended a Company-sponsored, off-site leadership workshop called Shared Learning Experience (or SLE for short).  At first, I was a bit annoyed with the fact that this class was "mandatory" and that it took 3 days out of my workweek to attend.  But after these 3 days, I am so glad to have taken this workshop!!

Throughout the seminar, we discussed case studies of successful companies and learn what made them successful.  We also went through a team building exercise where it not only tested the ability of the leader to lead the team to perform the task, but how we could learn to think outside the box.  We had role-playing exercises to learn the different ways of coaching and how to apply "soft" power.  We learned how to apply different management styles to different people.  My biggest gain out of SLE is self-discovery and self-awareness of who I am as a manager in the workplace.  There were a lot of "ah-ha" moments during the 3 days. Knowing my flaws, being subconsciously aware of them, and having these concepts and best practices not only allows me to become a effective leader but a better person.  I have learned a lot.  It was a great seminar!  There is a 2nd part coming up next week. I can't wait!

One of my favorite quotes I learned:

"In matters of style, flow like the current ; In matters of principle, stand like a rock."
                                                        -Thomas Jefferson

Moments: Crying

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Sarah loves taking baths!

Networking

This morning, I got a call at work from a Recruiter looking for people interested in Planning positions in the New York area.  She said she got my information via LinkedIn.  In case you don't know, LinkedIn is another Social Networking site out there (like a Facebook), but it is geared toward professional networking.  So yeah, NO weird fetishes and racy photos to be found here.  Your profile is basically your online resume.  You connect with friends, classmates, colleagues, and business associates. And then your network expands because one of your contacts is linked to another and to another.  I must say that this site is actually quite a handy tool.  I joined LinkedIn some years ago, but didn't spend much time elaborating on my profile.  I've outlined the different positions I've had (all within the same company). However, I didn't include any descriptions or details.  Since I've been with my company for over 11 years, I got too lazy to update my resume. But I think it's always good to have your resume updated and ready to go, just in case.  And plus, it's much easier to jot down notes about your current job than try to remember what you did years ago.  I'm going to make an effort this weekend to update my LinkedIn profile.

As for the recruiter, I told her that I am currently not interested in moving to New York, but have a few friends and colleagues in the New York area who may be interested...


P.S. Coincidentally, in case you didn't know, LinkedIn launched its first IPO today; priced at $45/share.  The stock closed at $91.25, +109% on the first day.  Wow...

2nd House dilemma

Multiple people within the course of this weekend coincidentally asked me if SQ and I ever considered buying another house. The answer is yes. We've had this thought for at least a couple of years now.  So why haven't we bought one already?  You see, the problem is that SQ and I aren't on the same page when it comes to real estate. I want to 'upgrade,' sell our current house and buy a larger house. For sure, we need more space, especially now with Sarah in the mix.  But SQ wants the second house to be more of an investment property, i.e. a multi-unit property for rental. I am not a fan of being a landlord (I've heard too many horror stories). So we've been debating this issue back and forth; meanwhile, seeing house prices drop gives us an incentive to wait until the prices bottom out (of course, no one knows where the bottom is).

Well, recently, SQ may have a change of mind in perhaps buying a Single Family House.  I make this statement in a very non-confident manner because I am just guessing.  He hasn't said it out loud yet.  So, this weekend, with nothing else to do, SQ and I went to a handful of open houses.  We only looked at SFR listings in the Inner and Central Sunset area (just because they're in our neighborhood, close by for an easy drive).  We didn't really see anything we absolutely loved (yet).

That very night, I had a weird dream...I dreamt that my company is moving to Hong Kong (which is inevitable) and I got laid off because I didn't want to move and my last day will be Oct 29.  Don't ask me the significance of Oct 29...I have no clue.  I shared my dream with SQ the next day. I wonder if this dream is some sort of forecast telling me that I shouldn't buy a house, or what?!  The dream was sure scary and made me feel uneasy...

Letter to Sarah at 11 months 10 days

To my mao-mao,

Recently,

• You LOVE to LAUGH.  You laugh at the silliest things...!  You love the anticipation when I come slowly and slowly to catch you to hug and kiss you! You pretend to run away. But you know you'll always be caught so mommy can give you lots of hugs and kisses
• You finally learned how to chew now. You used to gag whenever I give you anything other than milk and pureed foods. Now you love to snack on the little puffs and can chew on soft foods.
• You still won't hold your own bottle! You will only hold and drink from the straw cup on your own
• You don't mind when I pour water over your head during your baths.  You're such a good baby when it comes to taking baths.  
• You are mobile now! You still can't crawl correctly...one knee and one foot but you get around places.  You've been cruising and have taken a few steps now.  At this point, you don't walk at will. You walk whenever we encourage you to do so, but sometimes you just sit right now and crawl over instead. 
• You are curious -you love to dig into boxes and bags, and touch everything you're not supposed to. 
•  There isn't much improvement on your eczema.  You still get rashes on your face if I don't apply hydrocortizone   :-( 
• You weigh 20.5 lbs now
• You sleep in the cutest fetal position (on your tummy, knees tucked in, butt sticking up) 
• You make sounds like dada, duh-duh, baba and all sorts of funny noises

Sarah's First Steps!

Sarah took her first few steps at my parents' house this past Thursday!!  She has been standing alone 'hands-free' for about a couple of weeks now, but making that first step was such a daunting task.  I see her little toes curl up and her body swaying back and forth trying to make her foot move forward.  It looked like her foot weighed a ton. When we open our arms to entice her to walk to us, she would end up just lunging into our arms instead. So I was floored on Thurs when she took not only a step, but a few steps!! When I put her a distance away from the sofa, I was convinced that she would just lunged her body into the sofa, but nope! She took her time, step by step and walked to my mom, who was holding a remote control to entice her.  Of course either SQ and I captured Sarah's first steps on camera.  We weren't prepared!

But I was able to record this video of Silly Girl walking this morning.  She's still pretty wobbly but doing great!! I'm so proud of you, silly girl! You started to walk at 11.25 months!!

Mother's Day

      On May 8, I celebrated my first Mother's Day with my sweet little baby Sarah.  We didn't do anything special in particular, but I was still super happy that day because I am Mommy to silly girl.
      Sarah, I am so proud to be your Mommy! Your presence and the endless joy you bring me is the BEST present I could ever ask for!  I have never laughed so hard and smiled so much..it's all because of you. Thank you for letting me be your Mommy! :-)

Happy 11-month Birthday, Silly!

Moments: Quiet Time

Moments : Hey, that's me!

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Flashbacks

Lately I have been getting a lot of flashbacks of my time in the hospital.  I don't know why.  A couple of  weeks ago when I was on the plane to and from Hong Kong, I adjusted my seat to recline. That very moment reminded me of the hospital bed.  I used to recline my bed upwards to a sitting position and recline it downward to a sleeping position all day long. That was the only way I could get up and off bed because I had no strength to do it by myself.  Then last Thursday when I brought Sarah to the doctor's for her fevers, the smell of the hand sanitizer at the office also gave me a flashback of my hospital stay. Various doctors and nurses would come into my room everyday on the hour and the first thing they did was to use the hand sanitizer.  So I could sniff that scent a mile away!  Just this last Saturday, I sat on the sofa and looked out the window at a sunny skies.  Again, I had a sudden flashback of the time when I was in the hospital, sitting on the sofa outside the lobby on the 6th floor, gazing out the window at the blue sky...wondering how nice it would be to leave there and go home...

During that period, I didn't write/blog at all.  I wasn't in the mood to document my progress or my feelings, not to mention a good portion of my time I was physically unable to write.  I did tweet though, mainly to my family, of my progress. Here are some of the tweets:

• In hospital right now. Thanks bontee for taking care of Sarah 10:22 AM Jun 13th, 2010

• still waiting for cultures. I can't leave until I can hold my fever down for 24 hrs which has not been possible Monday, June 14, 2010 1:19:50 PM
• 3 people tried and still can't get an IV into my arm. I have skinny veins. Always a problem Monday, June 14, 2010 11:59:00 PM 
• So the lab results of the bacteria the docs thought I had turned back negative. It's something else. The question is what is it???? Tuesday, June 15, 2010 12:18:59 AM
• Finally got the IV in after the 4th try Tuesday, June 15, 2010 12:19:28 AM
• Swelling is not just limited to the feet. My entire leg is swollen Tuesday, June 15, 2010 12:20:40 AM 
• Now I have redness on my tummy. It's one thing after another... :*-( Tuesday, June 15, 2010 10:31:16 AM 
• in room 6315 Saturday, June 19, 2010 7:20:53 PM 
• CT scan shows more drainage needed on left side. Will really position tube tomorrow Monday, June 21, 2010 12:14:21 PM
• White blood cell count is climbing again, which means body is trying to fight yet another bacteria :-( Monday, June 21, 2010 12:33:05 PM
• Is it a bad sign when there is a bacteria inside me that even the Chief of Infectious diseases can't figure out what it is. Monday, June 21, 2010 1:00:35 PM
• The 7cm abscess did not drain as expect. IR will try to reposition drain tomorrow. Abscess very hard to get to. Monday, June 21, 2010 8:00:05 PM
• It's in front of a major artery vein. If IR doctor has no confidence that it's possible, then I have to do surgery again (cut me open) Monday, June 21, 2010 8:01:49 PM
• Doctor describes surgery as "morbid" and high risk. I don't know what to think anymore Monday, June 21, 2010 8:03:07 PM
• Doctors couldn't drain out the really hard abscess near the artery vein. Now they need to access whether if antibiotics can take care of it Tuesday, June 22, 2010 6:25:12 PM
• Need to wait 4days b4 next drain check.. Good progress means no fever & no high white blood cell, which means body not fighting infection. Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:18:59 PM
• Going to IR today at 3pm. Pray that they are able to get that hard to reach abscess out. Pray pray pray!! Friday, June 25, 2010 2:50:43 PM
•  Fever still not under control. Woke up with a temp of 101.4 Saturday, June 26, 2010 9:30:42 AM
• stomach is still very tight and swollen. dr will monitor thru-out the nite to see if tummy softens. ct shows no add'l abscess. Monday, June 28, 2010 3:59:05 PM
• whte cell count is higher, body trying to fight something. fluid in the lungs. no action plans yet other than close monitor. clear diet only Monday, June 28, 2010 4:00:05 PM
• not passing gas means bowels are still irritated, causing stomach to be tight. feel more energized today from blood transfusion yesterday Monday, June 28, 2010 4:01:40 PM
• Tummy still very hard and swollen today. No gas. Never knew farting is so important. Tuesday, June 29, 2010 6:52:40 AM
• Today complete rest of bowel, cannot drink any fluid at all, will be on IV. .. on boy Wednesday, June 30, 2010 7:13:34 AM
• It's like reliving my icu days and restarting my entire recovery process all over again! Wednesday, June 30, 2010 7:15:11 AM
• may need to put another drain to clear fluid under lungs. Bowels still not moving, may need to insert tube thru nose to pull gas fr stomach Wednesday, June 30, 2010 1:02:56 PM
• Woke up with a 102.8 fever two days in a row. Takes about 3 hours to get bk to nrml temp aftr tylenol. Dunno what's causing the fevers Saturday, July 03, 2010 12:03:02 PM
• On clear liquid diet only. Juice just doesn't cut it. I'm still starving! Hunger pain is the hardest to bear Saturday, July 03, 2010 12:09:14 PM 
• I did not have a good day today. Fevers, nausea, and outright miserable. Just don't feel good. Saturday, July 03, 2010 8:44:27 PM 
• God please oh please get me out of this misery and let me feel better Sunday, July 04, 2010 12:40:02 AM
• I AM GOING HOME TODAY! Wednesday, July 07, 2010 12:04:23 PM      

When I get the random flashbacks and scenes from this dark period of my life, I realize how far I've been. Only time will eventually erase my memories. Just glad that it's all over now...  

Moments: Quarantine

A Letter to Sarah at 10 months 2 weeks

To mao-mao (little kitty):
It's been a while since I last wrote to you. Mommy was in Hawaii and then 3 weeks later in Hong Kong for work.  These 2 business trips have been hard since I had to be away from you. But now I'm done with the trips for a while, I'll get to spend more time with you.  You have progressed so much since I last wrote to you. Recently:

1. You finally learned how to crawl at 9-1/2 months.  You crawl with your left knee and your right foot.  You don't crawl with both knees, but you are so darn cute when you crawl in that funny way.  You are now mobile...uh-oh.
2. But seriously,  you don't crawl much nowadays. You've already moved onto 'cruising' at 10 months. Whenever there is something to hold on, whether it is the sofa, the table, or your toys, you very much prefer to cruise instead of crawling to get from Point A to Point B.
3. Starting last week, you also can stand unsupported for over a minute now!  It's so exciting to see you stand so confidently without wobbling.  You just stand there and flash your watermelon smile!
4. Yesterday, at your Popo and GongGong's place, you took your first step!!  You stood there by the sofa for a long time. I can see your tiny little toes 'curling up,' trying to hold on and wanting to move at the same time. Finally you lifted up your right foot and made 1 tiny step. Then you lunged for the sofa.  We were all truly astonished! 
5. You can now clap your hands on demand, especially when I ask you, "How do you clap your hands?:" You always clap with a huge smile on your face.
6. You are just beginning to learn how to wave your hand. We've been trying to teach that to you for a while now, but you just love to clap your hands instead!
7. Silly girl, you've been sick a lot lately. :-(  Since the beginning of the year, you have had your fair share of colds, stuffy nose, and coughs. Despite all the nasty symptoms, you are still a happy baby. You never cry or whine. You still smile and laugh all the time.  You are one amazing baby! Thank you mao-mao, for being such a good baby to me and your daddy.
8. You have 2 bottom teeth so far.  Haven't seen the 2 top ones pop out yet!
9. Whenever you're sleepy, you not only scratch your neck, rub your eyes, but you like to lick.  You lick your blanket, my shirt, the toys, anything.  You don't take the pacifier and you don't suck on your thumb.  But you lick instead. That's your way of soothing yourself.  So guess why we nicknamed you "mao-mao" (little kitty)??   
10. The best part of my day is the moment I walk into your daycare and I see you with a HUGE smile on your face.  I am so excited to see you too!!

Birthday Party!

Sarah attended Baby SKC's 1st birthday party this past Sunday.  The party was held at Ardenwood Historic Farms in Fremont.  It was a great venue & a perfect day to go celebrate SKC's big day!  Sarah not only met up with her little friends but also saw chickens, rabbits, peacocks, and baaaa baaa black sheep!  Thanks SKC for the inviting us!

The Birthday Boy digging into his personal-sized cake

The 2 friends gossiping!

Hong Kong

Greetings from Hong Kong! Ironically, today is my last day in Hong Kong. I've been here a week already. I left San Francisco last Saturday and flew on Cathay Pacific this time.  The business class seats are configured quite interestingly because I got my own 'pod.'  The pods angle diagonally across the aisle, and are a bit narrow.  There are people to the left and right of you, but because of the partitions, I don't see my neighbors. No talking and no need to climb over anyone to use the bathroom. Yay!  Watched 3 movies:  The King's Speech, Little Frockers, and The Blind Side.

The week is finally over.  It felt long probably because (a) I miss home and family, and (b) I woke up almost everyday at 3am (due to jet lag) and didn't sleep until 10pm+.  I attended a lot of meetings and did some store visits throughout the week.  All of them are physically and mentally draining.  That's why I'm never thrilled about going on business trips.  They're tiring.  The good thing is that I did get to see some of my old colleagues who relocated from SF to HKG last year.  It was nice to catch up on each other's lives.

I had 1/2 day today so I went power shopping. I was disappointed that I didn't buy anything.  Most clothing stores have just launched their Spring collections so no sales.  At full price, the clothes are quite expensive (not any cheaper than the U.S.).  Plus, the clothes are all short-sleeved and not fit for SF's cold weather.  So I didn't buy anything. :-(

I did, however, enjoyed a couple of delicious meals here in HKG.  The "fancy" lunches/dinners that I ate during the week couldn't compete to the ones I ate by myself locally!  One night I went to Din Tai Fung for their yummy Shanghai dumplings.  Another day, I went to Crystal Jade for yet another dose of Shanghai dumpling goodness. Today for lunch, I went to this dim sum place called House of Jasmine in Harbour City Center. OMG it was delicious! I just ordered the basic stuff, like Har Gow, Siu Mai, and Rice roll.  The dessert I had was so die for! It was Egg White and Almond Soup.  Soooo good!!!  Love! Speaking of dessert, this Hong Kong stay would not be complete without going to Hui Lau Shan.  In fact I went there twice to enjoy their Mango Sago. The one in SF simply can not compare!  I also went to this hole in the wall place called Star Cafe in TST by recommendation on Open Rice.com (HK's version of Yelp).  It is literally a hole in wall because I had to not only find the obscure building it was in, the restaurant was in some weird basement location. Their signature dish is Tomato Beef Noodles, which was indeed very good.  However, I don't think I can go there again... it's a bit too 'local' (i.e. dirty) for my comfort level.  Planning to go to the Australia Dairy Co. tomorrow before heading out to the airport. I hope they're open at 10am!    

I can't wait to go home to see Sarah's bubbly smile and hug her!!  

Moments: Photo Shoot

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Sarah Turns 10 months Old Today!

Sarah is Dancin'