Browse Category: life

Cousins

IMG_6021We visiting Jia and Jason this afternoon and it looks like they are settling into their new life as parents quite well.  The twins are sleeping, eating, and pooping as they should be and Jia is adjusting to motherhood gracefully.

IMG_6026It was also very cute to see KK’s response to the twins.  She had looked forward to meeting them all week but started out with some hesitation.  After the initial warm-up, she was so attentive and would run into the room any time one of them started to cry.  She watched Auntie Jia feed them and was so interested.

IMG_5180It reminded me a lot of when KK was first born and Koa used to run to her every time she cried.

IMG_6019Toni has become the better eater and settles down rather quickly afterward.IMG_6020Thomas has become the more temperamental one and needs a little more coaxing to eat.IMG_6040Here they are in the pack-n-play together for the first time.  They were both a little irritable and weren’t able to soothe each other just yet.  That’s Thomas on the left and Toni on the right.

This is gonna be a fun year for all of us!  I can’t wait for Peanut to arrive so that we can have the whole gang together.  After watching her interactions this evening with the twins, I am confident that KK will be a great big sister.  It’s gonna be a lot of work but so fun at the same time!

The twins are here!!

IMG_5958Today was an exciting day for the Laos.  Jia delivered the twins today around noon and they came out big and healthy.

DSC_6424Baby A was the boy and he weighed 6 lbs 5 oz.  His name is Thomas James.  He’s already quite an eater.

DSC_6429Baby B was the girl and she weighed 6 lbs 2 oz.  Her name is Toni Jessie.  She’s the less-enthusiastic eater and fusses more.  It’s so appropriate that she was given her uncle’s name as her middle.

DSC_6434The babies are 38 weeks gestation and are developed enough to not need a NICU stay.  Jia is doing well and delivered them without needing a C-section but had some bleeding afterward.  However, with some plasma and rest, she was looking really good when we visited this evening.  Jia and the babies should be able to go home in a couple days.  Yippee!!

Congratulations, You Two!!  Welcome to Parenthood!!  It’s gonna a be a crazy ride and we’ll be there with you all along the way!

Butano State Park

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We went on our sort-of annual camping trip this weekend at Butano State Park.  It was conveniently located only an hour from our house and in a redwood forest near Half Moon Bay.  It was cold so I was all covered up and there were no mosquitoes to bother me.  That was a nice change.

DSC_6347The campground was nice and they had running water in the bathrooms closeby.  Thank goodness!  We actually had flushing toilets and running water in the sinks.  I came prepared with a step stool and toilet seat for KK to use so she could go to the bathroom without my help.

IMG_5234We also borrowed MaryAnn’s tent, which was really easy to set-up and we were able to fit Jason and Jia’s full-sized air mattress and all three of us slept comfortably inside.

DSC_6401On Saturday morning, we took the kids to a nearby goat far.  They had some cute billy goats in the front.

IMG_5315There was plenty of space for the kids to run around and KK played with Rowan quite a bit.

DSC_6362They chased each other around and looked for banana slugs together.

DSC_6364I had seen a banana slug at the aquarium but never in nature.  They look a little gross at first but are actually pretty cool.

IMG_5284A lot of our time was spent around the fire burning stuff – including marshmallows.  IMG_9874This picture of KK and her flaming marshmallow makes me chuckle.

IMG_5313All the kids had a great time and camping with KK was much easier this time around compared to her first trip when she was 3 months old.

IMG_9888Here is this year’s group photo on our last day.  It was nice having just the 6 of us again (plus the kids of course).  As chaotic as it seems sometimes, it’s still fun to go camping with these animals.  Hopefully we’ll be able to pull it off again next year with Peanut in tow.

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Here we are on our last trip without kids or anyone with a bun in the oven.  We drove all the way to Yellowstone in a minivan in 2006 with barely enough room for our feet.  I’d say this was still my favorite trip so far.  I can’t wait to take KK and Peanut there to see the bison and stinky springs.

JoshuaTree2003I also found a photo of our first camping trip.  It was the four of us at Joshua Tree NP and it was SOOOOO HOT.  It’s hard to believe this was 12 years ago!  Good times…

Note to Self

Year3I made this collection of photos from each month of this past year to see how much KK has changed.  She had such a baby face at the beginning of the year!  Also, what a difference from last year’s collage!!

Now that we’re out of the baby and toddler years, I thought I’d reflect on things I’ve learned along the way as KK’s Mama.

  1. Raising a headstrong, independent kid takes lots of perseverance, consistency, and my own stubbornness.  This kid also thrives on routine and repetition.  She’s still not following directions as well as I’d like but there’s something about her that reminds me of how headstrong Koa was too.  She tries to do things on her own time and in her own way, which can be frustrating and endearing at the same time.  If she doesn’t do something after the first or second request, I walk her through it to get the task done even if it results in tears or tantrums.  What also helps is a little brainwashing.  I just model for her “OK Mama.  I do it.” and she will often repeat after me and get the task done.  Works like a charm about 75% of the time.
  2. As good as eating habits can be, they will be constantly changing.  Expose them to a variety of foods, flavors, and textures as early as you can and have the expectation that they may like it regardless of your biases.  I hate bananas but I expect that my kid will form her own opinion on her own about them.  This kid used to have a voracious appetite but now that she’s older, we’ve had to negotiate around her particular likes and dislikes of the moment.  One day she loves broccoli and then the next day she will be indifferent to it.  The key to a successful meal is to always offer but don’t force.  This kid likes choices and there is no option of “yes” or “no”.  It’s more like “do you want broccoli or rice first?”  Works most of the time.
  3. Pick your battles.  There are some battles that just aren’t worth fighting for the greater good of the moment.  If she wants to wear a skirt to bed instead of PJ bottoms, that will be fine for the sake of not losing another minute of sleep for the night.  In the grand scheme of things, wearing a skirt to sleep for one night is not going to hurt anyone.
  4. Changes and transitions are hard but they are necessary for growth and learning.  When we had to change from daily nanny care at home to drop-off daycare, it was hard on both of us but in the end, she learned to look forward to love “school” and has learned so much along the way.  The best part of picking her up everyday is the giant hug I get.  She also says “you came back!” and I reply with “I always come back.”  Somehow that’s reassuring for her.
  5. Take the kid out to restaurants early and often and BE CONSISTENT.  KK has been going to restaurants since she was a wee little baby and I can probably count on my two hands the number of times she had been allowed to get out of her highchair during a meal.  As soon as she was strong enough to sit in a highchair, that’s where she sat any time we were out.  That also goes for meals at home.  Even if she isn’t hungry, she is expected to sit at the table with us while we eat.  It’s just the routine.  When we go out, we also come prepared with things for her to do while we wait for the food.  It usually keeps her out of trouble.  I hope this all works for Peanut.  I’m always afraid that we just lucked out with a good little diner.
  6. Lower your voice and be straight forward when you’re upset.  Kids don’t get passive-aggressive undertones.  Yelling rarely works too.  When I’m mad or upset with KK, I get down to her level and give it to her straight.  “Mama is mad because ___.  Next time, you should ___.”  Nowadays, she can sense when I’m mad based on my behavior and tone.  She will sometimes come up to me and ask in a sweet voice, “Mama, you mad?”  We try to resolve things quickly with an explanation, solution, and a make-up hug.  This has worked about 75% of the time so far.
  7. Daddy is not a clone of Mommy.  I shouldn’t expect Jes to do everything the same way I do.  He is Daddy and does things in a “Daddy way”.  She’s always fed, dressed, and safe in his care.  They also have special things together that makes their relationship special.  For example, they feed the fish every night and I’m never involved.
  8. I’m nowhere close to the perfect parent but I’m good enough for KK.  I don’t wash her hands as much as I should.  Her bedtime is probably later than it should be.  I probably allow her to have ice cream more than I should. I also don’t enjoy reading to her (thankfully Jes does).  Luckily, she has a strong immune system, she’s not overweight, and she loves me unconditionally.

Sorry that this is so long-winded but I’m literally writing this all down now to remind me later when Peanut arrives.  I’m looking forward to testing the nature vs. nurture debate that runs through my head all the time.  Did I just luck out with an easy kid?  Will Kid #2 be a picky-eating, uncontrollable terror despite all my efforts?  Who knows.  I guess I’ll just have to find out in another 15 weeks.

By the way, I passed my second glucose tolerance test this week.  Woot!  Time to celebrate with a giant chocolate chip cookie!

Half-cooked!

IMG_3417I am now 20 weeks pregnant, marking the half-way point of this adventure.  Just before leaving for Hawaii, people at work had started noticing a more distinguishable bump and I’ve gone into full-maternity-wardrobe mode.

When we came back from our trip, I had the day after off so that I could get the anatomy ultrasound done.  It was a long one and they had to look for just about every body part you could imagine.  The little stinker decided to hide his face the whole time so they couldn’t get a good look at his nose, lips, and hands.

IMG_3764We did, however, get confirmation that he is indeed a little boy with little boy parts.  If you don’t know what you’re looking at, the important “part” is to the left in between his butt cheeks.  The technician also typed in “IT’S A BOY!!!!”

IMG_3554We also got a backside view of his head while he was hiding from the camera.

IMG_3763The docs were so dissatisfied with this visit that I had to make a follow-up appointment a week later.  So, I went back this morning and after 30 minutes of trying to prod him out of hiding, we got a profile.  It’s the not the best but it’s all we could get.  What you’re seeing here is his chin, lip, nose, and forehead (left to right).  He kept putting his arms over his face or turning away from the ultrasound.  I’m just happy that they got a good look at his lips and nose and confirmed that he doesn’t not have a cleft.

IMG_3759I also got a picture of his little foot.  So cute.

I’m finally feeling some real kicks and he seems to like being in the head-down position.  That’s how they found him both times I had these recent ultrasounds.  He’s estimated to be about 12 ounces and a little ahead of schedule.  I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight (I had lost some weight until now) and will just wait to see how much bigger and heavier I get in the next 20 more weeks.  This week, my sinuses have been horrible – causing jaw pain on my right side.  I guess it also didn’t help that I caught a cold mid-way through our trip.  All in all, I’m feeling pretty good and happy to see that our Genetic Screen came back negative and that all body parts are accounted for and within normal limits.  Now I’ll just have to let him finish cooking!

Peanut Update

So it’s Week 18 and I’ve been told that I have finally started to look fully preggo.  I’m starting to feel tiny flutters inside and I’ve had to pull out my maternity clothes from the first round.  Good thing I kept everything.  I still haven’t gained any weight, which worries me a bit but there’s definitely something growing because the belly is firm and round now.  Or maybe I have a tumor.  Whatever it is, it’s making me uncomfortable when I sleep at night and my back is starting to feel it too.  The congestion is the same but Breathe Right strips are now my best friends at night.  I also got a steroid nasal spray from my doc but I haven’t used it yet.  The headaches have subsided a bit and I’m feeling pretty good overall.  Next ultrasound is on March 11th.

Pretty soon I won’t be able to pick up or carry KK like I do now and she’s probably gonna hate it.  Regardless, she knows why my tummy is getting bigger and sometimes she’ll point to it and say, “baby brother’s in there”. It’s hard to believe that I’m almost at the half-way point already.  So glad we are heading to Hawaii on Thursday.  It’s the next best thing to a babymoon.  The grandparents, Brother, Joy, and Alice are joining us so I may get to relax a little more than I usually do on a family trip with KK.  Only 4 more months of work before I can take a break and get ready for our newest member of the family.  Can’t wait.