Christmas Gatherings 2008

After a week after Caitlin's birthday party, we came back up to the peninsula. We had a great time staying with YeYe, MaMa, and Rica for Christmas Day. We got to exchange gifts and just bond as a family for two days in a row. The following day, Eugene, Caitlin and I spent the couple of hours in San Bruno with my side of the family with my parents and siblings for lunch at the Ming's Restuarant. Then on Saturday, we went out for lunch in San Mateo to catch up with our college friends. Everyone who had kids brought their babies. Yesterday night, we had dinner at Applebee's in San Jose with Eugene's mentor and friend and his wife. It was nice since we're all busy teaching during the semester. During the day time, Eugene's parents came down and took us out for dim sums for our birthdays, since we're all Capricorns. =) Caitlin loved all the attention on her the whole time. It was a very busy week for us, and Caitlin is totally exhausted right now. We're finally back at home relaxing and running small errands.

Caitlin's 1st Birthday Bash

Caitlin had her first birthday party last weekend. It was a lot fun. Eugene and I were able to catch up with our family and friends. We had about 40 guests, which included children and babies. Caitlin had a great time just hanging out with other kidos. She really enjoyed hanging out with Rachel and Alyssa jie jie. We can tell that Caitlin can not wait to be more mobile, so she can catch up with all the other kids, who are walking and running. There were lots of food for the adults and children. Caitlin got lots of gifts from all our guests. She was the center of attention. Caitlin definitely milked it. We took plenty of videos and pictures of that day , since we know Caitlin will not remember. All the adults had a great time eating and catching up. We know that YeYe and MaMa did a lot of food preparation for the party. We appreciate that YeYe and MaMa were able to host the party. YeYe and Grand Uncle Ben did the BBQ. MaMa ordered a yummy and beautiful cake for Caitlin. Caitlin got to wear 2 party dresses that day. I especially loved her evening dark blue one.

Christmas Chaos for Mommy and Daddy

Christmas is one of my favorite holiday, but it's one of my busiest one. I have been balancing preparation and planning for all the Christmas and Gingerbread themes and activities for my kidos in my class. Everyone in my school is also practicing for our Christmas Sing-Along Performance next week. We are also busy with our 2nd Harvest Can Food Drive and anticipating our Christmas school play from the drama club. I have not even typed up my annual class Christmas party letter for next Thursday. Our staff party is this upcoming Thursday. I have started shopping Christmas gifts for my colleagues and family. I just ordered the Christmas greeting cards. I am not even thinking of wrapping gifts until this Friday. There is Caitie's pie's birthday bash coming up next weekend. Eugene has been in a whirwind in trying to finish up his assignments and lesson plans for his classes, which is ending this week. He has been pulling a lot of all nighters to complete his tasks for his student teaching. Both of us so caught up with our work or school related work that we try to remind ourselves not to miss this stage of Caitlin's growth.

Caitlin has started to take her 1st step of walking without any support, but she still preferred to cruise around. She does a lot of cutsey shaking head and squinting her eyes to amuse us now. Caitlin has started teething again. It is her teeth on her bottom gum that are coming out. She is doing a lot of peek-a-boo games with us.

Thanksgiving Day

It is time for family gathering and eating. This a nice break from our daily work and school schedule. It also gives us more time to spend with our 11 months old baby girl and catch up on sleep and naps for me. It has been a treat for Eugene and me to see how much Caitlin has grown in little and big ways. Both of our families were able to get together again to hang out for Thanksgiving. This year, we are so happy to be able to have Rica and Lina to join us. We were able to enjoy Grandma Rebecca's famous potato salad and her annual yummy Thanksgiving turkey, which look forward every year. There were lots of other delicious food and dessert to enjoy.The biggest treat was everyone was able to spend some time with little Caitie pie. She was the center of attention -not the turkey! Here are some pictures from my camera. I can not wait to see everyone else pictures from that day. =)

One Sick Family

Caitlin was getting over a stomach flu the week before last, and she has a cold now. Her nose is still running and congested. She has the baby coughs too. It is her first cold. I know there will be more in the future. She had a slight fever last week on her 3rd day of catching a cold. I was glad that her fever went away after one baby dose of Tylenol and nice bath in the evening.

Eugene has been coughing. I had bad sore throat after whole day of parent conferences middle of this week. It lasted 2 days, and I have a lot of dry coughs right now. The whole family is drinking a lot of water. I am napping a lot too in the evening. This is the 1st time the whole family is sick. I was told is a norm after you have a kiddo. We're one sick family right now.

Caitlin's Little Challenges

It is almost mid- November already. I thought I better blog a little on Caitie pie. Eugene has been so busy with his class and student teaching work. As you noticed, you have not seen Eugene write anything lately. I have been working on report cards, students' portfolios box and getting things ready for my parent conferences next week. Caitlin has been fighting a stomach flu and horrible diaper rash last week. We had to switch back to lactose free formula milk and feed her good old fashion-- juk (porridge). However, Caitlin still loves her daily Cheerios and Sweet Potato Puffs. Additionally, Caitlin has been teething and has 6 visible little teeth. (I can't believe how much she has grown.)

Caitlin is also quite an adventurous baby. She loves to grab on things and cruise around. She loves to dig and grab on things she is not supposed to. I think it's typical for any baby at her age. I know she will be keep us on our toes once she can walk independently. She already gets into things, as you can tell from the pictures.

Caitlin Moments

Wow, it's almost the end of October. I totally can't believe it. Caitie pie just turned 10 months this past Tuesday. She's been getting into a lot of trouble around the house. We need to get another fence to keep her safe. Caitlin can pull herself up from a sitting position and grabs anything she can reach. Caitlin is definitely like all the babies around her age-- the exploring age. Here are some recent photos of Caitlin that we took professionally. Caitlin is wearing Auntie Rica's penguin costume and one of my favorite Hawaiian dresses. We all had a very fun time during the photo session.

Hello Kitty Imposter

In that time of year where we love to go to arts and crafts fairs, Oktoberfest, and other weekend events, today we went to Babies 'R Us. It was their store opening anniversary day. In addition to getting a discount on our purchases, Caitie pie got a chance to take a photo with Geoffrey. It was our 1st professional photo shoot for our little troublemaker. Caitlin was wearing her cutie Hello Kitty Halloween outfit that we got from Jenaya and Kalyssa jie jie. Our next goal is get more pictures of Caitlin in Auntie Rica's penguin outfit, which Auntie Rica purchased for her before she was born last year.

Caitie's Busy Day

We had a very busy day. We went Eugene's mentor and friend's birthday gathering this afternoon. Caitlin got to hang around other adults and kids. Caitie pie had so much fun that she did not want to nap. Then we headed down to downtown San Jose and checked out the Japantown fair.This evening, Caitlin took her first few steps, once with Eugene and once with me this evening. Before she went to bed, Caitlin was playing "pee-a-boo" with Eugene. Caitlin kept covering her face and pulling her pink banklet away. It was just so adorable. I wished I videotape those moments. I guess next time.

An Average Baby

So apparently, Caitlin is an average baby. We went to the doctor for her 9 month checkup today, and like the 4 other times, Caitlin got to get naked and weighed and measured. She is 18 lbs. 6.7 oz., 27.25 inches long, and has a head circumference of 44". This makes her 50th, 40th and 50th percentile respectively. A tad short, but otherwise average.

Before she was slightly hefty at 60th percentile in weight 3 months ago, but apparently all that crawling and getting into things she's not supposed to get into, has trimmed her down a tad. I would have almost thought that the extra carbs from the massive amounts of Cheerios would have made her gain weight. =)

Caitlin's Mile Stones

We have been so busy. I haven't posted anything since work started, plus I had jury duty. I just got dismissed last Wednesday. Caitlin is growing so fast. Ever since Caitlin was able to scoot around, she really loves her freedom and has been scooting all around the house. Her full set of hair has gotten a little bit longer. Caitlin turns 9 months tomorrow, and she is crawling, kneeling, standing with support, hanging off the side of the banister of the crib and eating Cheerios by herself. It's so...... cute. I'm still trying to teach her baby sign language, but I haven't had any obvious progress. People just tell me to keep trying. Caitlin has been making a lot of sounds and doing lots of baby talk. Caitlin our little troublemaker, loves to pose for the camera.

Cheerios

Caitlin has a favorite new toy. We gave her a single Cheerio one day and like everything else, she stuck it in her mouth. We were overjoyed to find that she neither choked or spit it out. Caitlin happily chawed on it (chawing is chewing, except without teeth) and eventually it was soggy enough to be swallowed. How exciting. Anna and I celebrated and gave her another Cheerio. With great enthusiasm, she held onto the Cheerio awkwardly between her first and second finger while poking it with her other hand. She turned it around and switched it between her hands, promptly dropping it until I picked it up and handed it back to her. I suppose the small loop of processed oats was a wonderment for the mind of an 8 month old... but it certainly wasn't food. Anna and I tried to show her that Cheerios were edible by example, and as many Cheerios as she watched us eat, her personal Cheerio was designated for study.

So far I have observed that our 8 month old scientist discovered a few key facts about Cheerios:

1. If squeezed, a Cheerio breaks into many smaller pieces that are easily lost or spread around the living room.
2. If held long enough in sweaty palms, they turn into the same mush as if you had it in your mouth for a shorter time.
3. The little Cheerio jar makes a fun sound when you shake it.
4. Cheerios are for eating if stuck in mouth. Cheerios are for play if placed in hand.
5. Cheerios are more fun than anything mom and dad has bought for Caitlin from stores.

End of Summer

As I shopped for my class supplies for the new school year, I know it signals the end of my summer. I will be returning back to school this week to start cleaning, setting up and prepping for my 1st week of school. It's really hard to believe that it will be the end of my "stay at home mom" status. (Boo-hoo.....) Eugene has his student teaching orientation next Thursday, and I am back at work for a full day inservice. It has been fun watching Caitlin grow so much just these past 2-3 weeks. She has started to scoot on her tummy and continues to roll around as she explores around her environment. Caitie-pie is starting to get into things, and she's not a full fledged crawler yet. Caitlin just started to use her legs a little. She's still adjusting back to her normal napping pattern. Her naps has gotten a lot shorter and have become less frequent. One thing I do love is that Caitlin has the best hairdo when she wakes up!

More Family Visits

Eugene and I are so happy that Caitlin finally got to meet Grand Auntie Linda and Grand Uncle Ben. Caitie immediately connected with them. Caitie couldn't keep her eyes off Grand Auntie Linda. Grand Auntie Linda sure knows how to play, talk and keep Caitlin's attention on her. Grand Uncle Ben and Grand Auntie Linda came with Eugene's grandma, Tai Ma. Since Tai Ma is staying with MaMa & YeYe's house for a little while, Caitlin gets to hang out more with Tai Ma. Caitlin really loves meeting more of the Law Clan family members. Everyone had a nice evening together. We all got to enjoy YeYe's fresh geoduck clam dish and yummy Harris Ranch beef from Grand Uncle Ben and Grand Auntie Linda for dinner.

Caitlin's First Visit to Chinatown in SF

As we traveled back from Tahoe to the Bay Area, Eugene's parents decided to swing by San Francisco to meet up with my parents and have dinner with them in Chinatown. We had really good Hong Kong style food for dinner. Eugene and I had never seen such a huge claypot dish in our lives called "sa-wall". It had clear rice noodles, mushrooms, chicken and lots of wanton dumplings for Eugene. =) It was a nice visitation since my parents don't come down to San Jose unless they get a ride from my siblings or us. PoPo and GungGung finally got to see Caitlin again since Father's Day. It was a nice visitation for Caitlin's grandparents to catch up and adore our little Caitie pie! Our little Mo Mo Chong had a very long and busy week.

Caitlin's First Vacation

Caitlin has been pretty much a homebody for all her life, but finally Grandma and Grandpa decided to head to South Tahoe, so we all got in the car, and made our way to Tahoe! Auntie Rica even came up from San Diego to spend the week with us. We would have had pictures a week ago, but I accidentally left our camera at Grandpa's house, so we ended up having to wait a week to share.

While everything was new to Caitlin, even Anna got to see something new. This was Anna's first time at the *actual* Lake Tahoe!! We took the time to head to Emerald Bay, and had the privilege of being Caitlin's chauffeur on the mile or so hike to the shore of Emerald Bay (from the road, which is quite a hike above from the shore line. So after years of skiing in Tahoe, mommy finally visited the reason the town is called "Lake" Tahoe. =)

Caitlin also got to go swimming for the first time EVER!!! She didn't cry or anything, but did have fun at the pool (no, no, we didn't swim in the lake) with her new Seahorse floaty device. She loved splashing the water and was quite mobile, kicking her little feet like duck-feet beneath the flotation device.As usual, vacations never last long enough, and we had to go home, but we all had a great time.

Music Class

Caitlin has been attending Gymboree with mommy for the past couple weeks. She has been taking a Music class and a Do-er class (sort of like day camp for infants). She *LOVES* the Music class, and is now an expert in the maracas and dancing (with mom's help).She's the youngest baby in the class, and is the only one who isn't self mobile. We did notice that she is really observant and really wants to learn to crawl. So far, no forward movement, but she does a cute little frog swim, when she's trying real hard. She does roll over really well in both directions, and can spin in place and occasionally scoot backwards. We're really proud of her.

Today Caitlin was doing a peekaboo activity with lots of colorful scarves, and during the transition and clean-up, Caitie decided it would be a nice time to charm all onlookers by rolling her way into the big pile of scarves. Mommy managed to snap a picture and send it to me on my cellphone, so I could help Caitlin charm all of my friends in my summer school class.

Of course, now we have to share and charm everyone who reads this blog while we are at it.

Mommy's Little Precious Baby

Caitlin Brianne came into our lives as a 6 pounds baby and 19 inches long. Her Chinese name is Ga Yun (Rejoice in God's grace or Rejoice in God's gift). Caitlin is her Americanized spelling of her Chinese name. Caitlin means "pure" and Brianne means "strong". We also call her Caitie, YunYun or just her Chinese name. I can't believe how big she has gotten as Eugene and I picked one picture of each month of Caitie-pie for the blog! It has been an exciting summer for me since I get to stay home with her the whole summer as an official "full-time mommy" until I start work again in the late August. It has given me an opportunity to see Caitlin's development. =)

In the Beginning

On Friday, December 21, 2007 at 11:20 am, baby Caitlin came into our lives. Here's a quick recap of the past 7 months.

At Birth:

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

Yesterday!

What's Mo Mo Chong?

Huh? What are you talking about?

Well, let's start from the beginning... Baby Caitlin was born 7 months ago. Pretty early on, Anna wanted to make a blog, similar to those of our family and friends. After months of procrastination, we finally decided to go ahead and jump in, since it's the "in-thing" to do when having a baby. Besides, it's nice to be able to show off Caitlin and not seem so snobby as to just constantly send out HUGE e-mails of pictures to everyone. =)

Then we ran into a problem... we needed a name for the blog. I didn't want our names in it, since the focus would be on Caitlin, but at the same time we didn't want Caitlin's name, in case we accidentally had another baby. ;)

So we had to think of something that would work for any number of babies or just in general. One of the books that Anna reads to Caitlin is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. For some odd reason, Anna has a copy of it in Chinese. Anna translated the Chinese and told me that the caterpillar is called mo mo chong (fuzzy fuzzy bug). In Pinyin it would be máo máo chóng. Caitlin's bed time sleeping buddy also happens to be a caterpillar.

So, what best to call our blog? Mo Mo Chong. Why not?