It's A ......

Right from the get go we were asked if we wanted to know the sex of the child and ours was an resounding 'yes'. Thus we thought we'd be receiving an immediate answer .... half an hour later ... many, many measurements and finally ... it's a girl!!!! It was a surprise, but a nice one, it's good to know we'll have one of each. She was just as camera shy as Isaac was and kept her hands and arms over her face. We spent much of our dinner considering girl names.

Her heart, kidneys, length of bones, etc all looked normal. This is great news since it lowers the risk of Down Syndrome for her from 1/27 to 1/75. We will still see the perinatologist tomorrow morning. The question remains if we want to risk an amniocentesis. We shall keep you posted.

Snuddle Time Playdoh and TP

We found the solutions to Isaac's sleep problems, extra snuggle (or snuddle) time. Since Kent began spending an extra 10 mins every evening snuggling and talking to Isaac, he stays asleep and in bed all through the night. It's wonderful!

He's also added a morning snuddle session when he gets up first thing and comes into the room to crawl into bed with me. At first it was a little irritating, but now it's become my favorite thing. He tucks his cold little feet up against my legs, wriggles in close and once he's settled he'll doze for 10-15 mins. I watched him this morning, twitching a little in his sleep. He's so beautiful and it amazes me that God has given me the privilege of having him to teach, love and hold. He wakes up slowly, and we usually chat about the day or anything that's on his mind (usually, things like raisins, cereal and fruit - how can you tell he's my son!) It's been a wonderful way to start the day.

I realized looking at him how much he's growing up. He's become rather vocal, using words we didn't know he knew to try and explain what he wants. Most of the time it's in English, but if I ask it of him, he say it in Cantonese for me. While it's been wonderful to actually talk to him there are things I miss. I miss the way he'd put his teeth together and suck in when he wanted cheese, or his varying 'clacks' of the tongue, one for light and one for ice cream depending on the pitch. (Yes, he did sound like that odd African tribe and their tongue clacking language) His garbled baby talk will soon leave him entirely and I will miss the sweet indecipherable sounds.



Other fun things to note: he has a love-hate relationship with playdoh, he loves all the possibilities that can be done, but hates how he can't manipulate it to do exactly what he wants. Here he's loudly announcing he's "DONE!!!!"



He loves building with the TP rolls, but knows that he's not to unwrap them. Of course, being the inquisitive toddler he his, he can't help but wonder why. This is the end result ... I should have known that 5 minutes of silence was dangerous! While he cleaned up he kept rolling himself up in it and laughing at his tissue thin toga. Mama had a hard time keeping a stern face.

Late Night Bunny Recovery Team

As some of you may know, we have a pet rabbit named Sunshine. Previous to our move she was an indoor rabbit, running about the house much as a cat would. Our house was all tile and she was 'potty trained' easily so it was never much of an inconvenience. Once we moved, all our apartments had carpet. While the traction was great for her, she also loved sinking her teeth into the fibers. Soon we had to relegate her to the balcony with supervised playtime indoors. Typically we put her in her box for the night and bring her indoors but last night she was missing. The wood panel we'd wedged into place had blown over and she'd squeezed out through the gap.

So at 10 pm Kent and I found ourselves outside going from bush to bush calling, "Sunshine... come bunny come!" She isn't very adventurous so we figured she hadn't wandered too far. A half hour later Kent found her. She had crossed the parking lot and sat huddled between bushes. Kent muttered something about the, "Stupid rabbit ..." but kept it under his breath knowing of my love for the silly animal. Between her fall from a balcony last year (see older post of 'Bunnoudini' ) and her late night adventures, I hope she makes it until we move back into our house. How many lives does a rabbit have anyway?


This is an old picture of Sunshine, she hates being carried this way! ;0)

A Little Anxious

It was so nice last night to finally feel the little guy move. It was different from when I was pregnant with Isaac, much more pronounced. I halfway wonder if I've been too busy to notice the flutters I remember feeling before. This one also seems much less active ... I'm sure I'll eat my words once he/she is out! ;0)

Unfortunately we also received some news that has me a little anxious. My blood tests results for Down Syndrome came back higher than average ... which just means my doctor is recommending me to see a perineonatologist (sp?) for more testing. Given my age, past miscarriages and certain levels of hormones they come to some 'at-risk ratio' that determines whether further testing needs to be done. While I know that more often than not, further testing reveals all is well I still worry. I also don't relish the thought of an amniocentesis ... who would! The idea of an incredibly long needle/tube entering my belly into my uterus to aspirate some fluid makes me shudder. Our appointment for a consult is on the Friday morning we leave for Florida ... it gives us something chew on while we fly out. We'll keep you posted.

Well Worth It!

We had an enormously busy day out in Tempe today. Kent's work had a carnival out there in Kawanis and we drove out early for some family fun. I must admit I was reluctant at first, it's a long ways away and was sure to disrupt our schedule ... but I let go the the 'Mom' in me and I'm so glad we went.




Isaac was thrilled to feed the ducks and kept yelling for more food for them. Mama, being the practical Chinese she is, kept wondering how good such fat birds would be for Peking Duck! After that we spent sometime at a playground to run off some energy.



We got there just as things were starting up. The night before there was a toy just like this at the church game night, but Isaac was too terrified to try it. Fortunately, this one was made for adults as well, so Papa was induced to get on and show Isaac some fun. Before we knew it, we could hardly get the kid off! Inside it, you could climb up to an enormous slide that Isaac just couldn't get enough of. Unfortunately, the rungs on the ladder for it were too far apart, this entailed that Papa had to push him up and then slide down and begin the adventure all over again .... and again....and again. At one point Kent suggested I should have gotten in with Isaac. Talk about an amusing thought (for the observer and most definitely not for me) a winded pregnant woman attempting to shove a 30lb boy up a steep wall while on unsteady ground. I'm glad I skipped it!






Today was a day of many 'firsts' for Isaac. We're never tempted at a carnival-like atmosphere to buy cotton candy or snow cones ... it's far too expensive! ("that thing costs what 3 dim sum dishes would be!") But today those things were just a part of the party and we took full advantage of it. Besides, Kent and Isaac had burned a wallop of sugar off playing, it was time to refill!




There is something intrinsic in the nature of cotton candy that makes one feel like a kid again. Maybe it's the fact you're sinking your teeth into air for that whisper of sugar that melts instantly on your tongue in a delightful strawberry flavor. Or perhaps its because tickles your hair and eyelashes as you get a mouthful and end up looking like a pinkified Santa. I don't know exactly what it is, but each time I have it, I feel like a little person again!



Isaac kept saying 'bbrrrr' as he ate his snow cone but he sure as heck wouldn't put it down for a second!

As is, we were way off schedule and had to sing loudly to keep Isaac from falling asleep on the way home. It was worth it though.

Where do Babies Come From?

Isaac's a real jewel first thing in the morning. He loves sitting in our bed reading books under the covers while I get ready for the day. Now that I'm beginning to really show, I often point out where 'baby' is. Being the sweetheart he is, he came up to me and offered his blanket to 'baby'. He seemed a little offended when I explained that 'baby' doesn't need his blanket yet, so I pulled out one of the pregnancy books I have and began to show him the pictures. Right away he could pick out 'baby'. He was fascinated as we looked through the months and I explained that until 'baby' was big enough, he/she couldn't come out. Of course this entailed showing him the birthing pictures. He's read a lot of books about birds hatching from eggs and I didn't want him to think Mama just cracked right open (though that's a little like how it feels!) Once I was done explaining he looked thoughtfully at my belly, gave it a kiss and said, "Hi baby". I thought I did my job well especially when he came back to look some more at the pictures.

Later today after a particularly filling lunch, Isaac lifted up his shirt and pointed to his belly, "BABY" he proudly said. Okay, so my job wasn't quite as thorough as I thought. I explained that he would someday be a Papa and only Mama's can carry babies inside. Now I'm just waiting for the day when he points to a larger woman and loudly says, "BABY"! How do I explain that one!



Here he's practicing for when baby comes, packing a diaper and even giving kisses!

Time's Quick Passage

I had my doctor appointment on Tuesday and was a little shocked when the doctor said I was almost halfway through! Due to all the miscarriages we had before Isaac, the time between doctor visits moved as slow I do going to a dentist and with just as much apprehension. This time it's been totally different and I was surprised to hear we'll see the sex of the child the day before we leave for Florida. (in two weeks) I still have yet to feel the little tyke move inside me. It probably has to do with the fact that Isaac has me chasing him around all day long with hardly a thought of anything else. Is that a blessing or a curse?! I probably don't really want to know the answer to that!

Got Pee?

It was a busy evening. In addition to having our Family Home Evening, we decided to give Isaac his very own potty. Now prior to this, I'd been reading many books to him about using the potty. He loves them and never fails to pull them out to read multiple times in a day. He loves flushing the toilet (especially when Mama is still sitting on it), can say 'pee-pee' and 'poo-poo' and can take off his own pants. I taught him these things tentatively, just because I'd heard so many nightmare stories from other moms about toilet training - especially with boys.

Since speaking with these moms I've modified my expectations: I know he'll probably be in pull-ups during the night for a LONG time, I'm going to be ultra serious of doing it when we're home (which is all but 4 hours in a day where we'll be drink water and juice like crazy), and I'm willing to use pull-ups when we go out and make the move later to underwear and risk being peed on, above all, I know this will be a unsanitary and tedious business but worthwhile in the end. Given these thoughts, we planned to get serious about it after we get back from Disney World, but gave him the potty two and a half weeks early so he could 'play' with it and get prepped for it when we come back.

He was thrilled with it and immediately practiced sitting down. I didn't expect anything more, but he insisted on removing his clothing and diaper. He said he need to 'pee-pee'. Lo and behold, after sitting down and getting up multiple times, he had actually peed in it. Of course we never thought he would and never really looked until he was carting the potty around and spilling pee on the carpet! "Duh Mama and Papa .... didn't I say I had to pee-pee?"


A present this large has got to be good! Yes, I used Christmas wrap.

Giving One Tenth

Isaac has amazed us lately with what he is able to repeat. We often count out items we see around us and in books. It helps that he has a number puzzle he enjoys doing. But often as we count slowly, he is able to say the consecutive number clear as a bell. I don't think he quite understands what it means, but he knows that 3 always follows 2 and so forth. We decided to combine this with a lesson on tithing from Malachi 3:8-12.

So we laid out the numbers and he was excited to count the lemons, pennies and quarters we gave him. After counting them out, we had him choose one of the ten to give to the Lord, his tithe. We tried explaining how all our blessings are from the Lord and how a tenth is but a small amount to give back to Him. I'm pretty sure that all went over his head as he bounced from number to number, but I'm glad he had fun counting.

Heart Attack!

So since the last post about Isaac sleeping at our door in the morning he's been really good about sleeping in his bed until I get him up. On the other hand I've been up almost every 2-3 hours at night, taking a potty break, filling a famished stomach or due to the insistent beeping of Kent's pager. Technology definitely has its set backs... if only the stupid thing would beep when there's an important message, rather than every time someone decides to send an email.

Needless to say, after several nights like this I was absolutely exhausted last night and dropped like a boulder off a cliff. Imagine a sleep so deep that your limbs feel as if they've been cemented to the bed. Around 4 am I barely registered a strange noise in our room. Before I could comprehend what it was, I was already falling back asleep when suddenly a tiny cold hand grabs at me. I gasp with my heart lodged in my throat and turn to see Isaac crawling up into our bed. It made me wonder if my heart-attack like symptoms are the reason why mothers learn never to sleep too deeply!

Pioneer Village

We had a blast and a half with the Bakers on Saturday at Pioneer Village. The old buildings and desert landscape made for a great backdrop. One of the best parts was there was plenty of room for the kids to run to exhaustion. The picnic lunch that could feed 20 topped the day off nicely. We all went home and experienced the bliss of incoherence for and hour and a half. Ahhh, the luxury of naps! Below are some favorites.


This has to be among one of my favorite shots. We kept trying to do some family pictures but due to the wind, lack in coordinate camera attention ... and oh and impossible poses, it was never fully achieved! Though, Lee got to relive his childhood.


I was positive that Isaac was going to get his head stuck between the bars!