I am ONE

Today, I am ONE YEAR OLD!!  It’s been a fun year and I’ve enjoyed sharing my milestones, travels, and fun times with you.  At just over 15 lbs. and 29 inches long, I end this year as a healthy, happy, walking, and babbling little person.  For the upcoming year, I will turn the blog back over to my Mommy, who will continue to share our family’s story.  But for now, I’ll say “bye bye” and give you a little wave since that is one of my favorite things to do.  (I will follow this by covering my eyes and waiting for you to find me.)  Thanks for reading!

Month by month…

11 Months

Yesterday was my 11-month birthday.   I played with my friends at daycare, enjoyed broccoli, eggplant, and yogurt, and had fun with Mommy and Daddy as we played with my blocks and read books in the evening.  My favorite book that I always pick from the bookshelf is “The Littlest Puppy.”  My Mommy sings the words to me and I like to dance.

I almost weigh 15 lbs now and fit comfortably into 6-month clothes.  Daddy says that I’ll need a new car seat soon because I am 29 inches tall – the maximum height for my current car seat.

I have a pink hippo that I like to sleep with at night, but let’s be honest, I’d rather sleep with Mommy and Daddy.  My top two teeth are trying to come in and they hurt, so I wake up every night and I cry until Mommy comes to get me.  Mommy and Daddy try to leave me in my crib, but I discovered that if I scream loud enough, they will come rushing in.  In fact, I’ve found that if I cry much at all, Mommy will pick me up and cuddle me.  I love to cuddle!

Ten Months

Monday was my 10 month birthday.  This month was exciting.  I spent a night at my Ong Noi and Ba Noi’s house while Mommy and Daddy went to a wedding in Palm Springs.  I celebrated my Mommy’s first Mother’s Day.  I went to Seattle.  In Seattle, I saw my Mammer, Grandpa and Uncle Jeremy.  I enjoyed every moment with them!  I got to meet my pen pal, Livie.  (My Mommy and Daddy got to see some of their friends and Mommy got to attend her friend Charleen’s baby shower. )  I had a couple of playdates.  I mastered walking with my walker.  I figured out how to balance myself standing up without holding onto anything….and those are just the highlights!

In other news, I weigh almost 15 pounds and am so tall that I’ve almost outgrown my car seat.  I also have some more hair, which I love to pull.  Anyhow, I’ll try to post pictures from Seattle at some point.  For now, I’m off to find something to chew on.

Mother’s Day 2013 (from Kate)

Sunday was my first Mother’s Day and possibly one of the best days I’ve had with Emery since she was born.  First, she slept until 7:00 a.m.!!  Whoever thought that I’d be excited to “sleep in” until 7?!  When Emi woke up, she was in a very happy mood and Steve encouraged me to stay in bed while he went to get her.

A few minutes later, they both showed up with a type-written agenda for the day.   First on our list (after Emi ate) was storytime.  Instead of reading one of Emi’s favorite books from her room, Steve gave me a book called “Emery and Mommy.”  It is a really cute story about me and Emi with lots of pictures.  I love it!

Next, we got ready and went to church.  Emery could not have been in a better mood.  After church, we went to one of my favorite cafes/restaurants, Huckleberry.  Emi slept through the entire meal, but that gave me and Steve some quality time to chat.  My meal was excellent, as always, and I finished it off with a delicious chocolate and peanut butter cake slice.

After lunch, we headed home and planted a lime tree in our backyard.  The idea, which Steve came up with, is that the tree will grow and blossom with fruits just like our family.  (Not to mention, who doesn’t love limes?)

After the lime tree planting, we got out the clay and made Emery’s footprint impressions.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and Steve thought it was the perfect addition to our Mother’s Day agenda.  I can’t wait to frame it!

We followed our at-home activities up with a trip down to the Orange County Great Park, where we met our friends, Jenny and Brian (from San Diego).  The Great Park is REALLY cool.  Since it was such a beautiful day and Emi was so happy to be outside, we spent a lot of time just hanging out on the grass.  We finished the outing at the Carousel.  To be honest, Emi looked completely bored the entire time we rode around, but perhaps she was just confused.

We ended the day with an awesome buffet at the Orange Hill Restaurant.  Steve and I went on a date at the restaurant 10 years ago!  I’ve been telling Steve that I want to go back just to see what it is like now.  We did not know what to expect, but as it turns out, the place is just as fancy and delicious as we remembered.  Emery spent most of the time dropping her toys on the floor and eagerly waiting for me or Steve to pick them up.  (This is her new “game.”)

Motherhood isn’t always easy, but it’s completely worth it to see my little girl smile.  I love her so much and swear that life with her gets better by the day.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, easy-going baby and hope that she will continue to love our adventures together as she grows up.  I know this sounds cliché, but I can’t imagine life without her!

Nine Months

Yesterday was my ninth month birthday!  I’ve been living out here just as long as I was living in my Mommy’s belly.  We celebrated with a hike up in Malibu, from which I will post pictures later.  In the meantime, here are some interesting facts about me from this month.

(1) I love to crawl very quickly everywhere.  If you take your eyes off me, I can cross an entire room and be out the door before you know it.

(2) I like to pull myself up to a standing position and then walk along holding onto stuff.  If I think it’s getting a little dicey to continue in the standing position, I gently get back on my bottom and then resume a crawling position.

(3) I like to talk.  A lot.  It’s a little frustrating that Mommy and Daddy don’t understand me, but they laugh and talk back at me.  I give them credit for trying.  I do say Mamma and Ba (Dad is Vietnamese) and both parents can’t get enough of it.

(4) I enjoy clapping.  Perhaps that is because when I do, Mommy and Daddy get excited and clap with me.  It’s fun.  I do it all the time.

(5) I’ve decided that waiving goodbye is a waste of my time.  Mommy and Daddy are always trying to get me to waive, but I think it’s boring and I’d rather clap.

(6) I like to take my blocks and toys out of their bins, but when I am done playing with them, I just crawl away.  Mommy and Daddy usually put my toys away for me, so there’s no harm done.  I’ve also discovered that the easiest way to show Mommy and Daddy that I’m done with a toy while in my carseat or highchair is to simply drop the toy overboard.  It’s fun to watch Mommy and Daddy try to catch my toys before they fall on the ground!

(7) I love my veggies (including kale), but only in the fine pureed form.  Mommy tries to give me what she calls “finger food,” but let’s be honest – it’s never as good as a nice, warm purree.  I prefer to spit it out of my mouth with lots of drool.  Mommy usually gives up pretty quickly after I do this.

Spring Training

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since my parents and I went on a roadtrip to Arizona!  We drove over on a Saturday morning and made it just in time to watch the Mariners play the Rockies in a Spring Training game at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.  We met up with my new friend, Olivia, and her daddy.  We were supposed to sit on the lawn in outfield, but the sun was very strong and it was in the 90s.  My mommy was too paranoid that I might get a sun burn, so instead, we spent a lot of time standing behind the bleachers in the shade.  I enjoyed watching all of the people walking around.  As you can see by the picture, I didn’t really watch much of the game.

After the baseball game, I took my first dip into a pool at the hotel.  I thought it would be like taking a bath, but it wasn’t.  It was much colder.  I can’t really say whether I enjoyed it.  I really hope Mommy and Daddy will put me in swim classes soon so that I can enjoy my next visit to a hotel pool and not have to rely on someone holding me the whole time.

I also celebrated my first St. Patrick’s Day in Fountain Hills.  The city had a big art fair and lots of fun activities for little people like me.

Eight Months

Yesterday was my 8-month birthday.  I weighed 13 lbs. 4 oz. and measured 26 1/2 inches high.  It’s been a big month for me.  I learned how to crawl, pull myself to a standing position (now if only I could make my feet walk!), and say “Mamma.”  I’ve had some requests to post more pictures, so be on the lookout.  Over the next week or two, I plan to post pictures from Arizona and video of my new skills!

My First Art Project

Check out what I made for my parents for Valentine’s Day.  I was sick, but I think I still look pretty snazzy.

My First Teeth

On the evening of March 1st, I sprouted my first tooth!  Just two days later, on March 3rd, my second tooth made its way out.  I love having two bottom teeth…I can bite anything and everything I put in my mouth.  It’s so fun!

Seven Months

Last Wednesday, I celebrated my 7-month birthday.  This has been a great month for me.  I started eating “solid” foods.

I love carrots, yellow squash, and butternut squash.  I am not the biggest fan of green squash.  Mommy and Daddy are making my food, which is fun.  Can’t wait to see what I get to try next!

I also celebrated the Lunar New Year with my Ba Noi and Ong Noi, who gave me my first red envelope.

I loved watching the dragon dance, but when the dragons started jumping in the air, I got scared.  I can’t wait until next year when I can wear an Ao Dai, the traditional Vietnamese dress.

I also attended my first two UW basketball games – one at the Pauley Pavilion against UCLA and one at the Galen Center against USC.  UW lost both games, but I enjoyed all of the action on the Court and walking around the venues!

I should have also enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day and my Daddy’s birthday this month, but unfortunately, I brought a cold home from daycare and Mommy and Daddy have been too sick to do much for the last couple of weeks.  Hopefully everyone is feeling better soon!