Mommy to Bee

As you all know, I loved being in ZTA in college and have been actively involved in the local Zeta alum chapter since living in Los Angeles.  This past year, I was the Corresponding Secretary – the perfect job for me as I love to write cards.  Part of being in the alumnae chapter is attending our monthly meetings.  On April 22nd, I went to the meeting as usual…only when I showed up, it wasn’t our typical meeting but a surprise baby shower for me.  I was totally surprised – we’ve never done anything out of the ordinary at our meetings!  The theme was absolutely adorable – Mommy to Bee.  There were a bee-themed cake and cookies, yellow beverages with black cups, cake pops that looked like bees, and lots of other tasty treats.  The ladies in my chapter were SO sweet with their gifts and generousity…I received an adorable stepstool, lots of strawberry baby outfits (one of Zeta’s symbols is the strawberry), a few Zeta baby outfits (super cool!), some fun things we registered for (like our frog pod for the bath), and plenty of other great and necessary gifts.

Family Shower – SURPRISE!!

I thought the weekend in Texas was going to be solely focused on Amy, so I didn’t suspect a thing when our entire family passed on dessert at dinner after Amy’s hooding ceremony.  As we left the Macaroni Grill and everyone headed their separate ways, Amy took us on a tour of the area around TCU.  When we got back to the hotel, Amy walked into the conference room area and I began to wonder what was going on…we walked through the door and there was my family (all those in town for Amy’s graduation) waiting with a beautiful cake, beverages, and lots of presents.  It was such a great surprise and so fun to celebrate Baby Vo with everyone!!  I could tell that my mom and sister really thought of all the details and I was super impressed that all of my cousins, aunts, uncle, and grandma kept it a secret.  Baby Vo is lucky to have such a thoughtful family!!  (She’s also very lucky to have her stroller, bottle drying rack, some very cute clothes, and many other great necessities now.)

Into a New Decade

Today I turned 30 years old.  I don’t really remember the first three or four years, but I can tell you that I’ve enjoyed the last 25 years.  This also means that I will be the same age when Baby Vo is born as my mom was when I was born.  If nothing else, it will always be easy for Baby Vo to calculate how old its mom and grandmother are!

As with everything else that Steve plans, this weekend was full of surprises and fun.  I have to say that it was by far the best birthday celebration I’ve ever had!  We started by going out for Mediterranean food on Friday.  (We had a Groupon that allowed us to enjoy a full tasting menu.)  The restaurant easily made it into our top 10 LA restaurants, which is funny because it was also featured as one of LA’s hot new restaurants in LA Magazine’s January issue.  While we were enjoying our lamb and risotto, Steve passed me a gift…a beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings!  I had a wonderful pair that I wore for our wedding.  Unfortunately, those were stolen when our house was robbed a few years ago.  I’ve always wanted to replace them and these are perfect.  I love them!

On Saturday, we relaxed most of the day and then we headed over to Jeff and Dana’s house to go to dinner with them.  Steve and Jeff said that they were going to watch a game while Dana and I hung out with little Evy.  I have to admit, I thought it was odd that we were going to dinner in Sherman Oaks considering the Breas live in Santa Monica, we live in mid-city, and Jenny and Brian were driving up from San Diego, but I didn’t question it.  (Sherman Oaks is in the Valley north of Los Angeles.)  Anyhow, Dana and I arrived at the restaurant and we all walked in…passed the other diners…all the way to the back of the restaurant…where we went into a room full of almost all of our friends here in LA!  There were over 40 people there!!

As it turns out, Steve sent out REAL invitations weeks in advance and everyone wanted to celebrate with us.  It was so amazing being surrounded by my friends and I think everyone had a great time.  At the end of the evening, after I blew out the candles on the beautiful cake from Porto’s, Steve and I announced to our friends that we were expecting Baby Vo.  Although some people in the room already knew, the majority were surprised…so all in all, it was a surprise party for everyone.

Today, Steve and I went out to dinner in Malibu at a great restaurant overlooking the ocean.  The food was phenomenal (I had a lobster tail in vanilla sauce) and just being with Steve was the best I could ask for.  He is a great husband and I am certain he will be an excellent dad!!

Telling the Buben Grandparents

Last night, we exchanged gifts with my family and the very last gift exchanged was the frame with Baby Vo’s picture inside.  Both of my parents were completely and utterly surprised.  Naturally, Steve and I enjoyed seeing their reactions (a mix of shock and excitement).  On top of that, Amy and Jeremy were with us to hear the news and both seemed enthusiastic, too.   Check out the video below:

After we told my parents about the baby, my dad and sister immediately started asking a million questions about the medical stats on Baby Vo.  Meanwhile, my mom just sort of disappeared.  A few minutes later, my mom wandered down the stairs with a UW bag full of the most adorable baby clothes, including a pair of newborn UW baby socks.  Steve, of course, loves all of the items and can’t wait to see Baby Vo in his or her little UW overalls….I hope Steve’s not disappointed if Baby Vo decides to attend a different college.  (Unless Baby Vo thinks Oregon is a good choice, in which case Steve might disown Baby Vo.)

This morning, my mom and I called my mom’s family in Orchard.  They were all SUPER excited to hear the news.  I really enjoyed hearing the excitement in all of their voices…Baby Vo is already very loved!!

Telling Ong Noi and Ba Noi

Steve is one of the most creative people I know when it comes to surprises and he didn’t want the news of Baby Vo to be an exception.  Before we went to Seattle, Steve bought frames that said “First Grandchild” and inserted copies of our ultrasound picture.   (It was surprisingly difficult to find such frames.)  I then wrapped the frames as Christmas gifts to look identical to the rest of the gifts that we carried up north.  Today, we exchanged gifts with Steve’s parents.  First, we gave Steve’s dad an antenna for his new TV.  Then, we gave Steve’s mom a new camera.  Finally, we handed the frame to Steve’s parents.  As they opened the gift, Steve’s mom knew exactly what it was….Steve’s dad?  Not so much.  Once Steve explained what the picture was to his father, both of Steve’s parents hugged us with joy.  Baby Vo will be their first grandchild!!  As indicated by the title of this post, Baby Vo will call Steve’s parents the Vietnamese words for paternal grandfather and paternal grandmother – Ong Noi and Ba Noi.