Christmas Chronicle

Christmas this year began with a trip back in time to Bethlehem, courtesy of Santa Clara First Baptist Church (http://www.bethlehemsc.com/). Talented volunteers and church staff cleverly transformed a 40,000 square feet church parking lot into the ancient city where the first Christmas was celebrated. The experience was made more authentic by the actors in costumes, Roman soldiers patrolling the grounds, a bustling marketplace with ancient crafts and games, and of course sheep, donkey, and even a camel! But the highlight was, of course, the reverent retelling of Jesus' humble yet miraculous birth.

For Kayla, it was watching one of her favorite story books come to life before her eyes. She recognized Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and was equally thrilled when she got to pet the sheep, goats and camel. Even though it was freezing cold (so cold you can see your own breath), every second, we thought, was well worth it. Their website probably has better videos but here's a sneak peek.



This year, we also found time (finally!) to set up our Christmas tree. We did it quietly while Kayla was taking her nap and surprised her when she woke up.



Stay tuned for part II. :)

Hiatus

It's been a very very busy run-up to Christmas, and there's so much to tell and so little time. I'm rushing to get some work done for the magazine before the holidays are here, but I promise I'll be back with more updates and pictures once the dust settles. :)

And if I don't get a chance to write before then, here's wishing you a very blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

Disney Darling

We were thinking about going to Disney next year. I guess we'll have to now. :)

Baking is no Piece of Cake

Whenever I have free time on Friday evenings, I like to try out a new cupcake or cookie recipe. As with all things in life, the baked goods never always turn out the way you envisioned them to. But so far, I think there have been more hits than misses. I'm toying with the idea of starting a separate blog to chronicle my kitchen experiments; my only fear is that I won't be cooking/baking enough to sustain it. For now, I'll park my "culinary exploits" here.

Rainbow Cupcakes: I think these will be my all-time fav for a looooooooooooong time. It's just so chirpy and cheery; and did I mention yummy? It's really just a basic vanilla cupcake recipe with lots of different food coloring. :)

My first attempt at butter cookies if you don't count the time I spent in Home Economics class mostly trying to figure out how not to burn anything. These turned out pretty well and I've since a couple of batches.

Tofu Monsters: Just another attempt to make food more fun and entertaining for the munchkin. Note: These are precooked monsters. We keep forgetting to take pictures of them after they're done, mostly because Kayla's usually screaming for her dinner by then.

Magnetic Moment

We've made it our little family tradition to create a photo magnet of Kayla every Christmas/New Year that we share with our loved ones and close friends. Thanks to Winkflash, creating the magnet's a breeze. It's finding the perfect photo that's been the most trying. It also explains why we might be mailing out the magnets, along with our Christmas cards a little late this year.

After much agonizing, here's what we finally agreed on. :) This magical magnet moment was captured at a duck-and-geese-filled park in Morgan Hill. Love, love, love that smile.

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said...

Kayla had her 2-year checkup today and her new paed in Gilroy, Dr. Bhatia, is a gem. Instead of rushing through her examination, she took time to make Kayla feel comfortable, played little games with her so everything seemed just a tad less intimidating. I think she's what every paed should be. :)

We thank God that Kayla's in fine shape. At 23 pounds, her weight has dipped to the 10 percentile (skinny!), her height has climbed to the 50-75 percentile (yipee!), and her head is still in the 75 percentile range. Doc's not too concerned about her weight so long as she's eating well and hitting all her developmental milestones which is great. The only awful thing about this visit was the two test tubes of blood they had to draw for a haemoglobin test and mercury test. And of course, it hurt more for us than for her. She screamed and cried when she saw the nurse pull out those rubber gloves, but once it was over, she was fine and even said it didn't hurt.

I just did some major photo housekeeping and here's how much our little princess has grown.


Jan 08

Nov 08

Birthday Bash

The photos are on their way... and we had a great time despite the fact that Kayla caught a chill, had a runny nose and a fever the day before. She got to shake Chuck E Cheese's hand and I think that was all that mattered. :)

I'm going to keep this short because I'm feeling a little under the weather (I suspect it's the same bug! ugh!). But here's something she said today that made me laugh.

Me: Kayla, you've to be potty-trained if you want to go to school.
Kayla: I want to sit on the train. Choo choo!

(took me a while to realize she thought potty trained was a train.)

Anyhow, potty training is another chapter on its own. We've gone from pull-ups to underwear...but we're not quite 100 percent yet. Hopefully in the next week or so.

Food for Thought

In my two short and inexperienced years of mommyhood, I've heard this (and repeated it to a handful of new mom friends) a couple of times: You either get one that sleeps well or eats well. Kayla belongs to the "Eat Well" camp. She still doesn't sleep through the night, but I think I'd rather constantly coax her to sleep than coax her to eat. It's just easier.

Since she got her full set of baby chompers, she's been busy getting acquainted with all things edible. To my amazement, she loves eating spring onions chopped up and raw, for a snack and will eat pasta, in any shape and form, plain. She likes anything drenched with alfredo sauce, spring rolls, pot stickers, fish sticks, salmon (steamed, baked, fried), meatballs, mushrooms, tofu, eggs, spinach, brocolli, asparagus, olives, bean sprouts, peas, edamame--pretty much anything that doesn't require too much chewing. While her dislikes are few and far between, she has very fierce and strong opinions about them. On the "I DON'T LIKE!" list: carrots, spaghetti sauce (she loves ketchup, but not any else tomato-ey).... and I really can't think of anymore at this point. See, I meant it when I say she eats everything, well almost.

Soon, I'll have to look up recipes and start cooking things on my don't-fancy list (eggplant, okra, squash, tomatoes, pork) and Mike's yuck-list (sardines, anchovies!). After all, I see no good reason to deprive my child of certain foods because our personal dislikes. She can make up her own mind. :)

Oh, and our birthday girl got into a tiny accident earlier today. She was practising her bunny hops near a table when she slipped and hit her chin on the corner. Big, bad bruise with some swelling that subsided a little after we iced it. Plus she scratched her nose pretty badly two days ago, leaving a huge scab on it. Poor baby... looks like her birthday party pics this coming Saturday will need some photoshop magic.

And before I forget, happy Thanksgiving. :)

You're Two!

Happy Birthday Kayla!

My Little Drama Queen

Nov 8: Her little Tinkerbell dance. She LOVES dancing.

Oct 20: At the playground again. It's pretty awesome to watch her go from crawling up the steps of the play structure just a year ago to navigating them all by herself. Listen as she sings one of her fav ditties--"Wheels on the Bus"

Oct 20: Her fav slide at this moment in time. She won't go on any other...

Oct 26: Dancing (again!) and belting what's to my ears the sweetest version of Amazing Grace.

Hush Hush

It's been a pretty subdued November, filled with mostly cold days (save for the past week) and stressful mornings trying to get the holiday issue of the magazine out of the way. Kayla has been very patient most days (which only makes me feel more guilty!), playing quietly by herself and flipping through her books and the mountain of toy catalogs we've received in the past few weeks.

Speaking of toys - with her second birthday fast approaching - we've amassed a whole new generation of thingamajigs. Daddy and mommy bought her a talking dollhouse (it's so cool that even I have fun playing with it), Grandma and grandpa's presents sit unwrapped in the garage, likewise the gifts from Auntie Lynn and Auntie Andrea (thank you so so much babes!). And Po Po and Gong Gong's dress will be saved for summer 09...

We haven't quite decided what we're going to do for her birthday -- most likely a simple family lunch and a trip to Chuck E Cheese (by specific request from the birthday girl). We haven't even ordered the cake, which reminds me we'd better do it today, considering it's Thanksgiving week and all. Who or what's going to be on the cake? I'm not sure. It's a toss-up between Abby Cadaby and Dora the Explorer at this point. Tinkerbell, whom she is obsessed with lately, is another keen contender. I'll keep y'all posted. :)

Halloween Snapshots

Say hello to Princess Halloween!

Every kid got to pick and decorate a pumpkin. And yes, we forgot to take a picture of hers.

It was amazing how they transformed the cafeteria into a Halloween haven, complete with a mad scientist stirring a cauldron full of dry ice and wonderfully frightening witches. Wicked fun!

Not forgetting Chicken Man who obviously ruffled Kayla's feathers.

Mike's office or what some call "controlled chaos."

Pixie power! Bitten by the dressup bug, she's been wearing her Tinkerbell costume on and off all week and going "Don't forget your wings Tinkerbell."

Pretty in Purple

Last year she was a clueless bumble bee. This year, she declared herself "Princess Halloween" after staring at herself in the mirror in her purple princess costume which Grandma bought for her last year. We also got her a little tiara (actually not so little, it's supposed to be for a 6-year-old but was snug on her head) and I think that extra touch really made her feel extra special.

Instead of going trick or treating at church this year, we went to a Halloween party at Mike's workplace. Kayla had a blast at the party. She decorated her own pumpkin with stickers, rubbed shoulders with a witch and a man in a chicken suit, and had lots of mini corn dogs. Plus she got to hang out at Daddy's surprisingly unmessy workspace!

I know, picture speak a thousand words, but those pictures happen to be trapped in the camera (We used our old Nikon and I'm not sure I rem where the attachment to download the pictures is!). But I promise I'll put them up the minute I lay my hands on them. :)

Wise Words

Update on the video situation: It's disappeared into nowhere...and we've tried everything. :(

But here's something that never fails to cheer me up.

Background: Inspired by a library book we got from the library "Guess who?", I started playing a silly little game with Kayla where I ask her if she's a "make-up-any-occupation-that-ends-with-maker."

Here's what she spouted:
Me: Are you a shoemaker?
Kayla: No...
Me: Are you a dressmaker?
Kayla: No...
Me: Are you a poopie-maker?
Kayla: No..
Me: Then what are you?
Kayla: I'm a troublemaker!
Me: Collapse into laughter.

Background: We picked up this "cleanup" song from her classes in Gymboree from way back. It goes something like "Clean up, clean up, everybody do your part/clean up clean up everybody do your part."

Here's what happened this morning:
Me: Kayla, let's clean up.
Kayla: (Breaks into song) Clean up, clean up, everybody do your part...
Then she pauses and looks at me and says: "It's not my part yet."

Tell me if I should laugh or cry.

Wiped Out

I was just about to upload more videos... of Kayla at the pumpkin patch, of Kayla belting out Amazing Grace, of Kayla doing her nighttime crazies when I discovered that all the videos have been mysteriously wiped out!

I'm thankful I uploaded the ones I did last week, but I'm really hoping we find the ones we lost. Sigh.

The Sequel

As promised, here are more videos of the little miss kayla.

Sep 30: This is one of our favorite parks, Del Rey Park, adjacent to the public elementary school Kayla's supposed to attend and a very pleasant15-min stroll away from home. There're usually lots of babies and tots at this park, but this was a particularly serene afternoon. Didn't bother Kayla one bit- she was content just scooping and pouring and scooping and pouring her sand.

Oct 1: Another of her favorite activities - painting in the backyard. I've basically turned this tiny concrete patch in our yard into a creativity center of sorts (in short, she can wreck it and I won't care). It's where she does her chalk drawings, finger paintings and all manners of messy experiments. :)

Fresh Footage

Well, actually not so fresh. I haven't had much time lately to download or edit the videos so these are a wee bit old (mostly August), but still as enjoyable.

Sit back, relax and bring out the popcorn.

Kayla at her summer art class on Aug 2. She still loves getting her hands dirty.

More mess in the name of "art"

Munchkin at her music class. She loves loves loves "Wheels on the Bus."

... Stay tuned. There's more to come. It's getting late and it's taking way too long to upload these vids!

What? Are you kidding me?

That's what our precocious 22-month-old spouted out of the blue recently. Don't ask me who she learned it from -- I'm guessing I might have said that once (okay, maybe twice) but I always thought it was out earshot. Nevertheless, it was hilarious hearing it from her.

More and more precious remarks are falling from her precious lips every day and I wish I coupld pen them all down or remember them all. Off the top of my head: She's darling when she wags her little finger, shakes her head and declares "It's not my bedtime yet." or says "Must tell mommy before I go poop in the diaper!" She's endearing when she rocks her little doll to sleep the way I hold her in my arms, when she pulls a blankie over her doll and tells me "ssshhh" because her dolly's sleeping, when she conducts imaginary conversations with her Fisher Price Little People, and the list goes on...

And of late, she's gone off her diet of porridge. "I don't like chok anymore," she announced sometime last week and has just been eating what we've been eating. I'm a little concerned about her not getting as well-rounded a meal as she has been with her porridge. Hopefully that'll change with her growing ability to chew various meats and veggies. Cooking for kids, I have to say, is an art and of late, I've rounded up even more bento box sites. If only I had more time....

What I can only aspire towards:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuteobento/

http://flickr.com/photos/kitsa_sakurako/sets/72157594570556057/?page=3

What's might actually be feasible:
http://adventuresinbentomaking.com/

http://www.cookingcute.com/gallery.htm

Cupcake Crazy

Inspired by many of the Food Network's baking shows, I've been itching to try my hand at cake decorating. It's pretty much like painting except your canvas is a much more palatable cake and your paint, the much yummier icing. Like with all things, experiment small so I chose to go with cupcakes first. Here are some pictures of my first attempt...and then a second... by the time I did a third batch, I got a pitiful plea from Mikey to stop baking (no, it's not that they taste bad, it's just that each time I make a batch, he pretty much eats 8 out of 10 of them--not too good for the waistline or the heart.)

I did an All Elmo first batch. I'd initially wanted to include Big Bird in the mix but I was so tired at the end of it all (everything was made from scratch, including the icing!), I thought Elmo alone was respectable. These were yummy. The Martha Stewart recipe I followed yielded really dense cupcakes which were still moist after two days in the fridge. I knew I got it right when Kayla looked at the cupcakes and went "Elmo!"

Since the following week was Emily's birthday, I decided to bake her some cupcakes. This time, we went with store-bought icing (I think the homemade one was way better). I stuffed half an Oreo Cookie into Cookie Monster's mouth for added effect. The kids loved it, not so much the health conscious adults...

August Flashback

Here are some of the exciting highlights of the past months--captured in pictures. We had new friends over for a playdate, visited Capitola with Gramma and Grampa and of course, no end of antics from the 22-month-old munchkin. Enjoy!



Capitola: A quaint little beachtown abt 40 mins away. It was the Begonia Festival but we hardly saw any, except for the boxes upon boxes of begonias used on the parade floats. The beach was packed with people with a passion for sandcastles. Kayla was clearly interested only in her bananas. She had two at one go.

Playmates: Baby Sienna is just six days younger than Kayla.

Pretending to be Cinderella. Where's my missing slipper?

Damsel in Distress: Help me!

Pretending to be Marmy: Holding her dolly's milk bottle

Curler Crazy: After she had her bath, she said she wanted curlers like grandma. Like any good mommy magician, I found some and promptly put them on her head. You can tell she was pleased. Very pleased. :)

Seeing Red

Of late, Kayla has been fascinated by traffic lights. And that also translates to her punctuating all our drives about and out of town with cries of "It's red. That means stop! Tell daddy to stop." and "It's green now. We can go!". Yes, that happens at just about every traffic light we cross paths with. It used to be spotting balloons on the street, now this. I'm hoping she'll outgrow this phase soon.


In other obsessions, we bought her a Melissa and Doug Maggie Leigh Magnetic Dress-Up set for her (it was on discount and I couldn't resist!) and she's in love with it. She calls her doll Molly and absolutely glows when I ask her "What should Molly wear today?" It reminds me of the fun we had with filmsy paper dolls in the past, but this is way cooler. I'm glad she's enjoying it as much as I am. :)

Oh and since our potty training efforts have been pretty stop-start, hit-miss, we decided to invest in one of those a "Deluxe Potty Seat" from Munchkin (it's pink, of course). It's one of those that attach to the adult toilets--we figured we'd need one sooner or later. The handle bars adjust as she grows and it's well-cushioned and comfy. So comfy she went potty in it twice today!! This might just do the trick. I'm keeping my all my fingers and toes crossed!

Fun in the Sun

Summer shots.... :)


Kayla and the jasmine plant.


We finally got her a tricycle, though her feet still can't quite touch the pedals. It'll be a while before she figures it out. In the meantime, she lets us push her along with a handle bar.

Couch potato in the making

Cousin Emmy and Kayla admiring the views from the porch.

Her regular yard run.

Splish splashing in the inflatable pool.

Buckle me up!

She's feeling much better, though she still has the runs and not much appetite. She's been off dairy for almost four days now and she's almost lost her double-chin!

In other news (and this could possibly get us into trouble): In a serious state of absentmindedness, we drove off today without buckling Kayla in her carseat! Fortunately, the little one reminded us just as we left the driveway. "I want Mommy to buckle me," she muttered above the music. Boy, was that close!

Then came another close shave. She tumbled down the stairs today (as I was watching her. sigh) but thank God again, she didn't hurt herself except for a tiny bump on her tiny head.

Another Unpleasant Post

This time, Kayla is sick... and we've never seen her this ill before. She's had a cold all week and last night, she started throwing up every other hour or so. This morning, she threw up her breakfast and then had the messiest runs. We decide to stop by the doctor's office only to be told we'd just have to let this nasty bug run its course.

Right before we left, I asked, "Is she contagious?"

"Very," says the doc.

Hopefully we won't be next...

Update: She stopped barfing but she's still having the runs. She's rather lethargic and has eaten pretty much nothing today. Pray that she recovers soon... she's quite quite miserable.

Bathroom Boo Boo

Warning: Skip this if you've a weak stomach

Kayla did the unthinkable today. She pooped in the tub, halfway through her bath and she's embarrassed about it. I guess she just couldn't hold it in. Since Daddy was giving her a bath (phew!) today, I didn't see how it all happened, but from what I understand, all she said was "Butt, owwie" and the rest as you know it, is Kayla's bathroom history.

We promptly scooped her out of the water and threw her straight into the shower. I gave her a good scrub before asking her what happened. She said "I went pee." Maybe it all came out together with the pee... and she refused to talk about it anymore. Half an hour or so later, we asked her again what she did in the bath bath and she bashfully replied, "Kayla went poo." We then told her nicely that it wasn't okay to go in the bathtub. And as if to let us know that she understands, she said "Go poo poo in the potty or in the diaper." Good girl!

Let's hope it never happens again... the cleanup was no fun. Ask Mikey, he knows better. :)

PS. The last time she pooped in the bathtub was the first time we tried giving her a bath at home in a tub. And for the record, I cleaned up then.

From a seven pounder to.....

While the munchkin is away, mommy comes out to play. Here's what I've been up to the past couple of days, tinkering with Windows Movie Maker....

Enjoy. It's a photo montage of little miss Kayla from the day she was born to her first birthday. We took a photo of her every week and now they've finally come into good use.

At Gramma's

And I hear she's having a ball. She's been raiding the toy department at Target, shopping at Safeway -- all without a hitch!

We usually have problems keeping her in the shopping cart, but I guess she likes Grandma enough to stay in it. And when it comes to peeling her away from the toy department/store, we've always had zero to little success. It always ends with either one of us carrying a kicking Kayla out of the store with her crying and screaming "That way. I want to go that way!"

Having said that, the house does feel kinda empty and quiet without her. Well, we'll have her back Friday and maybe then, I won't be complaining.

We've more videos of Kayla to put up (of her at music and art class)... and I'm working on a photo montage of her while she's away. Stay tuned.

Noah's Story (Kayla's abridged version)

Among Kayla's many favorite Bible stories is Noah's Ark. And today, she decided to tell us her version:

Kayla:God told Noah to shut the door.
Mommy: What did Noah do? Did Noah build an ark?
Kayla: Then God told Noah to shut the door. The door is tight!
Mommy: Why did God ask Noah to shut the door?
Kayla: It's raining.
Mommy: Did the animals go into the ark, two by two?
Kayla: The animals are inside. God make Noah shut the door!

So far so good...
Kayla: It's raining...
Mommy: How long did it rain, Kayla?
Kayla: 20 days... (don't ask me where she got that from...)
Mommy: 20 days? I think it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, Kayla. How long did it rain?
Kayla: 20 hours...

Mommy: (Speechless)

All Bottled Up

While other babies go to bed with their beloved teddy bear, a favorite blankie or in my niece's case, her very beat-up duckie, Kayla likes hugging her sippy cup, or rather, her sippy bottle to bed. I'm starting to wonder if I should get a couple more of these same Sesame Street sippy thingamajigs in case one gets lost or too dirty to be used. And yes, even I'm starting to think she's strange. :)

To make up for the lack of updates the past two weeks, here are some highlights of the munchkin's life.

1. In episode "Not for Sale, Deer," Kayla and I came across 3 baby deers (or fawns) as we were driving to the library for storytime. They were taking a nice early morning stroll on the opposite side of the two-lane street (thank goodness or i'd have absolutely no idea what to do). Clearly thrilled, I told Kayla to look at the little deer-ries. And within minutes of driving past them, she goes, "Mommy buy it. Buy the deer." I should have said, "They're not for sale, deer." Instead, I told her very nicely, "We can't buy the deer. Maybe we'll see one at the zoo next time."

2. In episode "Wash HAANDS!," Kayla did better at her third arts session. She wasn't so insistent on going to the sink each time her hands were dirtied. She enjoyed the lesson so much she cried when it was time to go. And today, we did some serious finger painting and she didn't protest when I proceeded to paint her hands blue and red so we could make some pretty hand prints.

3. In episode "Stranger Shy," we had a couple of visitors over the past weeks. Mommy had a very good time catching up with her friends, but it took a while for Kayla to warm up to the guests. She eventually did and by then, they had to leave.

I finally had some time to upload some of her video clips...and here's one of them:



For more cam action, go to:
www.youtube.com/mhong08

Getting her Hands Dirty

Kayla's summer music and art class has finally started, though we didn't realize the far trek to Mountain View means we all have to wake up at 8am on a Saturday morning. And if there's one thing I learned yesterday, it's that Kayla doesn't like to get her hands dirty. She loved her music class, dancing and tapping her toes along to "The Wheels on the Bus" and something about a red caboose. She had fun experimenting with egg shakers, drums and listening to someone else sing besides her Mommy and Daddy.

But when it came to her art class, things were a little different. She couldn't stand having glue on her fingers or paint on her hands. She was more obsessed with keeping her fingers clean than she was putting her crafts together. She was going "I want to wash hands" practically every five to ten minutes. I'm hoping it's a phase she'll outgrow or else, we'll just going to have to spend a lot of time at the sink. Splash!

Oh...we'll take pictures of the teddy bear she painted and some weird collage she put together...when i have more time.

Work's been a nightmare!

Little People

While Kayla is taking her nap (yes, she's finally established a very decent nap routine), I'll make good use of the time to catch up on my blog entries--nevermind there's still tons of work to be done. I deserve a break too. :)

From napping sporadically, she's starting to nap for an hour and a half to two hours in the afternoon. Though it's not an uninterrupted stretch (I still have to run in every so often to put her back to sleep), it's still a welcome mid-day break for me always.

Kayla has a new obsession and they're called Fisher Price's Little People. We recently bought her a Sarah Lynn & Friends Camping set and she wakes up asking for it, goes to bed asking for it and even refuses to take her bath. "Kayla's playing," she'll say when you tell her it's time to eat her lunch or take her bath. Yes, it's been difficult tearing her away from her favorite new toy. We've had to bring it everywhere we go.

Which also reminds me I've gotta start clearing all her baby toys to make room for her tot toys. Sigh.

Oh..and one more thing: I cut her hair again..and this time, it's the back. I must say I did a pretty good job, considering it took less than a minute! It was just aim and snip! And now, my very trendy baby sports a chic Victoria Beckham bob.... No kidding!

Tour De Tahoe

Emily was most helpful throughout the trip, pushing the stroller wherever she went.


Sunset from a pier off the private beach at Lakeland



Kayla couldn't keep her paws off this statue of a mommy bear and her baby.


The not-so-little one with the little ones

At the beach... Zephyr Cove

Kayla thought it was a giant bathtub!

Caillou Crazy: First thing they did in the morning was watch Caillou.

Blowing Smoke

The entire Bay Area, or rather California, has been engulfed in flames the past week. According to the latest report in the Merc,

"Meanwhile, across California, more than 15,000 firefighters, 1,000 fire engines and more than 80 helicopters and aircraft were fighting more than 1,000 active fires Saturday, state officials said."

And the air quality has been less than desirable, which means we haven't been able to take her out as much as we'd like to -- to the park, on her long stroller walks or even in the yard. In fact, I've been limiting her time in the backyard to 10 minutes. :( She's not very happy about it, but there's not much we can do. The air is a strange mixture of garlic and smoke, and we actually had to hose down the grass because a thick layer of ash had settled in nicely over the week. That's how bad it is.

The good thing is we've new books and toys (yes more toys!) to keep her occupied indoors. She's loving her new doctor play kit, friends of Thomas the Train, and she's been reading voraciously. Whatever it is, I do hope the smoke disappears soon and the fires get put out promptly so there'll be less homes lost and one happier baby. We need to get out, before summer disappears in a blink!

Take a Shot

It looks like all the doctor stories we've been reading to her have paid off. "Barney goes to the Doctor," "Elmo goes to the doctor" and Caillou goes to the Doctor". Kayla didn't flinch when the doctor examined her today. For the first time in 18 months, she allowed her to listen to her heartbeat without crying. She even let him look inside her ears and the only time she protested, was when he tried to look at her teeth. That's what I call progress. Finally.

Oh, and of course, she had to get a shot, but just one so it was okay. As for her vital stats, they've stayed pretty much the same.

Weight: 22.1 lbs (25th percentile)
Height: 31.5 inches (5oth percentile)
Head circumference: 18.5 inches (50th percentile)

In conclusion: a healthy, growing baby

She's Little Miss....

Sunshine, Trouble and Naughty all rolled into one. Kayla had a not-so-good day today, possibly because she's sprouting some huge teeth on the bottom (finally). She still has the same pathetic two central incisors (see http://www.tpub.com/content/medical/14274/css/14274_57.htm). When I last checked this evening, her first molars were just about to erupt, causing her (and in the process, us) to be in utter misery. :( Strangely, she skipped her canines on the top row and her canines on the bottom are missing too. It's amazing how these teeth pop out in such a random fashion and it's near impossible to find order in this tooth-popping chaos, if you ask me.

But like they say, there are always rays of sunshine on a gloomy day. And Kayla continues to amuse with her never-ending antics. She complained that "Mommy, too slow" when it was time to go to the playground today. She calls Jumping Jacks "Jumping Giants" because she associates Jack with the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk". And she's developed an exhibitionist streak of late. She likes running around with nothing but a diaper and has recently started protesting each time we try to dress her. It's frustrating, yet at the same time, hilarious, when you watch her admire herself in the mirror going "Kayla naked" with chuckles, giggles and the cutest grin.

She's also started displaying a nurturing and caring side of her lately, putting blankies on her teddy bears, Ernie, Elmo. Today, she tried changing their pretend diapers and reading them a story before telling them good night. In the afternoon, I caught her carrying Elmo and Cookie Monster to the beanbag, before instructing them to sit still. Gasp! She's fast morphing into a mini-me!

On the singing front, her repertoire has grown to include Baa Baa Black Sheep, Give me Oil in My Lamp and London Bridge is Falling Down. We managed to record (at long last) her singing Jesus Loves Me in full and I promise to post the video sooooooon. So stay tuned.

Photo Shoot

We've just returned from a short getaway to Tahoe and a very last minute one-day stopover at Reno. While I recover (vacations are never really vacations with a super active 18-month-old) and collect my thoughts about the trip, here are some more photos of the chatterbox at the Fremont Kite Festival and at home.


Nope, she didn't cry.

Should I go, Mommy?

Hmm... he wants a hug.

Sorry, changed my mind.

Check out my bedhead.

Her favorite activity of late: playing with water in the yard.

Cute shot of her, but check out my even cuter plants in the background. That's the satsuma in still in its plastic container and the tomato plants that are now out of control.


Oh my! (Alamak!)