Merry Christmas!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to celebrate with family and friends. We hosted Christmas Eve with my family at our house. There were 18 people, plus Keira, so we had a full house. We had a great time and celebrated into the wee hours. Mark and I didn't get to bed until 1:30am!!! Keira kept to her schedule, of course, so she was up and ready to play at 6:45am. Zoikes! I was pretty tired, but managed to get some shut-eye on the way to and from Rochester. We were there to visit with Mark's parents today and had a good time!

Keira had a wonderful first Christmas and made out like a bandit. She is definitely not lacking at all and is lucky to have so many people who love her and want to spoil her. It's times like these that I miss my Mom tremendously and ache for her physical presence, but I really think she was with us and is with Keira every day. She was definitely with us on the drive home from Rochester. The roads were so slick! There were many cars in the ditch. My brother said there was a car that came down the hill, lost control and nearly ended up in the pond behind our house. What a sight that would've been! Fortunately, no issues for us. Thank goodness Mark is such a skilled driver.

Here are a couple of pictures from our Christmas. I'm back to work tomorrow so I should be getting to bed soon. I'll definitely be posting many more pictures later...

Keira's 7 Months Old Today

Keira's 7 months old today. She's had a rough couple of weeks leading up to today, but she's been a trooper and seems to be recovering from her bout with a bad stomach bug. She is quite the character and is ready to become mobile. She's still trying to figure out how to crawl, but who knows if and when she'll actually figure it out. In the meantime Mark and I are enjoying her lack of mobility. For now we know she stays where we put her. Her new trick is going from a sitting position to a standing position. She's only done it once on her own, but is definitely getting the hang of standing (with assistance). Check this photo out. Mark thought he'd give it a try and see if she could stand by herself and as always, she amazed us!

My sister, Mai, comes home from Thailand this Saturday and will be here through Jan 3. We're so excited for her to come home and I'm looking forward to Mai and Keira getting reacquainted with one another. It should be interesting.

Linh and Steve closed on their new home on Monday and finished moving in today. Congratulations! We can't wait to visit!

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Meredith and the deal now is you, my blogger friends, need to post 7 interesting things about yourself on your blog. I'll do my best to make this worth the read and inspire you to play too.

1. I love watching horror movies, but hate being scared. Does that make any sense?

2. I have several obsessive/compulsive tendencies. Here's one example - I do a lot of things in 3's - make sure the door is locked, the garage door is down, etc. It doesn't matter if I'm late, I have to do it or I can't go.

3. I love reading and hearing about celebrity gossip and have subscriptions to People and US Weekly. I get upset when the pictures and gossip are too similar and the magazines aren't doing a good enough job of giving me differing info, stories and pictures.

4. I don't know how to swim. When I try to swim, I have to wear goggles or I refuse to dunk my head under the water.

5. I love learning, but don't like going to school.

6. My feet are so small I sometimes buy kids' shoes. Other times I get enraged when I can't find shoes that fit. It's like the shoe people discriminate against people with incredibly small feet. I've also recently found out that one foot is a size 4 and the other is a size 5. Seriously?!

7. I can pick things up with my toes.

Sarah C., Runa M., Chris B., Susan M...You're It!!

'Tis the Season

Happy Holidays everyone! We hope this blog entry finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy. 'Tis the Season for visiting with family and friends, indulging in scrumptious foods, having fun, shopping, etc. 'Tis also the season for germs and viruses. Yes, Keira was hit with a MAJOR bug of some sort. She kept Mark and me hopping the past couple of weeks. This is the first time I've been able to find time to catch up on our blog.

My abilities and patience as a parent were put to the test the past 14, yes 14 days!! From vomit down my shirt to a direct hit with liquid diarrhea, I've definitely completed my round of hazing for parents! It was a bit scary at times since she was walking the line of dehydration. Fortunately, things have turned around. She's still got the runs, but the vomiting has ceased and she's taking down her usual amount of formula. She lost a little weight, but seems to have regained it nicely. Unfortunately for Mark and me, her sleep routine is now erratic. We had just gotten over the hump of needing to feed her in the middle of the night and were looking forward to getting a full night's sleep when the bug hit. Since then we've been getting up with her every 2-3 hours. Sometimes she's crying for no apparent reason, but half the time it's because she's pooped her pants and wants to be changed. We'll have to work on the sleeping thing all over again. I'm not looking forward to that.

Here are a couple of photos from Keira's visit with her friend, Sam. They took to each other right away and had a good time.

I love this photo. Keira's teacher, Miss Laura, put her in the basket with all the stuffed toys. As you can see, she enjoyed it very much. Can you find her among the toys?

Miss Laura caught Keira napping on the floor. She tired herself out from scooting all over the place and fell asleep!

Here's Keira working on her first finger painting. She didn't know what to make of the cold, slimy paint at first, but once she got the hang of it, she loved it!

For one reason or another this holiday has been tougher than I thought it would be. I feel the loss of my Mom more now than I have in a long time. Perhaps it's knowing she won't be here for Keira's 1st Christmas or perhaps it's just because she's not here period. I guess I'm still grieving because my emotions have overwhelmed and snuck up on me at the most unsuspecting times, particularly over the past month. For someone who likes to be in control, it's hard to deal with.

My Mom's 51st birthday would've been last Tuesday. My family and I went to the cemetery to pay our respects and to celebrate her life. I'm fortunate my family is so close to me. I don't know what I'd do without them.

On top of it all, we got word that my uncle, my Mom's brother, passed away from cancer. While I didn't know him well and only met him once when my family traveled to Vietnam, I still feel the loss and pain for my Mom's family. They have buried 4 members of their family in less than 2 years. That seems to be a ridiculous amount of loss for one family to bear. My heart goes out to his family and my relatives.

The good news in our lives, however, is that our friends have welcomed two new babies into the world. Congrats to Raj, Andrea and Ajay for welcoming their baby boy, Avishan, into the world! He shares my Mom's birthday on Dec 11. It's a day I won't ever forget. And, congrats to Jose, Amy, and Nico for welcoming their baby girl, Portia, into the world! She shares a birthday with my aunt on Dec 12. There's another birthday I'll never forget...And, of course, Mark and I are blessed with our little girl who amazes us more and more every day. Despite the hardships, we truly are blessed in our lives.

Thanksgiving Part III

We hosted the 3rd Thanksgiing dinner of the weekend at our home yesterday. We were joined by my family and friends and had quite the feast. The turkey my sister and brother-in-law made was delicious and was bigger than Keira. Ha ha. I am quite impressed with their culinary skills, but have to give myself props for making a pretty good batch of mashed potatoes - almost 10 lbs worth of spuds. Thanks to Mark and Vinh for peeling all of them and to Vinh for doing a good job of carving the turkey too.

Rachel, Rob, and Katelyn came to visit us today before flying back. It was fun visiting with them again and the girls were adorable together. Katelyn is going to make such a great big sister.

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend, but we're so happy we were able to visit with our family and friends. It's one of the best parts about the holidays.

Thanksgiving Part I & II

We awoke to a light snowfall Thanksgiving morning. I held Keira up to the window so she could watch the flurries, but I don't think she knew what to make of it. We'll have to take her outside once the snow really starts to fly!

We spent Thanksgiving day in Rochester with Mark's family. It was quite the event. Dan and Paula braved a 22-hour road trip from NY with their two girls, Mallory and Miranda, and brother, Andrew. Rob, Rachel, and Katelyn flew in from MO yesterday morning. It isn't often we're all in the same place at the same time so it really was a special day. We had a wonderful feast and my waistline is paying for it. But, 'tis the holiday season and feasting is one of my favorite parts about this time of year.

Keira really had a great time playing with her cousins. This was the first time they were all together. If I had been on top of my game I would've remembered to get the four of them together for a photo. It would be fun to see how they change over the years. Oh, well. I'll have to remember next time.

Today we visited our friends, Meredith and Dave and their son, Sam. They're in town visiting their family. The babies were so cute and had a great time exploring each other's faces. We celebrated their half-birthdays and were happy they were in such great moods - so cute. It's also Mere's birthday today...Happy Birthday Meredith! I'll post pictures from that visit as soon as I get them from Mere (hint, hint!)

Afterwards we visited our friends, Pam and Ed and their son, Jalen. We had a mini-Thanksgiving dinner with them, courtesy of our local Boston Market. Ha ha. The food was yummy and once again, I overate. I think Mark did too. Jalen was super sweet and shared his choo choo trains with Keira. Ed was pretty devastated b/c his beloved LSU team lost in overtime. So very sad.

Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving Part III and that will conclude the trilogy once we get my family together. We're hosting my family at my home, but Linh and I have split the cooking responsibilities. Linh and Steve have the tougher responsibility - the turkey. After last year's fiasco I don't think I'll ever be allowed to cook the turkey again! Anyway, it should be fun.

Since this is a special time to reflect on our blessings, here are a few things I'm thankful for...I truly am blessed.

*Keira...She is full of life and makes life worth living.

*Mark...He knows me better than I know myself sometimes and is my strength.

*My family and extended family who are always there to support and love me.

*The memories I have of my Mom so that she will always be with me.

*My friends who stand beside me through everything.

*My network of "babysitters"...They let us have a life that doesn't involve diapers.

*Food...I love food! I'm so thankful that we never have to go without.

*Winter...Without it I wouldn't appreciate the spring, summer and fall.

*Having a roof over my head and food in my belly.

From Babbling to Sleeping

Keira had her 6-month appt yesterday. She's still small for her age weighing in at 12 lbs, 10.5 oz, but her pediatrician pointed out that not all babies are going to fit the Norwegian, 90th percentile profile. I had to laugh at that...She's definitely not Norwegian. Interestingly, it seems all her growth has come in height as she shot from the 10th percentile into the 25th. I still have hopes that she'll fatten up some more. Her thighs are slowly plumping up and I have such a great time squeezing them! With her appt came the shots. She's fared well through them the last couple of rounds, but these ones were pretty rough on her. She hasn't been herself and has been slightly feverish, lethargic and cranky. She was a champ though and only cried when the shots were administered. She recovered almost instantly as soon as we picked her up.

She's still not quite herself today. She seemed especially tired this evening so we put her to bed earlier than we thought she'd go down. I turned on the monitor after Mark tucked her. After a minute or so we heard her squealing, babbling and having a jolly good time. What a nutty girl! She went on like this for several minutes. Finally Mark peeked in to check on her and snuck back downstairs. He told me she was wide awake. Since she wasn't unhappy or crying we just left her in her crib and continued to listen to her giggle and squeal through the monitor. Then in an instant, literally in an INSTANT, she went completely quiet. When I went to check on her she was asleep. It was like a switch. She went from being alert and babbling to completely asleep in 0 to 60. Funny stuff!

Keira's 6 Months Old

We can't believe it, but Keira is 6 months old tomorrow! It has been quite the adventure for all of us. It truly is amazing how quickly she has grown and changed. Keira's gone from being a completely dependent newborn to a 6-month old with her own fun personality, determination, and some days, quite the attitude. I wonder who she gets that from?! Ha ha. Mark and I have a great time with her every day and are continually amused and amazed with how she changes. Keira truly is incredible and a blessing to have in our lives.

Losing My Hair

I knew I'd lose a lot of hair after Keira's birth, but I wasn't prepared for HOW MUCH hair I would lose. After showering, brushing and blow drying my hair I'm surprised I have any hair left...It's all on my bathroom floor. Now I have to add sweeping up my hair every morning to my list of things to do before heading off to work. When does the hair loss stop?!?!

No Hands

Keira started sitting up on her own this past weekend. She's been sitting for a couple of weeks now, but she's had to use her hands for support. All of sudden she decided to sit up without using her hands. She's doing pretty well too! It still makes me laugh when she loses her balance or gets overly excited because she topples over. When we catch her after she's fallen over she likes to flash us a big grin and is ready to try again.

Halloween Photos

We paraded down the hallway in our costumes. Aren't we cute?

Zach and I sat together in the back of the buggy. It wasn't so scary since we were in this together. Boy were the parents crazy with their cameras. It was like going in front of the papparazzi.

Auntie Linh came down to see me in my costume. We handed out treats to the trick-or-treaters. I can't wait until I can go out and get lots and lots of candy!

My Uncle Vinh went to a party as Batman. I almost didn't recognize him. I don't think he was too happy wearing this costume, but it was his friend's idea to have everyone go as super heroes. My parents and Auntie Linh had a good laugh. They're so silly!

I can't believe it's time for bed already. I don't want to get into my PJs. I'm ready to party. Look at me...I'm sitting up all by myself.

I'm the cutest Tigger there ever was!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! Keira had a good time wearing her Tigger costume for the daycare parade this morning. There were so many parents lining the hallway to see all the kids. It was a great turn out. Keira looked a little bored during the parade, but I'm happy she wasn't scared or crying. She'll be helping me pass out treats to the trick-or-treaters tonight.

Here's the buggy...Keira's sitting in the back with her friend, Zach. They're so little you can barely see them back there.

Yummy Green Beans

Keira is working on her veggies and has started with Green Beans. Too bad most of it ends up on her face rather than in her tummy!

The Raspberry Queen

It's hard to believe, but Keira is 5 months old now. Things have changed considerably since we first brought her home. She is full of personality and is making new discoveries every day. She is sleeping consistently (knock on wood) and is a happy and content little girl. While she is still on the small side for her age, she is growing and developing right on track. We think she had a big growth spurt in one week this month. Here's a picture of her on a buggy ride at daycare the first week, followed by a picture in the same buggy the following week. It's quite a difference! She also transitioned out of her newborn clothes into the 3-6 month size, so that was pretty exciting and more evidence of her recent growth.

October 3, 2007

October 10, 2007

Keira's quite the character at daycare too. She keeps her teachers on their toes. We recently learned that she's figured out how to get herself out of the Bumbo. After both teachers heard her crying on the floor and discovered that neither of them had taken her out of the Bumbo, it was evident that Keira had somehow squirmed her way out of it on her own and fell on the floor. (She wasn't hurt at all, just a bit startled.) I've seen her attempting it at home too, so I'm not surprised that she finally figured it out. In any case, she's no longer allowed in the Bumbo at daycare unless there's a teacher specifically watching her at all times. She's already a trouble maker! Maybe the restriction will be lifted when her legs fatten up enough such that she can't squirm her way out.

I'm pretty sure she's ready to crawl, once she figures out how to do it, anyway. She's been pushing herself backwards when she's on her tummy and when she's on her back she ends up in completely different locations after a short while. She doesn't like to stay still and prefers to keep moving and enjoys playing in her exersaucer and on her playmat.

Keira's teachers call her the Raspberry Queen. Since learning how to blow raspberries she hasn't stopped. She loves making noise with her lips and blowing the spit out of her mouth. She's a leaky faucet that can't be fixed. We had to invest in extra bibs because she will literally soak through them in about 20 minutes. We're not sure where the saliva is coming from. It started several weeks ago and hasn't stopped. 

Here are some of her recent pictures. 

Grandpa Jim and Grandma Margaret watched Keira for us for a night and had a great time. Here they are on a Saturday morning hanging out.

Grandma Margaret fed Keira some breakfast - yummy!

Keira drools all day long. It's hard to keep her dry.

She's definitely growing bigger than her buddy, Jr.

Awwww - so cute!

Here's Keira with her friend, Aiden, from daycare. Isn't this just the cutest picture? They're holding hands!

Here we are the evening of the 18th...Happy 5-Month Birthday, Keira!

Keira's 1st Week at Daycare

Keira started daycare on Monday. Admittedly, I was nervous about it. But, as it turns out, she loves daycare and is having a ton of fun! Check out the photos below. Her teacher, Miss Laura, is awesome with taking photos of the babies. She even sends me picture mail on my cell phone so I can see how she's doing throughout the day. That is, when I'm not in the daycare room checking on her myself which is multiple times during the day! Sneaking down to see her and the other babies makes my day. They help remind me of what's really important in life...

This was Keira's very first day. She was pretty "chill" about the whole experience.

She loves sitting in the Bumbo at daycare and talking up a storm. She also likes to grab her feet because it's easier for her to reach them sitting in the Bumbo.

Here she is getting ready to practice eating rice cereal. She's done it a couple of times with us so far, but she's not yet an expert. I'm sure it won't take her long to master eating from a spoon. After all, she does have my genes so I'm certain she's going to love food!

The babies get taken on buggy rides through campus. When it's nice outside they go for rides outside. This is a picture of her very first buggy ride. As you can see, she enjoyed that too.

Keira is still a little peanut so we don't have too many clothes that she fits just yet. Mark put her in this cute outfit one day. Even though she doesn't quite fit it we thought she still looked adorable in it. Don't you love the hat?

Here she is sitting at the table like a good little girl. She was getting ready to eat cereal for the first time.

She had it all over her face. I'm not sure if she liked it, but we'll keep trying.

Keira's 4 Months Old

Keira turned 4 months old on Sep 18. She will start a new chapter in her life when she goes to daycare on Oct 1. Luckily the New Horizon center is located on work campus, so I'll be able to sneak down and check on her. I have a feeling I'll be doing that a lot, especially at first. Here are some photos from her 4th month.

Catching Up

We've been busy since the last post. Here are the highlights...

Keira attended her first birthday party for her friend, Max, earlier this month. Unfortunately she was more interested in sleeping than making friends, but I know they'll be buddies when they're older. Max is such a cute kid and quite mischievous from what Kelly tells us. Check out the picture below. He loved having cake - yummy! We were happy to celebrate with Max's family and friends. His parents always know how to throw a great party!

Here's Max chowing down his yummy cake.

Keira just wanted to sleep most of the time, but we still had a good time.

Last weekend Keira stayed with her Grandpa Jim and Grandma Margaret while Mark and I went to Stevenson, Washington for a wedding. That was the first time she spent an extended period of time with them and our first time away from her. Keira was a really good girl. That's what her grandparents tell us...They had a great time together visiting with friends, going to the Farmer's Market, attending church, hanging out...Hey Grandpa J and Grandma M - Anytime you want her for the weekend again, let us know cuz she'll be all yours!

Grandma Margaret and Keira went to the Farmer's Market in Rochester on a crisp and chilly day. Thank goodness it's warmed up again, but not for long...

Grandpa J and Grandma M are being goofy taking pictures of us in the mirror. The other cute baby is Keira's cousin, Miranda.

Here's Grandma M, Uncle Dan, and the two cutest babies hanging out.

As for our trip to WA, it was a nice getaway for Mark and me though we (mostly me) had to make an effort not to think and talk about Keira the whole time. Stevenson, WA is a really small town. In fact, when Mark and I drove through town, I blinked a couple of times and the whole of it had passed by. Ha ha. However, the smallness of the town was nothing compared to the greatness of what surrounded it. The peace and quiet were just what I needed. After a delayed flight and some issues with our rental car, everything else was smooth sailing. Mark played golf on Sat morning so I sat on the outdoor patio and read, then I went for a short walk, followed by watching DVDs and a short cat nap. I really needed that down time and enjoyed it immensely. I met some of Mark's friends from college. They were all really nice and I know Mark enjoyed seeing them again. Hopefully they'll all make a better effort with keeping in touch. The wedding was amazing. The bride and groom were glowing, the backdrop was breathtaking, the food (very important) was sooooooo yummy...Everything was awesome!

Here's the view from the lodge we stayed at. The first day was a bit overcast, but as you can see, the view was incredible, nonetheless.

Mark was in awe of this gigantic sun-dial. but it didn't really interest me.