Ly Family & Friends

Ready to Roll

2012-02-13T00:00:00.001-08:00

Big girl seat

2012-01-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

Huelan Loves her birthday

2012-01-28T22:34:00.000-08:00

Video Link here

All these parties just kind of melded together, but when Uncle Anh showed up with these balloons on her actual birthday, she new the party was ON.

Stage Laugh

2012-01-28T22:28:00.001-08:00

Video Link (couldn't get the embed to work...)

No idea what's gotten into her this day, but sometimes she's just weird.

December Flashback

2012-01-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

December is our busiest month (that's my excuse for lagging on these pics), due in large part to the birthdays of my two best girls: Liz on the 6th and Huelan on the 27th. For liz's big day, we continued the annual crab feed celebration at our place. Once again we had a full house and just a claw or two was left over. Our place still smells like garlic noodles (I am not complaining). On her actual birthday, we did a smaller bash, but still managed to eat very well.

Then came Christmas. Wow. Believe it or not, Huelan actually got fatigued opening presents, and when her birthday came, she was overwhelmed! We were still opening presents a week later. We probably had six or seven celebrations in December- Liz's birthday crab feed, Liz's birthday family party, Liz's birthday at our place on her actual birthday, Christmas, Huelan's post-Christmas birthday, and then Huelan's birthday at our place. Oh yeah, NYE at home, too. Decemeber might be our favorite month.

Click here for more pics

Photo Booth

2012-01-06T07:43:00.003-08:00

Weekends are the best, especially the kind that last three days. Even better when we have two of those in a row, like we did last weekend. Huelan usually wakes up with me, but on the weekends has both me and Liz, which everyone loves. Last weekend we took our time waking up and snapped this pics that remind me of a photo booth.

A Little Excited

2011-12-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/GjDOiQ6CpdI

Sorry I didn't rotate this before posting! But just wanted to share some of Huelan's excitement about Christmas. She doesn't quite know what's going on yet, just that she has a bunch of new toys and Mom and Dad are both home and playing with her.

Leggo My Eggo

2011-12-23T19:47:00.001-08:00

For some reason, she is totally into eggs right now. Here, she's playing with her currently favorite app- and Easter game. She loves her play egg groceries, and has been eating tons of eggs. But she only likes the yolks- how weird is that?

Tom and Adrienne

2011-12-21T23:52:00.000-08:00

Tom put a ton of thought into his propsal to Adrienne, and it paid off! Though it was a brisk day at the base of the Golden Gate, we had plenty of sunshine and everyone was in a sunny mood. A big crew turned out for the big day, and of course there was food and drink afterward.

The video of the Big Moment is below, and you can see some pics here, along with some pics of the latest episode Liz's ongoing birthday party.

Rejects

2011-12-21T23:42:00.000-08:00

We sent out a picture card again this year, and again we tried to take the pics in our home studio (living room). We were really happy with the picture we chose, but we had to take a lot of pictures before we got a few decent ones. Some almost made the cut- you can check them out here

Looking back

2011-12-21T23:33:00.000-08:00

I figured I should try to get a Thanksgiving post out before Christmas comes, so here goes. We took nice long trip to SoCal, leaving early morning on Thanksgiving and pulling into the driveway in Stanton just before noon. We planned an entire week in SoCal, plenty of opportunity for quality time with family and friends. And eat a ton. Huelan was able to sink her teeth into some turkey this year, and did a great job on potoatoes and stuffing too. And of course had some of BaNoi's cooking.

One of the best things about our SoCal visits is the chance to hang out with friends with kids. Great getting to see all of the little munchkins growing up and getting into trouble!

Here are some pics.

Tiny Bubbles

2011-11-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

This is her first bubble bath, it it blew her away.

Super Nho-Nho!

2011-11-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here she comes to save the day! We had such a blast this weekend, eating and drinking with friends on Saturday and Halloween on Monday. We started off with a spaghetti dinner at Larry and Lynn's, and then walked around the Sunset tricking and treating. Huelan was totally game for it. At first she thought the whole costume thing was hokey, but when she saw everyone dressed up kinda different, she owned it.

She took to trick-or-treating right away. Though she didn't like the walking from house to house because it was dark, once we got to a house's walkway, she would hustle to the front door and hold out her bag. A few places let her choose the candy she wanted out of the bowl, and she wasn't shy. I think that she is going to like this tradition.

Somewhere along the line, she decided that all candy was Momma's candy, so she will go the the candy dish in our house and point to the candy and say "Momma, Momma." I think it's funnier than Liz does.

By the way, that's not makeup on her eye. More on that later....

Props to Amy Im, who inspired this costume by crafting about 30 of these superhero capes for her son Ethan's birthday party last month!

More pics here

Shiner

2011-11-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Yeah, but you should see the other girl.... Actually this was not the result of a sandbox scuffle, but rather a full speed header into the windowsill in our living room. I was outside and she ran to the window to see what I was doing, but tripped on the way there. All I heard was the loud thump, and I knew something bad happened. We weren't sure where she wacked herself until a little while longer and the swelling started. It looks pretty bad, but it doesn't really seem to bother her. And it could have been worse if she had knocked a few teeth out.

Makes her look tough and the other kids don't mess with her at all.

Center of Attention

2011-10-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Link to Vid #1 on Youtube

Link to Vid #2 on YouTube

We let Huelan stay up waaay past her bedtime this weekend bacause she had some visitors she hadn't seen in a while. As you can see, though, she is anything but tired. In fact, she was wearing us out!

It's hard to believe from these videos, but she is initially shy around people she's not real familiar with. As you can see, however, she quickly comes out of her shell. There were seven of adults, and she owned every one of us.

"Cake, Piece Cake!"

2011-10-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Bedhead

2011-10-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Huelan woke up in a good mood this morning, and not 'til 7:20, which helps Ba be in a good mood as well. The first thing she said when I walked in was, "Cake, piece cake." Where she got that, I have no idea (I am guesing Momma). She also she spouts some of her favorite words- "Big Bird," and lately, "Nope."

A Mind of Her Own

2011-10-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Huelan can communicate pretty well now- nouns, verbs, linking a few words for simple sentances- but very recently something changed. For the first time that we can tell, she remembers and can recount to us what she's been up to. She can tell us what animals she saw at the petting zoo and the pet store, what she ate, and where she went. And when we ask her what she wants, she pauses to consider an answer- applesauce or yogurt? It's almost like a conversation, which is very cool, but also kind of scary.

Huelan loves the pumpkin patch and both the big (momma) and small (baby) pumkins. She does this hilarious thing where she tries to pick up huge objects, makes a straining grunt, and exclaims, "Big! Heavy!" She does it with pumpkins, tables, boulders, and manhole covers. She also has a face that goes with it- you can see it in the second and third pics.

"Nho-Nho Each"

2011-10-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

In case anyone was wondering if this girl was really ours, seeing what she eats in a day will clear any doubts of her being in the Ly/Lee family. The girl can live on carbs, especially all sorts of rice and noodles. Bread? Yup. Fruit? All kinds. Cookies? Better keep them hidden on a high shelf.

If she hasn't had her snack, best to not nibble on anything around her, or she'll come over and say "Nho-Nho each too!" Which translates to "Nho-Nho eat too." Here she's eating some mac & cheese, which she has just recently taken to. I think this is her third bowl, though she did share some of it with me.

My favorite part is when she's actually spooning the food into her mouth- she knits her brow and scowls with every bite. It's like the food's been bad and she's punishing it by chewing it up.

"Nho-Nho want that!"

2011-10-06T13:26:00.001-07:00

I thought this would be apropos in light of Steve Jobs' recent passing. This is Huelan's current favorite toy, and she'll run to dig in by bag for it as soon as I get home. She says, "Nho Nho want that!" and puts a huge smile on her face if she gets it (we might negotiate for a hug or kiss).

She has been playing with our iPhones for months, but just figured out the iPad a few days ago. After I enter the password, she'll swipe to the screen with her apps, open up her folders, and pull up her favorite games.

She's kind of past the piano-type games, and is now into drag-and-drop apps. She always gives herself applause after finishing one.

Looks fun, maybe I should get myself one.

"Whoa!"

2011-08-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Of all her words, which are now too numerous to count and solidly in two languages, "Whoa," is by far my favorite. She uses it liberally, whether she's just pressed a button to change the color of her turtle light, or Momma just scooped a big pile of berries onto her plate. The best is when it's accompanied by an eyes wide expression and an open mouthed gape- unadulterated happiness with the magical power to instantly obliterate all cynicism within a half-mile radius. Sometimes she'll even point at the source of her baby-joy. Yes, that is the absolute best and I love it.

Whoa! here are some pics from the last few weeks:

Window Shopping

2011-08-19T19:58:00.001-07:00

Tu-Tu's? oh man here we go....

2011-08-07T10:05:00.001-07:00

You never know what she is going to like... This is her 3rd plate of peas.

Gotta love it

2011-08-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

Flowing Locks

2011-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

This girl has crazy hair- obviously gets it from her mother....

Hoang

2011-07-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

In vietnamese we have the adjective "hoang," which describes a person who is rambunctious, likes to climb around and jump off stuff, and generally likes rough and tumble action. Fits Huelan perfectly. Don't know where she gets it from....

July Fun

2011-07-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

July so far has been busy, and most of it has been really fun. Andrew and Candy hosted an Independance Day BBQ at their new pad, where they are taking on a huge renovation project on an awesome piece of property. Twins two-year-olds and a renovation- they are far braver than us.

The next weekend, we packed up the car and drove to Morro Bay, a little beach community near San Luis Obispo, conveniently located halfway between Oakland and OC. Ba Noi and crew drove up and we spent the weekend in a nice little house with a beach view. Morro Bay has a cute little boardwalk with excellent garlic fries and ourstanding breakfast spot called Frankie & Lola's. I recommend their fish on a stick as well, which is a value at $5 at the north end of the boardwalk.

We spent a lot of time in San Luis Obispo, which is an awesome college town. Clean, sunny, great little restaurants and shops. We ate at Firestone grill twice. SLO is all the good parts of Palo Alto with a beach and without the d-bags.

We had a lot of fun, even though Huelan was sick off and on. Congested and snotty, a weird combination, and hard to shake. But during her scheduled doctor visit, the doc wasn't concerned. By the way, she's in the 90th percentile in height and 75th in weight. Not a small child.

Lots of birthdays in July, too!

Here are some pics from this month

Pismo Beach...

2011-07-09T16:28:00.001-07:00

Nyo-Nyo

2011-07-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

Huelan keeps us constantly amused and amazed with her growing vocab. We are trying to get her to be bilingual, and we are seeing the early signs of her picking it up. About 90% of what she hears everyday is english, and she defnitely understands a lot of what she hears. About 90% of what she hears from Ba is Vietnamese, though, and it looks like it's making an impact. She has probably 3-4 VN words of her 15-18 total words. We've got a long way to go!

Though I think her first word was Ba, I don't really count that as her first Vietnamese word. Her first VN word is probably "nuoc," which means water. When we were in Maui, the first second we got to the beach, she must have exclaimed "Nuoc!" 40 times in succession- it was awesome.

She is also getting very good with names. She can't say as many names as she knows, but when we say names from our families, she will point to the correct person without hesitation. My favorite name, though, is the one she gave herself. About two months ago, Gosia told me that Huelan would point to the mirror and call herself Nyo-Nyo. When we point to her and ask her, "Who's that?" she'll answer, through her dimply, toothy smile, "Nyo-Nyo!" We could do it all day, and sometimes we do.

Some pics from Fathers' Day, Mateo Brodrick, Sydney Kate, and Stella

Efficiency Post!

2011-06-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

The last few months kinda got away from us! We've been having a blast with Huelan and had some great adventures, but with me starting my new (old) job and chasing around an increasingly quicker munchkin, blogging got put on the back burner.

But no more! We've settled a bit and our major trips are behind us for now, so we are finally catching y'all up.

In April Huelan met her great-grandfather, who was in SoCal for about a month visiting from Viet Nam. Huelan is his only great-grandchild, and they had a BLAST.

Some pics here

In May the big event was our Maui trip, which was even awesome-er than anticipated. Huelan absolutely loved the beach and the pool, just couldn't get enough. We were there for a wedding, and it was picture perfect, on a bluff overlooking the ocean.

As you can tell, Maui treated us well. We shared a condo with Melinda, Sienna and Yvonne, in a complex with a bunch of other friends. We basically ate a bunch and spent a lot of time at the pool and beach. The best move, however, was crashing the pool at the Four Seasons on our last full day. Posh. I even got to play golf.

Some awesome pics here

And I might as well throw in some vids as well:

Huelan and Sienna cutting it up at the Maui wedding:

First time at the beach- picked a nice one!

She gets this from her Ba Noi:

And finally, yesterday was Fathers' Day. Great day with the fams- hanging out in the sun, occassionally checking in on Rory, and stuffing my face with BBQ. Happy Fathers's Day to me.

Catching up

2011-04-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

We've been having so much fun with Huelan, even as she gets harder and harder to keep up with. It's just fun to be around her as she finds new ways to entertain herself and to get us involved with her games. A little while ago, she was obsessed with belly buttons. She would point at her navel, then point to you and expect you to show yours. Totally calling you out. She would even look for belly buttons on her toys and dolls.

She has moved on from that a little bit and is now into stairs. Which is kind of scary, but she pretty much sticks to the bottom two. She'll sit on that bottom stair, which conveniently faces a full length mirror, and kick her feet. She'll come and grab one of us by the hand and bring us over to the stair and sit and play with her. We climb with her all the way up, and help her down. When we're out and there are stairs, she can play on them for a half an hour.

One of the difficult things with her getting a little more aware is that she has developed considerable separation anxiety. When either of us leaves the room, unless she is totally engaged in a game of her own, she gets a big sad face and might even cry. It's totally endearing, but it can flip to heart-wrenching when
I have to pry her off my leg and go to work, leaving tears welling up in her eyes. Boo.

But then, the minute we walk in, she lights up and dashes over - the payoff.

Feb and March Pics here

Horsey ride

2011-04-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

Surprise ending!

Handpainted Original!

2011-03-09T21:50:00.001-08:00

Childproofing...

2011-02-28T21:29:00.001-08:00

...we are a little behind.

Goodnight Moon

2011-02-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

She loves her bedtime storytime.

After this we watched PTI...

Life of the party

2011-02-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

Wow the difference between 12 and 13.5 months is huge! She has always had a personality, but she is showing us so much more of it now, especialy since we are bringing her out more and around more people. She absolutely loves parties. One of the things that we get a kick out of is that Huelan doesn't know that we're headed to a party until we get there. But as soon as she sees the people and hears the chatter, she just lights up, eyes wide and toothy smile. After that, she pretty much owns the party.

Gosia and Grandma have been very productive with Huelan during their days together. She's getting to know her songs, and will show you her Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. She learned how to operate many of her toys, and especially likes the loud ones that play repetitive music. Again and again.

Probably the biggest changes have to do with communication. She has a very limited vocab, but she has a few words she really likes. And she can name pretty much anything you point at, as long as it's a bird, ball, duck or turtle. Of course pointing and grunting are still mainstays.

January Pics

February Pics

It's My Party

2011-01-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

We've had a tough time keeping up with Huelan the last couple of weeks!

I have a ton of pics to comb through still, but I figured I'd post these from her Bay Area Birthday today - thanks to all who were able to help us celebrate! Though the year went by fast, the great news is that we're expecting many more great ones.

Some pics from today

Also some pics from Dave's camera

2010-12-26T13:31:00.001-08:00

Poor girl. At least she has her mom's hair and dimples.

2010-12-25T23:58:00.001-08:00

Swinging without a care in the world

Huelan hairbrushing

2010-12-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

Uncle Anh giving some grooming tips

Word to her Mother

2010-12-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

She seems like she is getting bigger even faster than she was before. We think that she's even said her first word- "Bye Bye!" She's only done it a few times, but it's incredibly cute, especially when accompanied by her little hand wave. She's definitly wants to communicate with us, but mostly what we get are grunts when she wants something (food). Apart from that, she makes a ton of babbling sounds and these weird animal growls that we've been trying to catch on video, but so far no luck.

She definitely knows when we tell her "no," but she usually just pauses to give us a glance, then proceeds with whatever trouble she was about to get into. Sometimes when we give her something new to check out, she'll give us a look that's unsure of whether she is allowed to play with it, then a big toothy smile and maybe some grunting.

Her growing awareness and desire to interact with us is making this time super fun. It's almost like she is growing out of her baby phase and becoming more like a little kid.

Here are some pics from the last few weeks

Thankful

2010-11-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

- For a great family, even though we don't see one another as much as we'd like to.
- For great friends, even though we don't see one another as much as we'd like to.

That pretty much sums it up.

Check out some pics from the last month or so, including the last Thanksgiving at Andrew and Candy's!

2010-11-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

Visiting Mom in the office today

There's no turning back now

2010-11-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

Laundry Helper

2010-11-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

One thing Huelan will not tolerate is clean laundry just sitting there all folded and neat, taunting her.

Bonus vid!

2010-11-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

November Already

2010-11-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

About 6 weeks have passed since the last update, and a lot has happened! Nicole had her regular checkup with Dr. Vo, and she confirmed that Nicole is a big baby. Not as chubby as some, but on the tall side for sure- hopefully takes after her mother. Otherwise she is doing well, though she is getting to the point where she kind of knows that when we go to the see the doctor, she's getting a shot.

She's actually getting to the point now (past 10 months) where she knows a lot of what's going on. We really feel like she knows her routine and has developed some favorite things, like paging through her books for her favorite pictures and favorite games to play with us. She knows what certain toys do, for example she'll point to one that projects a picture onto the wall, and when we grab it she will turn to look at the wall and wait for the picture. It's really amazing and fun to watch her development.

I have been away from home M-F for the past three weeks, but am able to get home on the weekend. This past weekend, we had some friends over and Huelan was playing with Melinda's daughter Sienna, who is about 2.5 years old. Nicole followed her around all night, checking her out, wanting to play with her, and generally having a blast. It was so cute to see Nicole tug on Sienna's shirt and try to get her attention- I've been thinking about them all week. I think that we need to find her some other kids to spend time with.

There's tons of other stuff to tell you about I am sure, but the trouble with such big gaps between posts is that I forget.... you're going to have to visit!

Here are some pics from October!

9 Months!

2010-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks for us- Nicole turned 9 months(!!!) yesterday.

I've had my hands full leaving my old job and ramping up at Intuitive Surgical. Leaving this job was a difficult process, but I am very excited to have a cool opportunity lined up. With robots. I get about 4 weeks of home study, which I am excited about because I'll get to spend much of it close to home with Huelan.

One of the big events of the last few weeks was Huelan's christening at St. Brennan's. Father Dan, the priest who married us, performed the baptism. The dress Huelan wore for her baptism (above) is the one Grandma wore sixty-something years ago!

Ba Noi came up for the ceremony and stayed with us for about 4 days, which was great because Huelan is so interactive now. She can easily crawl wherever she wants, and we do a lot of chasing (a game she loves). She's not satisfied with just crawling though- she likes to stand up holding on to the couch or walls and walk around from place to place.

Every day she's doing something different. Right now, she is loving being close to other kids. She makes these grunting noises in an attempt to communicate, which is hilarious, then she'll try to reach out and touch their faces. There are a number of kids in the neighborhood ages 3mos-3years, so it's fun to take Huelan out and see how they interact.

Here are some more pics from the past couple of weeks. There are also a bunch on David's Blog (link to the right)

Three Day

2010-09-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

We were inspired by perfect weather and great friends to make the most of the long weekend. G and Carreey had this idea to get out and do something different everyday, so we hatched a plan that included Cal's home opener, Lake Chalet, Golden Gate Fields, Takara Sake Factory, Vik's Distributors, and BBQ at Kim and Adam's place. We packed it in and had a terrific time, got a ton of sun and few beverages.

here are some pics

Toothy

2010-09-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Even though she started teething about a month ago, we couldn't really see the teeth until about two weeks ago, and this is the first pic we've managed to snap of her chompers. And they are sharp!

Sunday we were at Skates on the Bay, where we had a joint birthday brunch for Grandma and Auntie Laurie. Huelan had a big smile on her face because the wind was blowing pretty hard outside, and she loves watching the leaves rustle.

Here are some other pics from the weekend, including Karen's baby shower.

8 Months

2010-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Sneaks up on you quickly! Both the time and the little crawler. We went to the doc this week for her check up (and shots) and it looks like she is doing great. 28 inches and 19 lbs, which puts her on the bigger side of babies her age. Must be all the pho I've been giving her while Liz is at work.

As you can see from the vid, she can pretty much get wherever she wants, and if you're in the way she'll try to go over you. She's easily pulling herself up to standing now, so we've had to elevate everything out of her reach, which she considers a challenge to her reaching ability.

I am usually around when she wakes up in the morning, when she has the most epic bed head, and it cracks me up. Her hair in the vid is actually pretty tame, even if it is huge. It's almost like seeing vintage photos from the 60's and 70's when people rocked hair helmets and beehives. Undoubtedly from the Lee side of the family tree.

Meanwhile, in other news, Randi had her baby boy- Casey on Wednesday. He looks like his mother. Welcome!

Here are some pics from the last week or two.

Hella Heart

2010-08-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

We went to brunch with Helen on Saturday and there was a real small baby sitting next to us- about 6 weeks. Tiny little thing. Huelan's doing so much stuff we almost get the feeling that she's no longer a baby!

Teething seems to be getting better, until the next tooth comes in. This one seems to be growing in a little crooked- she gets that from dad.

Some pics from the weekend.

Explosion

2010-08-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was commenting to a friend how sometime between months 5-6, Huelan exploded in physical and emotional maturity. Little did we know what she had in store for us for her 7th month.

Last week we met the SoCal contingent in Lake Tahoe for a five day vacation. The last time we packed for an extended trip Huelan was less than 4 month old, and she had a lot fewer accessories. This time, we had more equipment than even the Murano could handle and we had to rely on Anh's truck as overflow.

Ba Noi was stoked to be able to spend 5 whole days with her grand daughter. Huelan was just as excited, and she showed it with her new, ear-piercing scream. All night the second night. We thought maybe it was a little karmic because people always ask how she sleeps, and we're so happy to tell them that she's very consistent from 8:30 to 6:30. Then we thought it was the arid altitude making her crusty and congested. Or maybe it was just a different house and bassinet. She settled down a little after that second night, but she continued to push the decibel needle.

Well, when we got back, Gosia figured out that Huelan had a tooth coming in! At first, it was impossible to see or even feel, but when Gosia put a spoon in her mouth, we could hear it knocking against a little porcelain nub in the bottom of her mouth! That was about a week ago, and now the tip of the tooth is visible just breaking through her gum line. People tell us to expect the same thing for every tooth…. We are scared.

Another thing that’s got us scared is that she’s learned to get to her feet. She’ll crawl around until she can find something to grab onto, pull herself up to look at it, then all of a sudden she pops up and is looking around. At first she could only do it once or twice then get tired a sit back down, but in just a couple of days she’s pretty much got it down.

Tonight we’re putting her in her crib for the first time because she can probably climb out of her bassinet. The first time she’s sleeping in a different room from us! She’s also trying to feed herself little cereal puffs, starting to wave hello/goodbye, and trying to make some simple consonant sounds. So compared to her 6th month, this 7th month has been really crazy, and I don’t think she’s slowing down anytime soon.

The most recent pics here.

Seven Months

2010-07-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

Today marks Nicole Huelan's seventh month with us! I know I always write about time feeling like it's flying, and it does, but there's another side too. Though it's "only" been seven months, it feels like she's been with us a whole lot longer.

In the past few weeks, she's almost perfected eating (at vid was taken about 2 weeks ago), can sit up pretty confidently, and wants to crawl on hands and knees (though she stilll resorts to army crawl when she is in a hurry).

The biggest changes, though, are in her personality. She is curious, always looking around and trying new things. She is trying to communicate (grunting counts we think). And when she hears keys jingle in the door, she knows that someone is coming to play with her and looks around expectantly. We love coming home!

Mommy and Ba's night out

2010-07-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Viv and Jason's wedding at the City Club SF. We're so blessed to have been to some great weddings and this was up there with the best of them. One of my favorite afterparties.... don't judge me.

Learn On

2010-07-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Huelan is just a 10 days shy of being seven months old, and in the past 3-4 weeks her growth has just exploded. It's great fun to watch her physically grow, gaining length and strength, and add new skills. Her legs are getting buff from all the boucing she's been doing in her hew jumperoo, and she gets around pretty efficiently now so we have to keep a close eye on her. She's very curious, and is especially interested in trying to find out what's under the couch, coffee table, and TV stand. She has mastered working her rattles, and we've found that she loves books (to eat). We challenge her by putting obstacles in front of her and watch her try to figure out how to get where she wants. She's kinda like one of those Roomba robot sweepers- when she bumps into something, she backs up and tries to approach it from another direction. Endless enterainment for us, which is why we had her.

Even more fun to watch is the growing that she's doing mentally. She recognizes multiple people, and her favorites are greeted with big smile or laugh and excited leg kicks and arm waves. Her concept of object permanance is forming, and she looks for people and things when we hide them. She is always down for a good game of Peek a Boo. I think that she recognizes when we call her name, which can be confusing because we regularly call her by at least 3 different names.

Along with these changes have come the first real necessity for parenting. Most of what we've done up to this point has been to meet basic physical needs- food and comfort, stuff that we felt we were just getting the hang of. Now, with her baby brain forming, we're got a vastly more difficult responsibility- helping her balance her first concepts of possibilities vs. boundries. And right now, all that she sees are possibilities.

Some recent pics here.

Free Will

2010-07-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Been away from the blog for a while, but it's been a busy month. And what a difference a month makes! When we last posted, Huelan was about 5 months old. Now that she's 6, she has a whole new bag of tricks. Though she is obviously still a wee baby, she is developig her own sense of what she wants to do. There is not turning back now. I was stunned to see her army crawl across her blanket to get to her toy basket, tip it over, and go for her favorites. And she laughs like crazy.

With her newfound mobility, she's been exploring every crevice. If we let her, she'll crawl across the rug and try to shimmy herself under the couch or coffee table, her favorite spots. Looks like it's time to babyproof the living room.

In addition to the physical changes, this month she's become a lot more interactive. At this age, she constantly wants to look around and interact with stuff. She recognizes people, places, and toys. The babyfood thing is going well; she's not too picky (like her dad), though she sometimes makes a face at first (like her mom).

She checked in at the doctor last week and got her shots, which she tolerated very well. She weighted in at 16lbs,6oz (60th %tile) and almost 27inches (90th%tile!).

We've defnintely got her out and about this summer- hope to see you!

Here are the most recent pics.

Gettin Out

2010-06-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

The weather these last few weekends has been fantastic. 75-80 and sunny, even in parts of SF. That's made it really easy to take Huelan out and explore, which she is really digging. She's got a growing curiosity, and likes being out of her stroller when we walk, her head on a swivel checking everything out.

Walking around with a baby puts you in this whole different world. You know when you learn a new word and suddenly hear it used everywhere? It's kind of like that except there are babies everywhere. Among parents, there is tons of knowing eye contact, a fraternal nod and smile. And mnay parents are thankful for any brief opportunity to engage another adult for a few minutes, even if the topic is children. I actually have to be careful when I don't have Huelan with me because I don't want to be taken for a weirdo smiling at other people's kids.

And people on the street are always doing double takes at Huelan, stopping us to check her out. The comment that she gets most is about her lux hair; she rocks a barrette like few 5-month-olds can. It goes without saying that she gets her hair from her mother.

Here are some recent pics.

Now-stalgia

2010-05-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Now that she's a little bigger, it seems like a lot more things happen. In the past few weeks we had Mother's Day, went to some parties, and had Ba Noi in town. She was even sick for a while, which was terribly sad. But she's back to herself now, and she's picked up a few new skills- rolling over left and right, getting her toes in her mouth, and blowing wet raspberries. She tries to sit up on her own, but inevitably gets transfixed by her feet and slumps foward.

She's also been staring at us while we eat, so we figured she might want some too. We tried spoon feeding her for the first time last night- some rice cereal mixed with milk, barely thicker than the milk alone. She's good at getting the food off the spoon, but doesn't yet know what to do with it from there, so most of it ends up dripping down her chins. If she's anything like her mom and dad she'll be get the hang of it sooner rather than later.

Over the weekend, my cousin was here from Houston, telling us about her son, who is just under 2. We are having a great time with Nicole, and it's awesome to hear about all the fun stuff there is to look forward to. Of course everyone says that time just flies by and advises us to soak up the baby-essence as much as we can right now. Is it possible to have nostalgia for something as it's actually happening? Evidently so.

Most recent pics here.

Super Baby

2010-05-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

She loves this ("Bay" means fly in vietnamese).

thanks for the vid Uncle Jay.

Mother's Day

2010-05-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Huelan says, "Thanks Mommy. For gestating me, birthing me, nursing me, and loving me. I love you too. Happy first Mother's Day. Here is your present."

Success!

2010-05-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

She's had been right on the cusp for 4-5 days, with an occassional successful attempt, but this weekend it looks like she mastered it- the RollOver!

The difficultly with this manuever is that her left arm gets in the way when she is just about over. Sometimes, she would get 80% there and get flung back because that left arm gets in her way and she doesn't know what to do with it. But it looks like her master plan with all those extra ounces of chubb onto her thighs was to use them to leverage herself onto her belly.

She only likes to roll over her left shoulder, so I think that she's going to be goofy-footed.

She's so funny- once she figured it out consistently, she is doing it all the time. She'll be on her back, I go to get some water, and when I come back she's on her tummy. But she doesn't really like being on her tummy too long and hasn't figured out how to get back yet, so she'll just get tired after a while and start to cry.

I guess that'll be her next trick.

Reactions

2010-04-29T07:37:00.001-07:00

Nicole just reached the four-month mark this week, and she had her scheduled doctor's visit. She checked in at 24 inches, 13lbs & 12 oz, and it shows- she's definitely heftier. She's also noticably stronger with her arms, back and squirms.

But what we really notice is the change in her interactivity- she does things to see how we will react, staring at us with wide eyes. We also we get a huge kick out of is provoking reactions in her. Of course making her laugh is the most fun. It might be the funnest sound I've ever heard.
It start out like a high pitched giggle, but when she's really into it, she'll even kind of yell, like in the video above where Liz is playing with her. What's cool is when she's laughing like that, she's totally focussing on you to see what you'll do next.

Once we find something that puts a smile on her face, we'll do it repeatedly, faster, and more exaggerated to see if we can get her to laugh. She's not ticklish yet, but I can't wait. She loves to move really fast and have us fly her around like Supergirl.

Can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Time Flies

2010-04-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

We constantly wonder where all the time goes. I think most parents feel this weird mix of wishing their babies would stay babies longer and looking forward to all the things they'll be able to do when they get a little older. I guess it's a good place to be- wanting to slow down the present while happily anticipating the future.

This month in particular flew by, though. Mainly because we have been mentally occupied with figuring out what to do when Liz returned to work (first day was yesterday). We looked into a few good options, and decided to go with a nanny who comes to our house 4 days/week. She's a very experienced Polish lady names Gosia (pro: Go-sha). And she lives in our neighborhood, so she can walk to our house in the morning. She has a kind and playful temperment and seems to really enjoy playing with Nicole.

She was previously commuting to Hillsborough, where she worked for 4 years for someone who Liz's boss knows. Of course no matter how good the references are, there's still some anxiety. The fact that I can partially work from home makes it easier, though.

And the remaining one day a week, Liz's parents have volunteered to come over and care for Nicole. Yesterday was their first day, and I think it worked out great. It's been a while since they took care of a newborn all day, so I think there was some nerves, but I hope they had fun. Nicole loved it of course.

She is super interactive now, and seems like she is making sounds on purpose. They're longer and alomst annunciated. We can almost see her thinking, reacting to our reactions. She laughs, which makes us laugh, which she laughs at. I think that means we're on the verge of actual parenting. Scary.

She looks around the room searching for certain things, and can reach out and grab stuff we put in front of her. Of course everything she grabs goes directly into her mouth. And just the other day, she held her own bottle for the first time.

Time keeps on slippin into the future, and the only option we have is to soak it up.

Here are some pics!

Mornings

2010-04-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

(This video is kind of long, and there's no big finish or anything, so you won't be missing anything if you stop it before it's done)

Mornings are typically the best for us, and I am especially happy when I can hang around for a bit before heading to work. The video above is from this morning. One of my favorite things is her first smile of the day. For about 2 weeks now, Nicole has been sleeping a solid 7-8 hours at night, which has been a blessing for Liz and me. What's more, she usually wakes up happy and wants to smile and play.

Liz is also working on stretching out Nicole's daytime meal intervals from about 2 hours to 3 or more. So far Liz has been really successful. When Nicole wants to eat, we'll try to disctract her by picking her up, playing with her, or going for a walk. But when she reaches her limit, she lets us know. The video below is from this morning, about an hour after Nicole woke up. As you can see, she's finding her lungs and learning how to express herself.

Parents

2010-03-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

Not to get too existential, but this having a kid thing is really a trip. It's one of the basic things that people of all races and cultures do, and though our methods may differ a bit, the goal is pretty much the same.

It's something that so many people share, you can meet almost any stranger with a kid and can relate to them through common feelings and experiences: the seemingly overwhelming trials of the first few weeks, the joy of little milestones, the fact that your baby will grow and change much more quickly than you expect (even though everyone tells you to expect this), the amazing learning that babies are capable of, the occasional irrational fear, the reprioritizing, the desire to make time stand still, the shift in the way that you think about the present and the future, the realization that you have all this room in your heart that you didn't know was there... all parts of the endless list that makes us parents.

And it's cool how we now share this with our own parents.

____________

Last week we spent a wonderful few days in socal with family and friends. She did amazingly well in the car both ways, sleeping most of the time. We woke her to feed her and let her stretch a little, which added a welcome leisurely quality to what is usually a 400 mile sprint.

Huelan got to spend some quality time with Ba Noi and meet all of her aunts and uncles. She seems like she is comfortable being the center of attention. Ba Noi showed her off to her friends and co-workers; there are few places on earth where a baby girl is more fawned over than a hair salon.

We had a great time for so many reasons, but perhaps best of all we were able to meet some of the newest people on earth- Leah An Nguyen (6lbs, 3oz) and Francesco Reno Toscanini (8lbs, 15oz!). And, to top that off, we went to a baby shower where there were THREE pregnant people. Congrats to all- you guys are going to be great parents.

Check out some pics here

Another Year

2010-03-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

I think that having a baby actually makes us feel younger. The exuberance that comes with goofing off, making faces and making noises is good for us I am sure. Sometimes her firsts feel like our firsts too, which is almos as good as a fountain of youth.

Despite this feeling, however, Larry and I celebrated our birthdays last weeked. Larry went to the Cliff House Friday, and spent Saturday at St Anne's St. Patrick's Dinner Dance.

On this side of the bay, Laurie and Sophia watched Nicole while Liz and I relaxed at Piedmont Springs, a day spa nearby. For dinner, Liz took us out to sushi at Kirala. We were in the first seating and were home by 6:45. Our new normal.

Sunday was the gathering at Lynn and Larry's. We celebrated St. Patty's day and three birthdays (Larry, Me, and Ashley-13!) with the traditional huge slabs of corned beef and cabbage with all the fixins.

Then last night, Bi, Anh and Patty came over to make dinner at our place- fancy appetizers, Bo Luc Lac, and a strawberry short cake for desert. A delicious end to a very relaxed and gluttonous birthday weekend. Just have to make sure that my waist size doesn't keep increasing with my age.

Check out some pics of the last week here.

Keep Calm

2010-03-13T22:52:00.000-08:00

Florence and the Machine - You've Got The Love

Happy birthday big brother! It's been a pretty crazy year eh? You have a baby, a new decade is upon us and now you're even older than before. Well at least you'll always be younger than your wife, haha. I'll see you in a few weeks.

Going Out

2010-03-07T23:26:00.000-08:00

We've gathered a lot of courage in the past two weeks. Although I have had friends tell me that they took their babies out into the world just four or five days after they got home from the hospital, we've opted for the more cautious route- eating in, declining invitations, DVR, and generally chilling at home. And we have loved it.

But I think that we are embarking on a new chapter, one that involves interacting with the outside world. Just this week, Huelan had three big firsts: walking the lake with Gramma and Papa, Lake Tahoe, & Mason's party.

Part of what has kept us home were (valid) concerns about germs and weather, and logistics. The last thing we want is a sick baby, but we also know that we can't keep her in a bubble forever (I'll save that for ages 12-25). And with the rain giving us a reprieve, we figured we should capitalize. As for the logistics piece, I guess we just learn as we go.

Unfortunately, I couldn't be at Stowe Lake with Gramma and Papa, which was a cool milestone. I think a First like this is one that most people don't consider until later in life- the first time you take your grandchild for a walk. Lynn's been walking around that lake for years with her walking group, but it's probably been over a decade since she's pushed a stroller around with her.

The next test was two nights in Lake Tahoe. Sometime Thursday afternoon, Vivien invited us to come up and spend the weekend with her and Jason at their place in south lake. It would just be the five of us, and it only took Liz and I about five minutes to decide that I would take Friday off and we'd head up that evening. Though it looked and felt like we had overpacked, we ended up with just the right amount of gear for Huelan; we were happy to have the extra outfits, since the difference in altitude had an explosive effect.

Nicole otherwise did great, and we had a fantastic time. Like many babies, she is really comfortable in her carseat, and she slept the entire trip both ways. That little thing is like magic. In a restaurant, she'll be asleep from the car ride and continue to nap tableside sitting in the carseat. If she wakes up, she usually just looks around for a bit and drifts off again.

Then today we went to Mason's 3rd bithday party in Pacifica. We only stayed a few hours, but it was long enough for Nicole to get fawned over by nearly every female there. Good food, good friends, good party. And on the way home, I did my Nicole impression and passed out as soon as Liz put the car in gear.

Going out is fun, and it's good for Nicole (as long as we keep her away from sick people). But another big benefit is Liz's sanity. She hasn't complained a peep during these last nine weeks of near-isolation, but being deprived of regular adult interaction is tough. And I don't count. Happy mommy + Happy baby = Happy daddy.

Here are some pics from out outings

2 Months

2010-03-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we reached the 2 month mark with Huelan, and we all are doing really well. She weighed in at 9lbs, 13oz, and measured 22&3/8 inches at her last doc's visit, which is all right on track. She's got a few new rolls of chubb around her legs and arms, and she's storing a healthy amount of milk calories in her cheeks and chin too. Her hair's getting longer, and it's actually turning a light brown. It's wavy, and sometimes it gets a little wave like a baby pompadour.

Mornings are usually good for her, and when I don't have early appointments, I can hang out with her for a bit and give Liz a little rest. When Huelan's alert and interactive, it's a lot of fun for us. We'll make faces, sounds and sing-song to get her to react, and when we get a smile it's pretty much the best thing ever. She'll even coo back sometimes, and we can almost have a conversation.

We're getting braver with taking her out, and we went to a relaxed brunch at Lake Chalet last weekend (build your own bloody mary bar). We took advantage of the sun and strolled her around the lake. She slept most of the time. We're trying to make an effort to expose her to new things, especially outside, but with more rain expected this week, we'll probably be home, so come by and visit! If you can't make it, here are a few pics.

You're Awesome

2010-02-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

School's been pretty busy lately.

Happy Birthday Vu

2010-02-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

I know, I'm a day late. I suck at birthdays.

Heads Up

2010-02-21T21:23:00.001-08:00

Huelan is eight weeks old today, and is doing great. To celebrate, this weekend she got a visit from some out-of-towners: Joy, Karen, Ruben and Joaquin.

We also did an unofficial weigh in yesterday at Grandma & Papa's, and with clothes on she tipped the scales at a whopping 10lbs, 6oz. Liz and I can tell that she's definitely longer and she's plumping up, but we were suprised she passed 10lbs for some reason. I guess it's parental nature to be taken off guard at how quickly their kids have grown, even as infants.

We were suprised at another thing she learned this week- she's just about able to support her own head! Check out the pic above & vid below.

Tomorrow we take her to her doctor for a scheduled exam and we'll get an official weight. Along with some shots, which I hear suck. Supposedly the baby forgets almost immediately, but I am more concerned about Liz and I being scarred forever.

Number One Hits

2010-02-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

With a new baby, one of the sweetest things is all of her "firsts." We try to celebrate and record every milestone with her, and that's a lot of fun in itself. There is a slightly bitter side, though- that a first only happens once. I know all parents dote on their babies, and now I know why. I'll paraphrase my friend Omar- you've got to try to soak up every one of those moments because they're finite; you've got to be greedy with every little smile and coo. That's exactly how I feel.

This week, we had a couple of especially fun firsts- Valentine's day and the Lunar New Year. People always ask me about Vietnamese new year (called Tet) and Chinese new year. They are the same holiday, based on the lunar calendar, and many of the traditions are the same. Principally, eating a ton.

Along with Nicole's first Tet, she got her first jewelery- a necklace and charm with her Chinese zodiac sign on it (year of the Ox), and a little jade heart charm. And of course she got her first red envelopes, which she'll learn to look forward to every year for the next couple of decades.

Some other fun recent firsts:
- Keeping her head up upright by herself
- Loud giggles
- Liz's first sushi in over a year- our pre-Val dinner at Kirala
- Grandma and Papa's first time watching Nicole while we went out
- Nicole's first time meeting Zachary (thanks for the lasagna!)

Also, a notable second- Ba Noi's second visit to spend time with Huelan. She is having a blast, just like the first time.

Here are some pics from the past few weeks.

Ribbit

2010-02-10T22:04:00.001-08:00

When babies start to get chubby, baby people call it "thriving." Apparently babies don't have the abdominal muscles to keep all of their insides tight. I call it frogbelly. Affectionately, of course.

Owned

2010-02-08T22:22:00.001-08:00

It might just be that you've never owned anyone quite like you did when you were an infant and you owned your parents. Your boss can't make you change his diapers 12 times a day. The bank that owns your mortgage can't make you get up every few hours around the clock. And as she gets older, we'll expect her to fend for herself to some degree. But now, she has us right where she wants us- wrapped around her tiny finger. Liz and I just had a laughing fit wondering out loud when we'll ever get to sleep through an entire night again (we muffled ourselves, careful not to wake her).

Don't get me wrong- it's a joy. It's just totally without reprieve.

But it is getting a little easier. We've gotten through most of our N.A.D. issues and Nicole Huelan is six weeks old now. She's increasingly awake & alert, and those are the fun times. Just in the last day or two, Liz and I think that she's beginning to make social smiles. She's more interactive now, and seems to be very curious about us, even recognizing our voices from across the room. She loves following us with her eyes, but then again she also does that with her mobiles, so I am not sure she knows the difference.

Another benefit of this age is that she is beginning to have a schedule. We can usually count on her to take a long morning nap and another two or three in the afternoon. At night, we've been giving her a big "dose" of milk around 10pm in hopes that it'll tide her over for 3.5 - 4 hours. Four uninterupted, blissful hours of sleep. Yes, she owns us.

This past weekend was actually a milestone. During her morning nap, we took her out of the house for the first time (excluding the Sunset and the doctor's). We played it safe on Saturday, taking her to our Pho spot. Pho is served quickly and we can scarf it in case a quick getaway was necessary. But she slept the whole time and we were able to eat leisurely.

Sunday, we got the idea to hit up Aunt Mary's for brunch. This is a longer service and a louder spot, but she did equally well. She woke up for a while, which had us ready to spring into parental action, but she soothed herself and fell back asleep in her carseat. The pic above is us outside Aunt Mary's- notice how happy we are to have some sun on us.

This brings up another question. When the hostess asks how many, what do we say? a table for two is usually not big enough if we have the carseat, and defintely too small if we have the stroller. But if you say three, they usually sit you at a four-top, which would annoy a waiter during a busy brunch. So maybe two and a half is the right answer? Hmmm... we need more experience.

As a token of appreciation for getting through this rambling, scatted post, here's the link to Nicole Huelan's most current pics.

Had 'Em, Lost 'Em

2010-02-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

Nicole needs to be soothed pretty regularly. It sounds weird, but the experts say that sometimes babies get over-tired and just don't know how to get themselves to sleep, which leads to frustration and crying. We've definitely seen this with Nicole, and we usually intervene by letter her pacify herself for a few minutes on one of our fingers. When she's tired, it's like magic- she can be fully asleep in less than a minute. But we have to be careful, because if we pull the pinky out too early, she'll root around for it and have little convulsions (funnier than it sounds).

But really, self-sooting is the goal. Nicole found her fingers pretty early, but the trouble is she doesn't quite know how to keep them in her mouth, as you can see in the vid clip.

To The Day

2010-01-27T21:46:00.000-08:00

We celebrated one month with Nicole Huelan today. Liz and I can't actually decide if seems like it's been a long time or whether time has flown by. A little of both I suppose.

Perhaps we really started bonding with her well before she was born, talking to her and getting ready for her arrival, making it seem like so much longer than a mere 30 days. Or maybe it's just our screwed up sleep cycles that have distorted our sense of time.

She has definitely changed a lot in just a month. We can see it in her face and body- she's no longer the puffy little bundle all wrapped up in a blanket. She is starting to make little cooing noises and gurgles that have me completely smitten. She can track our faces if we move slowly from side to side (and if she's in the mood). And she's eating more, which is helping her get noticeably stronger, heavier, and more active.

Some of the books we read tell us what to expect at 2 and 3 months, but that feels like a long way from now. We hope next month will be as fun as this one has been (except with more sleep).

The More We Change...

2010-01-22T08:56:00.001-08:00

Being around an infant these last few weeks made me realize that there are some things we do as adults that we are pretty much programmed to do from the womb. For instance, people believe that the reason that newborns like to sleep all day and stay awake at night is because all day the mother in rocking them to sleep in utero by walking around and going about her daily business. They are soothed all the voices and sounds mommy hears, not to mention all the goings-on inside mommy's belly. Then at night, when mommy is sleeping and it's quiet out, they are more active. After they are born, we still rock them to soothe them, some people even resorting to placing them on a clothes drier or taking them for a drive. And as adults, those same gentle vibrations soothe us and put us right to sleep; how many people do you know who can't manage to stay alseep on a long car ride? How many people sleep better with a little white noise like rain falling?

Then there's the sucking instinct, perhaps the strongest instinct newborns have. Babies must be strong sucklers to stay alive, and they even want to satisfy their sucking instinct right after they eat, even when they are full. Maybe this is the origin of the oral fixation in adults- gum chewing, fingernail biting, cigarette smoking, and recreational eating?

Just a thought...

By the weigh- Nicole Huelan got up to 7lbs, 5.6 oz at her doc's visit this week.

Some more recent pics here

Ba Noi

2010-01-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

In Vietmanese, the Ba Noi is the grandmother on the paternal side, i.e. what my mom is to Nicole. Nicole's Ba Noi was here December 22-25, hoping that she could coax Nicole out to join us. Unfortunately, Nicole waited another day and Ba Noi missed her granddaughter's debut.

So it was an agonizing two weeks for Ba Noi, made only barely more tolerable by phone calls and Skype, but she finally met Nicole Huelan last week. You've never seen anyone happier to hear a baby cry- she didn't stop grinning the entire time. Ba Noi delivered and raised plenty of her own kids, but it's been a while since she's held a newborn. Her and my step dad fought over the right to hold, soothe, and change diapers for 48 hours straight.

In the few minutes that she wasn't exercising her matriarchal right to spoil her only grandchild, she even had time to make us a few soups and other comfort foods. Ahhhh, everybody wins when Ba Noi is in town. We all had a blast and can't wait to get them together again soon.

N.A.D.

2010-01-12T04:30:00.000-08:00

Newborn Anxiety Disorder. If I could patent a pill for it we'd make trillions. The reason is that I believe anxiety is the most common, universal emotion for new parents next to love & affection. From the "What do we do now?" moment when the door closes after you bring your child home for the first time until they can effectively communicate, it's a constant guessing game of "What does this mean?" & "What does that mean?"

It's the uncertainty that is the most vexing. My buddy Michael said that when babies cry there are just three things they could need: food, diaper change, or hugs. Pretty simple sounding, but easy to agonize over. Is she getting enough food? Should we supplement with formula? Should we wake her to finish eating? Is she going through a normal number of diapers? Is the cream we are using right for her? Are we picking her up too much? Too little? What are the long term consequences of giving her a pacifier? Are we spoiling her? Seriously, it can be endless, and the crazy part is that it's often impossible to know.

One good anti-anxiety cure we have found is reading about newborns. There is a lot of information out there, and we tried to read some before Nicole was born, but it just didn't quite make sense to us then. Now, however, it's very reassuring to find a paragraph or two that aptly describes what she is doing and how she is acting- it's good to know that she's not doing anything too weird.

Really, though, we are very fortunate to have friends & family with a lot of experience who we can lean on. Nicole has already changed a lot in her 2.5 weeks on earth, and having people who can give us some insight on what to expect makes all the difference. We even have a personal Lactation Consultant who makes an incredible meatball tortellini soup (thanks Corina!).

When we're frustrated because we can't figure out how to ease her pain, it can drive us crazy and make us question what we are doing. I think that puts us in the same company as all the parents who have ever lived. Sometimes we have found that "I don't know," is the right answer and we are content with that. Cindy said something we really like- that it's impossible to spoil a newborn. So, when in doubt, we are going to err on the side of more hugs.

BTW- Nicole Huelan is up to 6lbs, 15oz and 20.75 inches. Some new pics here.

Mini, Funny Things

2010-01-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

Pretty much everything a baby does is funny and/or cute. Even the most simple and mundane functions for a grown person are super cute when babies do them because it reminds you that they are mini people. Mini people doing mini things. Super mini.

This video is of Nicole Huelan at one of her more alert times- ready to nurse, but (just) before she gets vocal about it. She has the baby hiccups, yawns and sneezes. Hopefully you'll be able to hear her. Her mini feet are also kicking like a mini Pele. It's about 3 mins long.

Initiation

2010-01-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

When you pledge a fraternity, there is a stage called Initiation Week, or I-Week. It's a time where you're basically cut off from the outside world and taught the final bits of knowledge necessary for entrance into the fraternity. You are supposed to come out the other side with new new-found appreciation and bond, much of it brought on by some physical and mental hazing, augmented by sleep depriviation.

A lot like our first week with Nicole.

We have learned a lot this week, but just when we think we have her figured out, she throws us a curve ball. She has us ecstatic over the smallest actions and bodily functions, but she also has us up at all hours of the night. It's hilarious how Liz and I talk about what might be happening, how we guess at what some action or behavior means. "Maybe that means she's full." "Maybe that means she's tired." "Maybe that means she wants us to dress her up in her favorite outfit." It's a very amusing game.

And in just one short week, she has learned some new cries. In addition to the way she was born singing, she now has a low, throaty wail and a short, staccato one. There are some people who actually say they can decode them. We are not that sophisticated yet, but she's teaching us.

It looks like this initiation is going to last longer than one week....

Ringing It In

2009-12-31T21:50:00.001-08:00

Obviously, this is not the typical New Year's Eve- no dressing up, big countdown or champgne toast. We are having a grand time nonetheless. In our pajamas.

I was able to get some intense napping in today and Liz even got a few winks. We were able to see some friends, who brought food. We got a good report from our visit to the pediatrician early this morning. All good ways to end 2009, which was a big one for all three of us.

Nicole Huelan ended the year keeping us harried, confused, and at times exasperated. We are looking forward to more in 2010.

Homecoming

2009-12-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

We were very excited to bring Nicole home yesterday. She is getting used to her new environment (again) and we are getting used to our new lifestyle. Which basically consists of trying to figure out what she wants and doing it.

She wants to nurse quite a lot, and everything we read says that we (Liz) should be feeding her "on demand." Which basically makes Liz Nicole's 24 hour personal smoothie machine.

Although the hospital was comfortable and it was great having someone to help with every question or concern, there is no place like home.

Here's a vid of her before we left the hospital, getting hungry as usual. This is her first little outfit.

About 2 mins. I'll post shorter ones when I figure out how to cut and edit.

Downs and Ups

2009-12-28T21:42:00.001-08:00

Today was a mixed day, the gratitude and awe we have with our daughter being tempered by the sad news that Liz's Auntie Mary passed early this morning. She went peacefully in her sleep after a long fight with the ailments of age. We all miss her dearly, but are comforted by the knowledge that her adventurous spirit has been freed from the body that has kept her bound these recent years.

Liz, Nicole and I are still at Alta Bates and have been quite comfortable. We went to a lactation education class in the hospital today and learned quite a lot. We learned that Nicole takes to nursing very well - not that we are competitive parents :)

The rest of the day was spent playing with her when she was awake and trying to get some rest while she rested. She just finished a 4-hour nap while Anh was visiting, and woke up wet and hungry. Is that common for infants...?

We also learned that she may be having an issue with jaundice- a common condition when the mother and child have different blood types, as is the case with us. If the physicians are concerned, they may want us (or her) to stay an extra day to make use of some phototherapy. If all goes well however, we should be headed for home tomorrow afternoon.

We had some downs and ups today; we don't expect them to be the last.

Here We Go

2009-12-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

*JUST UPDATED: web album from her first 24 hours!

Nicole is currently sleeping peacefully on Liz, who is nearly passed out herself, after a very long and eventful day and a half. It's a scene out of a Gerber commercial, but it wasn't easy getting to this point.

Liz woke up the 26th with some cramps, thought that maybe she had had too much Christmas ham or prime rib. By 10am, though, it was clear that something was different, that she was not having indigestion. By 11am, the contractions were clear and prolonged, about 7 minutes apart. We waited another 2 hours at home to make sure that they weren't going to subside before calling our doctor.

We arrived at labor triage at about 2:15, but Liz wasn't dialated enough to get admitted. So we walked around the floor for about 45 minutes, contractions coming hard and often. We were finally admitted around 4:30, with contractions about 3.5 minutes apart.

From an outsider's prospective, contractions are a bitch. From what I can tell, it's like serious cramp that takes over your entire body and soul. This is made worse by the fact that you know another one will be right on its heals, and it is likely to be of a greater magnitude. Liz is a tough one, as you know, and she was bearing down through them like a champ.

We had planned all along to get the epidural, which in my opinion, is a great way to go. Some women opt to go au-natural, which is a pain I can not even fathom. They hook women in labor up to a monitor that plots the baby's heartrate and the intensity of the contraction on two differnet graphs. The epidural was given before the most intense contractions, and just in time. According to the graphs, the later contractions were at the top of the charts.

The contractions were coming with increasing frequency and magnitude. One nearly right on top of the last, over and over. So fast and hard, in fact, that the baby was having a hard time recooperating in between the existance-crushing shocks. For a while there, it looked like they might have to cut her out. But with the aid of the excellent staff at Alta Bates, mother and daughter were able to right the ship.

With a little bit of additional help, Liz was able to give a few hard pushes and a little head of hair was born, which was soon followed by round, downy little shoulders, miniature wrinkly hands, and slender legs.

Nicole Huelan Ly was born with hardly a peep. She came into the world with her eyes wide open, staring right at her mother in amazement, wonder and gratitude. She landed on her mother's chest covered in nine months of good loving and good living, and she was gorgeous.

She's been with us for a little over 18 hours now, and we've already seen glimpses of her personality. She loves to stare. She's introspective and serene. She nurses like a champ. She's already evolving, and even looks different than when we first met.

We hope that you'll be able to meet her soon, too, as some of her new family and friends already have. In any case, you will be able to follow her here, as much of this space will be devoted to her.

Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and prayers.

Love,
Hung, Liz, and Nicole Huelan

more pics here

Plus One

2009-12-27T02:05:00.000-08:00

Priscilla Ahn - A Good Day

A good day indeed, but I'll let my brother share the news. Congratulations you two.

P.S. Natalie was a pretty close guess.

Elementary

2009-12-26T03:14:00.000-08:00

Feist - Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming

I just returned from almost 6 days up in the bay, sunday night to friday evening. It was great; spent time with friends and family, ate way too much food, bought a new jacket, saw the sights and much more. This first Christmas away from home was definitely different but at the same time delightfully familiar with the whole family there (except for my dad). The only damper is that we had to come back home before dear Natalie was born. But it's ok, I'll have plenty of opportunities to spend time with my niece in the future. See you soon.

2009-12-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

Last night was our pre-Christmas eve dinner. Mom smuggled a whole suitcase full of food up on Southwest Airlines and we finished almost all of it. Just a few bowls leftover for breakfast today...

Wilted

2009-12-24T10:05:00.001-08:00

We didn't want her to come on the day Cal lost in the Poinsettia Bowl anyway.

Fashionably Late

2009-12-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

Today is Dec 23rd- the baby's due date. It looks like, however, she is going to be keeping everyone waiting a little while longer. I guess we had better get used to her taking her time.

Maybe she has a flare for drama, and has been biding her time until Ba Noi (Grandma) is here? Well, she's here 'til Christmas!

Tanenbaum

2009-12-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

We downsized the tree this year and it fits perfectly in our new layout.

We acquired a few new ornaments this year, and this one's my favorite. It's the iconic outdoor pool at Hearst Castle, and it's 3D.

Best & Worst of the weekend

2009-12-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

This was the first weekend in months and months that we simply relaxed. It was blissful. with all the excitement of the baby coming and the holidays, we are stoked to just be able to chill just the two of us. Not many more of these weekends...

Bests:
- Nothing to move, assemble, clean, or organize!
- Put up and decorated our Xmas tree. House smells like Christmas now.
- Went to a movie- Avatar. Pretty good, solid B+
- Dinner at Laurie and Sophia's (and a homemade apple pie)
- Nap

Worst:
- I bought these poinsettia plants 3 for $12. Great deal, right? Turns out they are kind of sorry and make me kind of sad when I look at them.

Guessing Game

2009-12-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

We had 55 people from the various baby showers make guesses on the baby's arrival date and time. So far, 8 guesses have already passed, including Liz's guess, which was yesterday at 4:15pm (we were shopping). The official due date is December 23. I guessed, December 20, 10:15pm.

The latest date? Guessed by Dina Gee- January 8, 8:37am!

Best & Worst of the weekend

2009-12-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

Bests:
- Liz's last day of work before going on her maternity leave!
- Choosing a new rug. I know, we are are domesticated.
- Achieving 98% status on baby readiness.

Worsts:
- Realizing that 100% readiness is not possible. Oh well, she's coming any day now, ready or not.

Tonga

2009-12-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday night Liz's parents took us to the Fairmont to celebrate what Lynn calls Liz's "semi-retirement," meaning the beginning of her maternity leave from her office. We checked out the giant gingerbread house, and then went downstairs to the Tonga Room for fruity drinks, the Tonga Buffet, and indoor rain (of course!). They do a great job with everything at that place. Click the photo above for more pics.

Happy Happy

2009-12-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Congrats M+C! a little video message from the Bay.

Garlic Fun Time

2009-12-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

G made these great garlic noodles that were a hit Sunday and wanted to share the recipe with y'all. Two keys to making it authentic- crab butter, and you have to squat asian-style.

INGREDIENTS:
For the sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sriracha
2 tablespoons michiu (rice cooking wine)
3 tablespoons kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
2 tablespoons mirin

For the noodles
1 pound fresh egg noodles, chow mein thickness
3 ounces unsalted butter
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 pound meat from a 1 1/2- to 2-pound Dungeness crab
Reserved crab "butter"
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Boil 3 quarts of water, and cook egg noodles to al dente, about 6-8 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse in cold water and set aside.
Combine butter and garlic in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once butter begins to brown and garlic gets fragrant (about 1 minute), add the egg noodles and stir until butter coats them evenly.
Turn heat to high. Continue to saute for 3 minutes, adding the sauce mixture and combining evenly with the noodles. Once noodles have been cooked through (2 minutes), add the crabmeat and "butter" (tomalley), if using, and cook for an additional 1 minute.
Stir in lemon juice. Serve noodles on a plate, top with cilantro. Note: Fish sauce, sriracha, michiu, kecap manis and mirin can be found at Asian markets. To extract "butter" or tomalley from a crab, lift off top shell and spoon out the thick yellow substance.

Best & Worst of the Weekend- Liz's Birthday Edition

2009-12-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Superb friends and family weekend with lots of bests including:

-Saturday night at Ben and Tina's in Pacifica, with gift exchange and beer pong, resulting in lots of holiday trash talking. Luckily we escaped before the poker started otherwise I'd have been $40 poorer I am sure.

-Secret Santa delivered an early present- a yard glass of beer complete with stand! AND a 32 of the High Life with roadside emergency kit!

-A full house of family and friends to help us celebrate Liz's birthday. We'll soon have another December birthday (we hope).

-G's new recipe crab butter garlic noodles- tune in later this week for more details.

-Raymond and Bo sharing great news!

-Mike and Caroline sharing great news!

And a couple of worsts:

-Missing Chen's fly-by visit Friday night

-Cal getting a Husky beat down in Seattle. Bowl-bound none-the-less...