Monthly Archives: April 2011

Zebra Love, Gymboree x 2, Sausalito, Stinky Tofu, Playing Maracas

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April 19 – April 26, 2011

4.19.2011
We went out to eat with Auntie Vickie at Han Il Kwan (Korean BBQ) and Simon enjoyed himself but also made a big mess.

Thank you Auntie Vicki for coming to join us for dinner!

4.20.2011
Ziggy has a new friend: Tiger

Simon finds them both huggable.

4.21.2011
Simon has a Zebra outfit that we bought in Singapore. It was a little too big before but seems to fit perfectly now.

It has a cute little behind.

4.22.2011
We are quitting Gymboree membership after this month so we tried to make use of our make-up classes, at least one. We have six from when Simon was sick during the winter and kept on missing class. So we went to this evening’s class.

I must say, compared to the other classes that we’ve attended for make-up, our Saturday class teacher Laney is so much better than the others. Her songs seem so much better and the way she explains everything seems so much better. I think I will miss her more than Simon will.

Simon finally figured out his lawn mower toy.

4.23.2011
Ron was helping his brother move today so Simon and I went to another Gymboree class, this time in San Mateo. With our membership, we have two free classes worldwide so used one up today. Grandpa Chung came to watch and took some photos of Simon. Again, this teacher couldn’t compare to our teacher… but the facility was nicer and there were less kids.

Simon really liked this donut hole, he kept on crawling in and out of it and putting his ball in it too.

Lounging in his donut hole.

He really likes the balls.

He enjoyed the row boat today too.

He was afraid to walk across this plank since it was a bit wobbly but with his “security” ball and mommy’s hand, he walked across.

Knocked out for his afternoon nap. Not wanting to disturb him, I took a nap in the car too until he woke up.

After the nap, he was all refreshed and ready to make some music… and write some email?

Then climb on his desk chair to do some drawing. He can get onto the chair himself, feet first. He must be watched closely or else the chair might tip over.

4.24.2011
Simon in motion… some of his clothes are a little tight on him, I thought this made him look slim.

Just woken up from a nap, waiting for seats at Le Garage in Sausalito for lunch.

“I want everything on this menu!”

“Mommy, your croque madame looks yummy!”

Daddy had the burger.

After lunch, we drove to downtown Sausalito to walk off a bit of our meal. A little breezy but at least the mist and cold lifted.

While mommy and daddy had ice cream, Simon had a nap. The end of a good afternoon with our friends Susan and Ken.

Simon still likes his lawn mower… but gets tired so crawls onto the couch for a rest. The couch is low but it’s still amazing for me to watch him crawl up by himself.

4.25.2011
“I want THAT cup of water.”

We had dinner at Taste of Formosa. Simon had his first taste of stinky tofu and he actually seemed to like it… likely because it was fried and a bit crunchy.

Shredded pork and preserved vegetable noodle soup. It was a little watered down and not enough preserved vegetables.

Wah guay. Definitely not as good as Taiwan.

Dumplings. They were okay but nothing too special. The wrappers were a bit uneven.

Oyster pancake. This tasted good to me, this is not Ron’s favorite dish.

Ba wan. It was a bit tough… and took a long time to come out.

Not sure if we’ll be back. The best part was the stinky tofu… so maybe if we have a craving.

4.26.2011
Daddy Ron bought Simon maracas and whistles. He took the maracas right away.

Simon enjoys “reading” his Cookie Monster cookbook and looking at all the Sesame Street characters.

Simon playing his maraca and pointing at “Cookie”.

I love to see Simon in action but I also really love to watch him in a peaceful sleep.

Visiting Great Grandma

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April 17, 2011

Today Simon was going to visit great-grandma for the first time. She only speaks Chinese so we needed my parents to take us there. Simon is finally healthy (no cough or runny nose) so this was a good day to pay a visit. First we went to have dim sum with my parents and so that we could also bring great-grandma some dim sum. Simon really liked the meatballs and kept on eating them.

Then we went to Stockton to visit my grandma. She was very surprised and excited to see us. Simon was a little scared but was a good boy and didn’t cry.

Then we visited my pharmacy school before heading to put flowers at the cemetery for my grandfather and great-grandmother.

Then we went to my parents’ house to enjoy the warm weather with goldfish crackers… and beer.

Simon clinking drinks with daddy.

My mom playing with Buddy.

Simon checking out the dogs.

Simon found one of the dogs’ toys interesting and began kicking it around like a soccer ball.

It was a bit windy but a great day to be outside. At least Simon should have gotten enough sun exposure to synthesize some vitamin D today.

Feeling better, Brushing teeth, Batman, Musician, Artist, Self-Feeding, Mailman

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April 9 – April 16, 2011

Warning: This will be a long post!

4.9.2011
Simon checking out his new hat and making a funny face

I went to the Japantown Cherry Blossom Festival today to meet Lela Lee, the artist behind Angry Little Girls. Photo courtesy of my friend Tiffany. I got her latest book Fairy Tales for Angry Little Girls.

The festival was super crowded so I only walked around for a bit before heading home to Simon and Ron. Before leaving I spotted a Hello Kitty Smart car!

I picked up some fresh lychee and mango mochi.

Simon seems to be on the road to recovery. He always loves his bath time and has started asking for it in the evening near bedtime. He’ll say something that sounds like “ba-pu” to signal he’s tired and ready to have his bath before bedtime. He’s started to let us brush his teeth a bit and sometimes he’ll point to his toothbrush so he can hold it himself. He usually just holds onto it though or gnaw on it.

4.10.2011
Batman Simon (chewing on a credit card)

Check out the cool cape in the back. An outfit my mom got from Hong Kong.

We attended a baby shower for our friends Susan and Ken today and on our way there, Simon fell asleep. He always looks so peaceful.

They had a pinata for the kids and once it was broken open, Simon went to grab some candy (although we didn’t let him eat any).

He didn’t have much of a nap before the party and stayed up the whole time during the party so we were all exhausted and had a long nap after we got home. Maybe if we let Simon have candy, he would have stayed awake.

4.11.2011
Simon loves his Ziggy the Zebra and is starting to play with his Tigger.

He likes this magnetic pen and pad toy. He’ll take the pen in his hand and hit the tip to the pad… but he doesn’t look at what he’s drawing.

4.12.2011
Doraemon Simon.

Simon found this formula can in our recycling bin and wanted to carry it around. We’ve been giving him formula interchangeably with milk so that he’ll get some extra vitamins like DHA, Omega 3, etc. He discovered that it is fun to bang on the can like a drum to make noise.

Simon drumming on his can.

This is how Simon sleeps this days. His mattress is on the ground because he tries to climb out of his Pack and Play. He ends up scooting himself near the edge of his mattress though. We need to buy him a bigger bed soon.

4.13.2011
Simon’s devious little smile.

Simon’s round little tummy.

4.14.2011
Simon playing with his blankie.

4.15.2011
Ron says Simon looks like a peeled banana.

Out to dinner at Hard Knox Cafe in Dog Patch. Pretty family friendly place.

Simon testing out his new paper pad and crayons. I visited his daycare a few days ago and he was at the craft table playing with the crayons and sheets of paper laying around so I bought him this easel pad and the crayons were given to him by our friends Shizuka and Hiro as a present before he was born. He doesn’t really draw but instead “stabs” the paper but ends up making some markings. Mommy and Daddy helped him a little bit with this drawing.

“This is fun!”

4.16.2011
Simon usually sleeps in until 7am on weekends but woke up at 6:30am this morning, requesting his milk and breakfast. He goes “ma-ma”, “na-na” (his word for milk or drink).

I am looking forward to when Simon is old enough to help me to cook. This morning he was flipping through our Cookie Monster cookbook.

His coordination is getting better as he can open the book and flip pages more easily. I think he also recognizes Cookie Monster from watching Sesame Street.

For lunch I made Simon some macaroni with corn and cheese. He didn’t want us to feed him, he wanted to try to feed himself with the spoon. He was only able to get a few bites on the spoon but he kept on jabbing his spoon into the bowl to try to get more out. Eventually he got tired of the macaroni and only wanted to eat the corn so Ron had to scoop it out for him.

I took Simon to Gymboree then to Ikea. He had fun exploring the children’s area with their toy tables, chairs, kitchen setup, tool setup, etc. We then stopped by the restaurant to have a snack. I got a the kid’s combo with chicken tenders and french fries. I have no idea how Simon knows what french fries are but he grabbed one right away and refused to eat the chicken so I let him have a few fries.

I started to eat them and dipping them in ketchup so Simon also wanted to try dipping. I think he enjoyed dipping, more than he enjoyed the ketchup.

After our Ikea trip (they have a great table/2 chairs set for $19.99 and the highchair with tray for $24.99), we headed home and Simon wanted to check the mail.

Future as a mailman?

Mommy and Daddy had an afternoon treat that our friend Virginia brought us. Lemon meringue and spicy Mexican chocolate from Cupkates. The spicy Mexican chocolate was a surprise but in a good way.

Simon had pineapple for dinner but couldn’t really break up the fibers. He’s having a good laugh with daddy.

Sleeping peacefully after a long day.

Super Simon, Cheers!, Climbing Simon, Simon Sick

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April 3 through 8, 2011

Morning bread and milk (4/3/11)

Super Simon! Ready to tackle the day (4/3/11)

Wasabi poke bowl from Pacific Catch in the Marina. Lunch with friends. (4/3/11)

Pooped out Super Simon (4/3/11)

Simon playing with his fire engine (4/4/11)

Simon sporting his new long sleeved T-shirt with sewn on tie (4/5/11)

The BRAT diet seems to be working. I’m glad it wasn’t lactose intolerance. Simon loves his milk… with a little bread stuck up his nose (4/5/11)

Mommy’s lunch of a NorCal burrito, made with french fries! It was way too much, never again.

Simon watching Sesame Street. Look at that happy face! (4/5/11)

Simon learned how to raise his glass and what to do when you say “Cheers!” (4/5/11)

Simon has learned to climb on our small couch inside his playroom. When he sees us sitting there, he wants to sit with us too. (4/6/11)

He tries to get his knee on the couch (4/6/11)

Then cries when he knee slips off (4/6/11)

But he perseveres and gets himself up (4/6/11)

My free lunch today from management from Da’ Pitt BBQ. Brisket smothered in medium BBQ sauce and a side of mac and cheese. The brisket was tender but pretty fatty. The BBQ sauce was sweet but spicy and vinegary, I kept on wanting to eat it but it got too spicy. The mac and cheese was hard and kind of gross, maybe because it was cold since our order came really late. It was a large portion of meat and pretty smokey, I had half to bring home for Ron for dinner. (4/7/11)

Simon trying out a spoon to eat with… not really, he’s really just playing with the spoon and bowl. Now that he is over his stomach bug, now he has a runny nose and cough so isn’t sleeping well at night. I hope I don’t catch what he has as I’ve already been not feeling very well this week myself. I’m starting to finally feel back to normal and I hope it stays that way! (4/7/11)

Little Simon stayed home with Ron today instead of going to daycare. His nose was running like a drain this morning and he kept on coughing so it was best not to expose him to the other kids again. There are some babies now at his daycare so he’s no longer the youngest. Simon was all exhausted and fell asleep on this comforter and Ron covered him with a blanket. His eyes popped open as Ron took the picture (4/8/11)

His little nose is all red and his cheeks are chapped from all the moisture. He used 3 bibs at daycare yesterday and is on his 4th one tonight. What makes little kids’ snot so yellow and thick in the morning yet so clear and watery during the day? and why do little kids hate having their nose wiped? Sigh, I hope this means he’s building up a strong immune system! At least he’s not feverish and he’s still eating and drinking normally… get well soon my baby!