Ron trying to get Simon to smile resulted in this half-smile.
7.13.2011
Simon looks excited to be standing on a stool.
Here he is stepping up and down.
Blueberry monster!
Simon’s fork skills are improving.
Simon visited the fish store with daddy this afternoon. He was really excited to see the fish and tanks.
7.14.2011
Simon now asks us for piggy back rides. If you’re sitting down, he’ll go around us and put his hands on our shoulders and say what sounds like “piggy back”. He can get upset if we don’t give him the ride.
7.5.2011
Simon has been learning about aquariums from Ron. Well, not exactly, he just likes to play with the equipment.
He figured out how to stack these balls, Ron calls them “bio” balls (for a filter).
Ron taught Simon about flipping, hand and headstands today.
7.6.2011
Babies are sometimes very silly. If you’re feeling tired and don’t have anything to do, you would take a nap, wouldn’t you? Here Simon is falling asleep while eating but saying “no” to taking a nap.
We visited Grandma and Grandpa Tam again and the pool was still semi-inflated so Simon got to play again.
One of the reasons we visited was so we could pick up my old futon mattress for Simon. He’s been rolling off his little crib mattress and sleeping in uncomfortable positions. He seems happy about his new room setup.
7.7.2011
Simon learning about some salt water tank equipment, this is to measure specific gravity of the water.
Then going shopping with Ron and finding his treasure… two long rods.
7.8.2011
Ron and Simon surprised me at work to take me to lunch. Unfortunately we didn’t really have enough time to eat lunch so we brought it back to the pharmacy to finish. Simon enjoyed running around the shelves and playing peekaboo.
He got upset when he had to leave and say goodbye but was all happy again by the time I got home. I love his big eyes.
And his big smile.
7.9.2011
Simon carrying a shopping bag… picking up my shopping habit?
Enjoying a bowl of fruits.
7.10.2011
The apples on our tree are getting ripe. Soon Simon will be able to eat them but for now, he wants to convince you to eat them.
Simon saying dinosaur, turtle, and ball.
In the evening, Simon and I had the opportunity to attend the Giants vs Mets game. We took the BART and MUNI in and arrived just in time. Simon was quiet during our trip to the park but was really hungry once we found our seats.
He really enjoyed the garlic fries with ketchup.
We left in the middle of the 5th inning since Simon was getting bored and tired. He was pretty bored on the BART but as long as I kept on singing songs to him, he was quiet and stopped fidgeting.
7.11.2011
Simon has figured out to move forward on his sitting car.
We went out to dinner and Simon wanted to sit on the chair. I was afraid he would scoot himself off but he was pretty good about sitting still and eating dinner with us.
7.2.2011 Happy 16 months!
Simon enjoyed playing in our front yard this morning. It was warm weather and so was the water. He is wearing Ron’s visor since he insisted.
We had a date with our friend Tiffany to see Avenue Q in San Jose so we dropped Simon off at Grandpa Chung’s for babysitting. Simon cried when we left and apparently cried for another 45 minutes after we left. We are still learning how best to leave so that he won’t have this type of reaction again in the future. We think we left too abruptly but we had done it before and he was fine. He’s older now though so probably understands a bit more but is also afraid that we won’t come back. My poor baby. I felt bad but I knew he would be well taken care of.
We were running a bit late and the original place we wanted to go to for dinner was packed so we looked on Yelp and ended up at Mama Chen’s in Santa Clara for some Taiwanese cuisine.
Ba wan. Good amount of meat and large slices of bamboo shoots plus it was a large sized ba wan itself.
Their special beef noodle soup. The noodles were nice and chewy but the beef itself was a little tough. The broth is light in taste, dark in color. Next time I would skip this.
Shrimp pancake. Loved the chewy gooey texture and the crispy thin layer outside.
Of course we tried the stinky tofu, yum yum!
Green onion pancake with egg. Hard to describe but if you like egg and green onions, I think you’ll like this.
It has a thick layer of egg and was well cooked so the entire thing was flaky.
After dinner, we made it to the show a little bit late but they let us in to sit on the side seats until intermission. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a riot. It really is like muppets for adults. It’s a little bit raunchy but that’s what makes it hilarious. Long live the bad idea bears!
We picked up Simon around 11:30pm and he was fast asleep. Apparently he waited up for us until 10:30pm. Poor little guy. At least he’ll have all day with us tomorrow.
7.3.2011
We explored the Walnut Creek Farmer’s Market this morning then took a walk around downtown. Of course once we saw this fountain, we had to stop.
Our boy loves water features.
7.4.2011
We went to visit my parents’ house for a late afternoon BBQ. They bought Simon an inflatable pool and a new swim outfit. He was really excited.
My mom also bought this turtle sprinkler that Simon enjoyed splashing around with.
Simon showed off what he learned in swimming class. His frog kick! This was my first time seeing him swim, I’m so proud of our little guy!
Thank you Grandma Tam! I love my pool!
Simon not only had fun splashing in the pool, he also had fun experimenting with buoyancy.
In between Simon’s playing, we had a late lunch. Kalbi, asparagus, crackers and crab dip, corn, and ribs (cooked by Tim).
Simon played in the pool all afternoon, in for one hour, out for 15 minutes to eat, in for one hour, out for 15 minutes to eat, and repeat for 4-5 hours total.
We didn’t get to see fireworks though except from the freeway on the way home. Simon couldn’t stay up that long and it was pretty crowded everywhere.
6.27.2011
According to Ron, Simon was like Godzilla and took apart the train rails and accessories. At least he showed interest in it and hopefully it won’t become just a big piece of furniture.
Simon reading one of this books, he knows how to say “red” but not necessarily when he sees the color red.
6.28.2011
Simon trying on his safety goggles. At Lowe’s, they have a every other Saturday program for kids and their parents to build small wooden toys. Simon is still too small to do it on his own but Ron picked up the goggles, an apron, and the toy for future.
My current favorite family portrait. Smiling like Simon!
6.29.2011
Simon checking out the BBQ grills with Ron. I want this one!
Simon testing out his stomach muscles.
6.30.2011
Simon being a little mischievous, stepping up on a step stool.
In action:
Simon playing “video games”. Actually something at Target where you twist the dials and the toys spin.
7.1.2011
Simon’s scrunched up nose grin.
“Helping” Ron put together the cat’s bed.
Enjoying the warm summer day, playing with the water hose.
Simon brushes his teeth (with our help) every morning and evening. He knows where his “ya zi” are.
Yesterday and this morning I was busy preparing the dessert bar for a baby shower we were having for a friend. V hosted at her house in San Francisco. I tried to make pink desserts since the new baby is a girl.
Strawberry Green Tea Madeleines (made with strawberry flavored green tea powder)
Cherry Thumbprints
Lemon Curd Thumbprints
Sea Salt Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with pink M&Ms). Recipe here.
Neopolitan Mochi Bundt Cakes (made with mochiko rice flour for that chew, recipe here.)
Rice Krispy Treats tinted pink.
Plum cake. Recipe here.
Strawberry cupcakes with lemon marscapone frosting. (Made with Betty Crocker stawberry cake mix and recipe here for frosting.)
We didn’t just have desserts, the rest of the lovely brunch was made by the other guests. We had blueberry waffles, scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage, bacon, and scones.
After our delicious brunch, we just hung out until the kids got tired. Simon enjoyed playing with the balloons.
Simon has been learning lots of new words, including “shovel”.
After we left San Francisco, we went to Lowe’s to buy some flowers for our front yard. Simon really likes water features so looks like we’ll be setting one up in our front or backyard for him at some point.
Before we went home, we picked up this train table that Ron found on Craigslist. We put it together while Simon was sleeping. We will have to wait and see if he likes it when he wakes up in the morning.
