Happy Birthday my sweet Lana Ru!

Today is your birthday and you are two! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. It seems like we just brought you home--but that was 2 homes ago,2 cities ago, so I guess it has been a little while. I know you are excited to sing "Happy Birthday to me" and I am looking forward to seeing you play with your friends and blow out your candles.

You are the best thing that has ever happened to Baba and I. Everyday we feel so lucky to have you. We love you more than words can describe. There are a hundred little moments every day that make me laugh--you do and say so many funny and smart things! I have never seen your Baba smile bigger than when he smiles at you.

You love to run and jump and gallop--in circles, fast, all while laughing with that big beautiful smile! You love to go "in", which means to hide under a blanket and gather your stuffed animals and ask Mama or Baba to "come in" or "go away". You love to be outside in the garden with Baba--digging in the dirt or getting yourself soaked with the hose. You love to play with your blocks and to color with Mama. You love to help Mama "clean up" around the house--sometimes you make a mess on purpose just so I will get the broom and you can help clean up.

You love fruit--any kind of fruit, but especially berries and cherries. Some days I think you only eat fruit and drink milk. But overall you are a good eater, especially if noodles are involved. You hate potatoes, cheese, pizza, ketchup and spinach.

While you are very active, you have recently decided that hugs and kisses are nice too. But only on your terms. This melts Mama and Baba's heart more than you know.

Lately you talk and talk and talk. In the car, you tell me which way to go--"this way Mama!" and you point out all the buses, where we have eaten and all the important places we go--the bank, museum, library, etc. You tell me to "sit down right here Mommy" or "all done Mommy".

This past year you have grown so much, from a unsteadily walking baby to a "big girl", as we say to you. I love watching you discover new things. I love the look on your face when you see a bird, a doggie or Elmo. I love the unbridled belly laughs you give to me when I tickle you or swing you in the air. That beautiful round face of yours with the big smile is something I will remember till I am old and gray.

Oh sweet Lana Ru, how we love you! We hope you have a great birthday. We hope this year is filled with all of the joy of these past 2 years and more. Baba and I can't wait to watch you grow into an even bigger "big girl" and we can't wait to see what this next year holds for us.

Oh man!

My silly little girl! She says the funniest things. Maybe they are only funny to me and Bill, but I want to remember them all. I hear a million times a day, "mommy, take a look" when she wants me to look at whatever she is doing. She can say anything you ask her to now, which Bill is having fun with. She started saying "oh shit" which comes out more like "oh dit" thankfully. I told her that only grownups can say shit and that she is not allowed. So now she says, in perfect context I might add, "Mommy--oh shit, Baba--oh shit, Lana--OH MAN!" If Bill or I slip and say Shit--she will correct us and say--OH MAN! She also loves to describe things as big or little. "Lana, BIG poopie--BIG ONE!!" And she does this hand motion when she says BIG ONE, like it is the biggest one EVER! She also likes to count on her fingers and then clap and say YAY when she is done. She thinks her one hand has 6 fingers. She can count to 16 in English and 10 in Chinese. She definitely has a flair for the dramatic.

Memorial Day Weekend

I was so looking forward to the long weekend--I envisioned us maybe taking a day trip or a ferry ride somewhere to explore this new area in which we live, but my plans were dashed on the previous Wednesday when Bill came home and said, "I think I am getting sick--I'm freezing!" He got Lana's virus from last week, which I am guessing was a version of hand-foot-and-mouth disease b/c it was the fever, then a rash on her feet and in her mouth. Bill got pummeled by this illness--I have never seen him so sick actually. He never registered a fever. Instead his body temp was low and he was so cold, along with the body aches and all that. But it lasted 3 days and he had no appetite until Sunday. He operated on Friday--I have no idea how he could function well enough to do so b/c as soon as he came home he went straight to bed. So our weekend was quite low-key. But we probably needed a relaxing weekend anyway, so it all worked out. We did manage to clean out our garage on Monday--finally unpacking the last 20 or so boxes from our move last August. Sheesh! That only took 10 months! We kept Lana entertained by letting her play with some old Barbie toys I had in a box. She kept wanting to sit in the corvette, rather than letting Malibu Barbie drive. We also picked some flowers from our garden and brought them inside. 10 huge white calla lillies, these big hot pink peony-looking flowers (i'm not sure what they are) and a bunch of orange and pink poppies. The previous owner of our house really planned the garden thoughtfully. Just as one plant flowers, another is ready to bloom--we have a constant stream of flowers with something new opening every week. Our irises look almost ready to open--I can't wait--I love those! I am so grateful for this garden and how little we have to do with it and yet we are constantly reaping the rewards of someone else's work. We had beautiful weather the whole weekend and we spent a lot of time outside just hanging out. I am so looking forward to this summer and the fun we will have in the garden, at the park, the pool--ooh, I can't wait!

Weekend at the Beach

We had a warm, record-breaking heat weekend! We took advantage and went to the beach. Lana loves the sand and water--you have to watch her every second b/c she wants to run right into the ocean--even if its freezing! Here she is in all her glory and no, she won't look at the camera--she is too busy:



There was also a great playground there, with an "up-down" (a seesaw). She cried buckets when we left . We all had a great time .

Ick

Well, it happened. Lana puked. All over the sofa and a little on me. Most everyone who knows me knows that I am a raging puke-a-phobe. Seeing someone barf makes me want to run--fast. I was not the friend who would hold your hair after a long night of drinking. You puke in my car--we are no longer pals. If you are a boyfriend and you puke in my presence, don't expect a kiss any time soon. I don't do it often. I had a puke-free streak of 20 years, but then I got a bug when we visited Taiwan in 2005. It must have been some crazy Asian flu b/c I can fight off puking like nobody's business. Even through my very green pregnancy, I dry heaved almost every day, but I talked myself out of giving it up, which is so silly b/c it probably would have made me feel better.

One of my big fears and misconceptions about having a baby is that the kid would be puking constantly. Lucky for me, Lana is not a barfer--like me! Before this current incident, there was only one other time during a nasty case of gastroenteritits last winter. Well, I have to say I survived the throw up today. It was yucky, but I made it. And I still gave her kisses afterward. So I suppose that progress has been made, although I couldn't help but think that I was next b/c we share every single illness that either of us gets. But so far, so good.

Tender moments

Its no secret that Lana has never been a cuddly kind of kid. She is super independent and has been from Day 1. During the newborn phase when you can generally rock your baby to sleep and they feel safe in your arms, I had my screaming baby in the carseat bucket, rocking it b/c she did not enjoy being held by me (sniff, sniff). I can count on one hand the number of times she fell asleep on my shoulder.

Well, times have changed! Lana has suddenly, out of nowhere decide that hugs with the pat on the back are nice, sitting close on the sofa, leaning into mommy is comforting and kisses are the best thing ever! Oh, how I have waited for this to happen! This is not a perfect utopia, b/c we are still having sleep issues where she wants me to stay until she is asleep. We plan on sleep training (AGAIN!) soon (yes, I am procrastinating), but whereas I once complained that this sleep regression sucked, I have discovered that it may have been a blessing in disguise. Lana and I have had some incredibly sweet moments as I lay with her and she drifts off to sleep. Maybe this is all par for the course to other moms who have always had cuddly kiddos, but for me, it has been so special. She wants me to sing her special "airplane" song--a song Bill made up to get her to sleep on the airplane, the last time we traveled. She wants me to improvise the lyrics with "no talking" and "close eyes". She wants to get under the covers: "in". She grabs my hand and puts it next to her cheek and periodically kisses it. If I open my eyes to check to see if she is sleeping yet, she will laugh hysterically--like she got me! And she points to my pillow and says, "mommy, stay--sleeping". These quiet moments are such contrast to the running, talking, jumping kid she normally is and I cherish each and every one of them.

Happy birthday mother's day

Bill: Lana, can you say Happy Mother's Day to Mommy?
Lana: Appy Birtday Mudder's Day!!

Too cute!! I guess she is really looking forward to her birthday. We had a nice relaxing morning--Bill and Lana made me breakfast. Then we dropped Lana off at my inlaws while we went car shopping--we are thinking minivan (gasp! so uncool, i know!). Its between the Honda Odessey or the Toyota Sienna. I am kind of apathetic on the nitty gritty of car shopping--I guess its Bill's department. Plus, cars for me are just a way to get around. I am looking forward to having the DVD player for Lana to watch while I drive. She is so miserable in the car that driving any longer than 20 min is miserable for me too. I also want the butt warmers--the heated seats, but we'll see... I guess those are my only requirements. Even the color I don't care about. The trick is going to be keeping it clean b/c Lana snacks in the car. Admittedly, its my only way to keep her quiet--give the kid some goldfish or those freeze dried fruit snacks and enjoy the few moments of silence. My blogging friend Beth asked a long time ago what is the price you would pay for peace? My answer: fruit. In any format. Fresh, frozen, dried--any variety. I am going broke buying those damn Gerber freeze dried apples and the banana and strawberry mix. Walmart makes their own brand too, but at $2.19 a bag, which doesn't last long, I spend a lot of change on these snacks. But, the few moments of quiet in the car are totally worth it.