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Memorial Day 2006 w/Mum & Dad

Erik's First Movie

posted by Mommy
Erik was officially 6 weeks 3 days old and Mommy decided to take Erik out for an afternoon matinee at the local movie theater. So the three of us, Grandma Katy, Mommy, and baby all hopped into the family car after Erik's afternoon feeding and off we went to see "Over The Hedge". Mommy thought it was a good idea since the movie was only 88 minutes long plus its a cartoon where lots of kids will be there so the noise level is somewhat on the high side and parents have been through crying babies before.

I must say that Erik did quite well. He was crying as we got out of the van but we quickly changed him and off we went. Erik only woke up once and it was because he was hungry so I missed about 15 minutes of the movie as I fed him outside with a bottle and then rocked him back to sleep. I would pace the long hallway and still catch glimpses of the movie so I consider it as a success!

At one point, as I looked down on Erik, I was so sure that he was also watching the movie! His eyes were glued to the big glowing screen! :-)

But I think he is still a bit too young to take to the movies since the sound system is quite loud.

All peaceful ...... for now

Movie of Erik [5MB Need Flash Player]

Update - Just enjoying and spending time with the little guy

Happy Mother's Day!

posted by Mommy
Today is my first Mother's Day celebration and I honestly still can't believe I'm a mom! It's truly amazing when I look at Erik and to know that he came from us, he is definitely a miracle and a true blessing.

So how did we celebrate? For Grandma, we first went to the local Bhuddist temple to give thanks and gratitude for our lovely son. Chhimi and I gave Grandma Katy a beautiful bunch of red roses for being such a wonderful mom and Grandma by taking care of all three of us during our first weeks of parenthood.

Chhimi and baby Erik gave me a lovely greeting card with a photo of my son at a very sweet moment (trust me, there's not many of these during the first weeks!) They are also sending me to a local spa for a little relaxation! WhooHoo!!

Then, we went to a very romantic restaurant: Fresh Choice (aka salad buffet)! :-) hahaha. Hey, we have a baby and meal times are now limited to be in-between feedings so it was definitely a rushed event but still it was good to get out for a little while.

Thanks to all our family and friends for wishing me a Happy Mother's Day!

Date with Mommy & Daddy

posted by Mommy
Today, Erik went out on his first "date" with Mommy and Daddy. It was Daddy's day at the office so we decided earlier this week to go out on a "lunch date". Going out for a short lunch break takes a lot of pre-planning from Mommy & Daddy's part! Firstly, I had to schedule our lunch date to be approximately 30 minutes after Erik's feeding, so that way he will either be sleeping or just plain ole' content.

Secondly, we had to choose a "restaurant" that was both fast in service and palatable for our taste buds. So we chose the closest restaurant with ample parking and the result was Panda Express (aka Chinese fast food).

The experience was good so far. Erik really behaved nicely since he was still snoozing in the carseat for a good 20 minutes and allowed Chhimi and me to finish eating and have some good small talks. Nothing too deep like politics or family drama because that's just takes way too long so only gossip ;-).

Afterwards, Proud Daddy Chhimi decided that he wants to show off Erik to his friends at work so off we go and the "date" becomes "A Day At The Office". Many came to greet our darling son and a few was brave enough to hold him (Grace, Alex, and Ron)...until he wanted to bawl then he was quickly returned to mommy's arms for comfort! :-)

But the activities were just a little too much for our young son because as soon as he got into the car and I drove off alone, Erik started bawling his eyes out. That's until I picked up Grandma Katy and Great-Grandma Lien and then he was quickly calmed down within 3 minutes and snoozed once I got onto the freeway.

I'm just glad my "date" is over! Whew! Who knew it would be so tiring :-). Next time, we are going to do a "walk in the park" date with Daddy! WhooHoo! Can't wait for that one.

What's in a Name?

posted by Mommy, picture by Daddy

Cantonese Pronounciation: MA TAK HONG

A little more Chinese culture lesson on our blog. You've read about Erik's upcoming "Red Egg" celebration on May 7th, well, traditionally, that is also when the family announces Erik's name to everybody but since everybody already knows Erik's full name (Erik Tak Hong Ma), Daddy Chhimi decided to put his full chinese name on the blog.

DISCLAIMER
Not all Chinese practice the exact same traditions since there are so many provinces and villages within China. So there are many variations and also many families have adapted over the years to be more suitable for the U.S. culture for "Red Egg" celebration.

How Did We Come Up With Our Son's Name
Daddy and Mommy selected only a few names that we really liked and went well with his last name (Ma). Besides Erik, we thought of Christopher (FYI, for those who don't know, Chhimi's English name is Christopher, given to him by his German Godmother but he never chose to use it), Brendan, and also Ethan (this was only a slight thought). However, at the end of it, it was for Mommy to choose but by then I had already bonded with the name of Erik while he was still inside.

As for the Chinese name, well, we gave that honor to Grandpa Tom as in Chhimi's family, the Grandpa (father's side) gives the name not the parents. Yet, Grandpa Tom and Grandma Katy kept it a secret to the very end (2 days BEFORE delivery) and Chhimi and I were initially NOT pleased with the name as we did not have any bonding with it. And I thought it sounded quite harsh. Sigh!

What Does His Name Mean
So now you know the story of how we picked our name but what does it all mean?

Erik (Scandivian) means "Honorable Ruler", "Complete Ruler", (German) means "Ever-powerful", and (Norse) means "Ruler of People"

Tak (Chinese, Cantonese pronounciation) means "Virtual", "Morality", and "Kindness"

Hong (Cantonese, pronounciation) means "Grand", "Powerful"

So you can see, both English and Chinese name really means the same, powerful yet honorable. It is such a big coincidence that Daddy Chhimi suggested an English name that totally matches what Grandpa Tom was thinking in Chinese. I guess you can truly say the "apple doesn't fall far from the apple tree" :-) hee hee ...or "great minds do think alike (regardless of languages)".


Grandpa got no milk!

Did you know that Old MacDonald had Monkeys and Sea Horses too?

While growing up back in Bhutan – I don’t think I remember any lullabies and I was probably too young to remember any thing. Actually I still can’t remember one day to the next. By now most of you know from Tabitha’s accounts that Erik can bring us both to our knees with his crying and his ability to hold his breath that turns him a nice lobster like red color.

Apart from Dr. Harvey Karp’s Happiest Baby on the Block DVD – and his 5s techniques that really work pretty well. The only other thing that seems to soothe him is “Old MacDonald had a farm.” Don’t even ask me why I started to sing this to him – maybe because it was in the wee- wee hours in the morning – nothing seem to work and I just started singing that and swaying back and forth – it was like a chant that actually seems to work very effectively – maybe it’s the way I hold him and the tone of my voice but it works. It takes a while but it works.

So there I am in the middle of the night all red eyed – tired and bored and hating Old MacDonald and wondering what kind of farm did he really run. So after the chicken, sheep, horse, cows, pigs, dogs and standard farm animals I run out of farm animals so I am up to:

Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O
And on his farm he had a monkey E I E I O
With a “*Add Monkey sound” here and a “*Add Monkey sound” there
Here a “*Add Monkey sound” there a “*Add Monkey sound”
Everywhere a “*Add Monkey sound”
Old Macdonald had a farm, E I E I O

Sometimes I add seahorses – I just don’t know what sound sea-horses make – something like a cross between Sponge Bob and Horses.

Visiting Hours

posted by Mommy
Okay, many of you have emailed and called to ask when can you come visit and check out our bundle of joy, Erik. Well, for those who are not familiar with the Chinese culture, for 30-days (roughly 1 month), no visitors are allowed in the house except for immediate family (i.e. Grandparents and parents). Traditionally, Erik and I are not even supposed to go outside for 1 month, but with all the Doctor visits, that rule is already semi-broken. In addition, until after the official "Red Egg" celebration, nobody can come by but again, that rule is semi-broken already since Auntie Miriam, Auntie Kelly, Uncle Matt, and Aunty Ceci came over already.

Sunday, May 7th, is Erik's official "Red Egg" celebration. Since our baby shower was so huge, Chhimi and I decided that the Red Egg will only be for families and extended families at this time.

However, the good news is that friends can now officially visit us :-) hee hee. Of course, it would have to be in-between Erik's feeding times but still, we are allowed to see actual people that are NOT related to us!! WhooHoo! So here is the preferred visiting hours after Sunday, May 7, 2006 since Erik and I get up at the oddest hours and he just sleeps and eats a lot most of the time:

SAT, SUN: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
MON, WED, FRI: 5:00pm - 8:00pm

FYI
For those who do not know about the Red Egg celebration, visit the provided URLs for additional information:
http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa012303a.htm
http://www.debwong.com/redegg.html