Cooking Lesson 101

One of the things that both Mummy and Daddy regret most in our childhood lives is the fact that we never had a chance to truly learn cooking. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Katy are extraordinary culinary chefs, self-taught. Any ingredient in the kitchen, they can make a meal out of it for the family. Grandma Wai is the same way, extremely resourceful and creative, but her specialty is Cantonese cuisine. She makes the BEST chinese-stle ginger scallion crab!!

For Mummy, throughout her childhood, it was mainly devoted into education, like any "normal" Chinese family. School was first. Of course, she also grew up in the family restaurants so Chinese-American cooking comes natural to her, from all the years of observing and cooking it up in the restaurants. As for Daddy, while growing up, he went to boarding school but whenever he's home with his parents, he'd tag along with his mom to do grocery shopping.

However, the traditional teachings of family cookings have never taught properly. Whatever we cook, we learn through reading cookbooks, watching Food Network (Yes, we watch it like mad), asking and questioning our parents of our childhood favorite dishes when we were way pass adolecsents, sharing recipes with friends.

One goal for us is to teach Erik to cook, especially if Erik is going to be a "Foodie". So Mummy & Daddy officially started "Cooking Lesson 101". Mummy has been teaching Erik "Kitchen Safety" for the past couple of weeks. So a few basic rules were:
1. When we see steam coming from our food, that means its HOT, must blow on it to cool before eating.
2. When we see fire, that means HOT, must NOT go near it.
3. Stove gets hot when we are cooking, must NOT go near it.
4. Knives can hurt us. Can be painful. Must be careful.

So far, Erik understand it. He'll tells us to "Be careful" "Hot" as we cook. He happily plays with his own set of pots and pans (thanks to Daddy) as we prepare meals.

Breakfast Tortilla
Sunday morning, Mummy asked Erik to help make breakfast quesadilla. Erik helped by pulling a big burrito sized tortilla from the package. He placed it nicely on the tava (Indian skillet). Then Mummy asked Erik to sprinkle some cheese onto the tortilla. Erik really enjoyed this part, the "Sprinkling", he grabbed at least 3 toddler handfuls and spread it out. Erik did great by listening and following directions. All he wanted on his "breakfast" quesadilla was cheese LOL! He ate a 1/4 of his own meal! Erik was really proud of himself with the biggest grin on his face as he enjoys his hot breakfast!

Stir-Fry Garlic Shrimp
Sunday evening, it was Daddy's turn to "Take It Up A Notch". Shrimp is one of Erik's favorite item to munch! Thus, Daddy prepped all the ingredients and then he asked Mummy for assistance while Daddy held Erik. Daddy explained to Erik (from a safe distance) what was in the wok as Mummy pours items in. Erik even got to stir fry a bit of his own dinner. He really enjoyed that part and was excited to bite down on his dinner! Monday morning comes, he's reading a book about fishes and sees a shrimp and immediately yells "Daddy cooks shrimp!" and gestures the stir-fry. HAHAHA!

Plus right now, Erik is going through the phase of really enjoying "reading" cookbooks (with pictures of course). Erik'll pretend to eat whatever is in the picture with such enthusiasm...we wonder why he snubs his REAL food when it comes time to really eat!!! ARGH!

We Officially Loathe Winter!

Mummy got a call late afternoon from one of Erik's toddler teacher. She reported that Erik was doing just great and dandy from morning to lunch time, had a great time with his music teacher (Miss Nancy), fully then it turned for the worst. Erik threw his lunch down, refused to eat, and wailed; instead he took a super long nap.

After he woke up and started wailing again, one toddler teacher offered some 1:1affection and tried to hold him and he hit her to "go away". Alright, the toddler teacher said "it's ok, Erik, you're not ready yet" so he was left alone. Then his ultimate favorite teacher also offered some 1:1 affection after a little while, he did the same thing, hit her and told her to "go away".

This is absolutely opposite of our boy's personality. We're not saying he's an angel but Erik knows that hitting is definitely NOT ok! So something was definitely wrong. Mummy picked Erik up at day care and he was just lethargic, didn't want to play, was very tired. Mummy thought maybe it was just because of the earlier schedule that Erik was on.

By the time we went home, Erik lost his appetite and didn't want to eat anything except a few of his Kix cereals. Then, by the time Daddy came home (it was a very long day for Daddy), Erik developed a 103 degree fever! WAH! It's something viral!! UGH!

The day before, Mummy was so paranoid about the strep throat outbreak that we took Erik to see the nurse practitioner. The rapid test came back negative but was noted that his ears were inflamed but no infection. It was also noted that something viral in the respiratory area was developing. We thought it was just a "passing comment". WAH!!!!

Mummy and Daddy HATES Winter for this very reason! Virus, Bacteria, Germs are all just lurking around and multiplying. Where is my can of Lysol Disinfectant?!

We had to call in back-up help, basically, Grandma Wai took a day off from work just so she can care for Erik. Thank Goodness for Grandma Wai!!! Grandma Wai, along with Grandpa Tik, came over early 7am and were concerned with their grandson.

The only upside from this was that Erik got to know his Grandma Wai (Po Po) a lot better through this and got quite attached to her by end of the day and was even sharing his precious Kix cereal with her! As for Grandpa Tik (Gung Gung), that's a whole different disappointing story that Mummy will not go into details for now.

Weekend Meme: 5 Things You Want Your Kids To Know (Before They Grow Up)

Mummy tagged herself on a "weekend meme" because Mummy and Daddy along with a few parenting friends have decided to start a Parenting Community Blog. We hope to achieve a blog that will run for quite some time and maybe even win one of those Bloggers' Choice Awards?! That would be cool! For now, it will be for parents who want to blog about anything they desire.

So here's the meme:

Weekend Meme: 5 Things I Want My Kids To Know (Before They Grow Up)

1. We Love You and Each Other Very Much, more than anything in this world


2. Enjoy Your Childhood Fully, don't be so eager to grow up so fast!


3. We Are Your Support System, you can come to us and tell us anything, we are here to listen


4. You Can Achieve Whatever You Want, as long as you want it badly enough


5. Money Doesn't Buy Happiness, but it does buy a lot of things

Dropping Off Grandparents To Airport

Grandpa Tom and Grandma Katy are flying out to New York to see their young son, Penjo. It was requested per Uncle Penjo. It was only fair to Uncle Penjo that he gets to spend Chinese New Year with his parents while Erik, Daddy, and Mummy already got to spend New Year with them plus last Chinese New Year with them in Bhtuan. Plus uncle Penjo hasn't spent a holiday with his parents since 2001!



The bond that was formed among G'ma Katy, G'pa Tom, and Erik was so special that as parents, we got actually "instructions" as to how we should take care of our baby from both Grandpa Tom & Grandma Katy. HAHAHA! They spent their last week preparing home-made soup broths, homemade meatballs (many styles), dumplings, wontons etc in a hope that their food would last Erik until they get back. Under normal terms, as in the control freak that she is, Mummy would have gotten quite offended that she gets instructions on how to take care of her own son. However, it really was just a simple act of love and caring from Erik's grandparents who worries about his well-being.



G'pa Tom definitely have formed a real attachment to Erik (yes, you read that correctly). Erik is his favorite even though Grandpa Tom's attitude is usually sassy and sarcastic. Grandpa Tom loves cooking new and different recipes for Erik to try. He loves it that he has a role in Erik's morning routine. He looks forward to the family dinner when Erik gets back from school. This is something that both Daddy and Uncle Penjo never really had until now because while growing up, G'pa was way busy building a company and securing a better life for his family.



However, dropping off Grandpa Tom & Grandma Katy to the airport was a little difficult for Erik. For the entire week, Mummy has been preparing our little Boo Boo that his new best buddies, Grandparents, will have go bye-bye. They will sit on an airplane. They will go see/visit uncle Penjo. Erik gets it and really does understand it. He didn't cry or anything but it didn't stop him from having a worried and perplexed look on his toddler face as his grandparents give last hugs and kisses as if asking "WHY do they have to go though?"


Why does my Maa Maa and Yea Yea have to leave?!

For Daddy and Mummy, we also look forward to being parents again. We look forward not having to share Erik after school. Daddy will resume the role of "Awesome Dad". We get to give Erik baths again. We get to spend every minute with him (as much as we could). We will once again find our routine.

Already, Daddy is looking forward to having his 3-day weekend, an extra day with our little Boo Boo! YAY!

Midnight Snack

Our dearest Erik has recovered well from the recent virus. He's gaining back his weight really nicely. However, last night, Erik was on an eating frenzy!

Immediately when Mummy & Erik stepped into the house, Erik walked over to his high chair and said "Meatballs!" in English. It was his way demanding to be fed! Mind you, this was our boy with a bowl of dry Kix cereal in his hand that he's been snacking on ever since Mummy picked him up from school and in the car ride.

For Dinner, Erik ate 2 and 1/2 of his Grandparents' homemade meatballs plus some rice and of course his Kix cereal. Really, our son is all of a sudden loving Kix. Mummy tells him that those are "Cookie Balls" in Cantonese because it looks like tiny little balls and tastes like cookie (healthier, less sugar version of course). Plus he also had some apples and rice.

After Dinner Snack, before bedtime, we also loaded Erik up with more food and milk. He had more apples, more "Cookie Balls", even some baked peas. His little belly was bulging out in full satisfaction. Mummy thought she may be home free for the night (as in NO nursing necessary).

Oh to the contrary! Erik woke up at 2:30 this morning requesting to eat "Cookie Balls" & Happy Cow milk. Mummy patted him down and said "Go to sleep!" Instead, Erik cried and whined and repeatedly saying "Cookie Balls". Daddy gave a half-sleepy response of "Yeah, his stomach was growling since midnight....(continue to SNORE)"

Okay, down to the kitchen we go. We say "Ssshhh!" Grandma & Grandpa are sleeping "Sshhhh!". Erik ate a whole toddler bowl of his "Cookie Balls" cereal with Happy Cow milk. Then he ate some more slices of Red Delicious apples....and then he wanted to play! YIKES! Mummy dragged Erik back upstairs into bed, shut the lights, and repeatedly told him to lay down and go to sleep.

From 3:30am - 4:30am this morning, Erik was absolutely content in playing by himself (in between a snoring Daddy and a much tired Mummy) singing to himself in complete darkness. Seriously, Mummy did everything to discourage and ignore Erik so he'd go to sleep. It wasn't until 4:30 (close to 5am) did Erik finally lay down and slept in Mummy's arms. What a midnight snack!!

This morning, Mummy got back at Erik good though....Mummy said in the sweetest of voices "Good Morning!" to a very tired and grumpy toddler :o).

Erik's Buddies

Is posse a cooler way to say buddies instead? If so, then here are some of Erik's Posses. LOL!


From Left to Right: Jeremy, Erik, Austin, and Jason


Erik decided to do a "Jungle Book" military style march with the boys.


Erik fell down and Jeremy came to check up on him. As you can see, Erik is just smiling and being goofy.

Bread vs Toast

Recently our breakfast routine has been consisted of Erik eating away his breakfast Lollipop Tree pancakes (fresh made every morning by Grandparents) or Kix or Cheerios plus either organic banana or potato bread lightly toasted. Mummy would then toast a couple of whole wheat bread and spread some organic blueberry jam for herself.

Erik would sing morning songs of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" because Grandpa would cut his toasts into star shapes. Yes, our son is spoiled with lots of love and attention from everybody that surrounds him, even Daddy & Uncle Penjo did not get this type of treatment from Grandpa Tom while growing up! Erik would also do a cheery "Good Morning, Daddy-O" to his Daddy as he come downstairs dressed and ready for work.

Here's a recent morning conversation in Cantonese between Mummy & Son.

Erik eating his breakfast very nicely, with smiles and grins, notices that Mummy is also eating. He says "Mummy eating mum mum"

Mummy confirms "Yes, Mummy eating bread" and signs Bread

Erik then responds "No (PAUSE) Mummy eating toast"

Mummy looked down at her breakfast...yes indeed, she was having toast and her 21-month old son corrected her usage of words. What a mum to do but smile at this cute morning exchange and look forward to many more.

Transition Week

Erik is now back in school this week after being sick with the stomach flu all last week. He recovered well and is eating again so Mummy & Daddy are so glad that's behind us a little now.

However, being away from day care for a solid 9 full-days, it was extremely tough for Erik to go back in this week. Mummy & son would do their "morning" routine but Erik's heart was just not into it. Instead, over the week of being ill, Erik found a new best bud, Grandma Katy.

Their bond has grown stronger because of Grandma's loving nature (as Grandmothers should be) and wanting to attend to Erik's every single need. Even if Erik whines or wails, Grandma would console him immediately. Of course, another best bud was Grandpa Tom but Erik didn't like G'pa so much when G'pa forced him to down pedialyte to keep from dehydrating. However, the love and affection were there and it grew.

This week was hard for Erik. He cried a solid 2 hours in the toddler class on Monday, after being offered a Banana, not in the "right" way. Nothing any of the 4 teachers could do to console him. Miss Tara, his favorite, would offer some 1:1 attention but NO, it was not possible. Then head teacher, Miss Ashley, started singing and that seemed to calm him down a bit. As soon as Miss Sabrina laid him down to change his diaper, Erik fell asleep out of pure exhaustion, and had a better afternoon.

Tuesday, drop off was still hard. Erik says NO forcefully as in not wanting to go inside the classroom. Miss Christy greeted Erik with a warm and cheery hello as well as a few of his classmates. He wailed. He sat by himself eating a fortune cookie as Miss Tara came over and Miss Sabrina & Miss Christy sang one of Erik's favorite songs "The Elephant Song". So no crying for hours this time but he'd wake up screaming & crying during naptime for about 10 minutes, wanting Mummy. To be exact, wanting Mummy's boobs for comfort. Yes, at 21 months, Mummy is still nursing Erik but the time is fast approaching to the point of weaning in the next few months and letting Erik learn how to rely on himself for self-soothing. However, after the 10 minutes of crying and knowing that Mummy isn't there in the classroom, he fell back asleep.

Wednesday, drop off was a lot easier today! We're making progress here, at least Mummy hopes! He readily gave Mummy her big hug and kiss and walked inside his classroom. He immediately went hunting for his 2 favorite toys: One dark grey elephant and one light grey elephant. Our boy is REALLY into elephants! He was happy and content and didn't care if Mummy was there or not. We sure hope he'll do better today! SIGH!

Erik on his favorite trike

Erik loves going out in his little trike and is getting pretty good at pedaling by himself.

Happy Cow

It has officially been confirmed that "Happy Cows do come from California". For those who do not live in California and may not be aware of the "Happy Cows" commercials. In this state, there are ads that our cheese are much better than other cheese (i.e. Wisconsin's cheese heads) because of the abundant sunshine, greenery, etc etc that makes cows happy thus producing higher quality cheese and dairy products.

Okay, this evening at dinner, our little Erik asked for some milk. So for Mummy, she's trying to teach Erik how to pour and "help" around the home. When he saw the milk carton, he proclaims loudly "Happy Cow Milk!" and points to the cows in the carton. Daddy almost spit his dinner out in mid chew because it was just so unexpected and funny!! Mummy & Daddy looked at each other and said "Uh oh! Way too much TV if Erik can remember commercials".

However, after much investigation (i.e. asking Grandparents), Grandma Katy was the one who taught Erik "Happy Cow Milk". She says that Erik was looking to nurse on Mummy's milk but Mummy was away at work so one day, Grandma came up with the Happy Cow strategy to get Erik to drink whole milk...and well, it worked!! It pretty much opened the dialogue for Mummy, Daddy & Erik "How do you know that those cows are happy, dear?" HAHAH!

Happy 21st Month Birthday (Belated)

Well, from the previous post, Mummy & Daddy had a very good reason on why we didn't post anything about Erik being 21 months. However, we'd still like to document some cool milestones that our little Boo Boo has reached. Mummy will probably stop the "monthly milestone" report out once Erik reaches his 2nd birthday (or...maybe not).

Favorite Activities
Some of Erik's favorite activities include watching TV! Yes, its bad, Mummy & Daddy knows it! We try to limit it as much as we could but when we allow Erik to watch it, we also sit with him and talk about the things that go on during the scenes so its more "interactive" than just vegetating! We hope! He loves watching Dora the Explorer, Jungle Book (thanks to Daddy), Sagwa, DragonTales, and now, he got back into Baby Einstein (more below)!

He also loves to paint & draw! We have a little kitchen table for him to do his "art projects" and he really loves to pick up those sponge brushes and use different colors to paint away. He'll pretend he's painting / drawing a Blue Elephant! Hee Hee! Or he'll pretend he's doing an Orange Carrot! Very nice!

Erik also loves to "ride" his little trike! He loves it so much that he doesn't mind putting on the elbow pads, the knee pads, and the helmet! Okay, Mummy is a "safety freak" but hey, it's never too early to teach about SAFETY!

Counting
Erik can now count up to 10 in English and in Cantonese! One month ago, our little guy could only count in English and Mummy's goal was to get him to count in Cantonese as well. YAY! As Dora the Explorer would say "We Did It!" Now our next mummy & son goal is to count up to 15! HAHAHA!

Favorite Color
Our little Boo Boo really likes colors now, he can identify lots of different colors like blue, green, red, yellow, pink, purple, black, white, brown but his favorite color right now, it's ORANGE! He'll say them in both English and Cantonese but sometimes Daddy/Mummy have to help remind him in how to say "Green" and "Blue" in Cantonese. We attended one of Erik's little buddy's 2nd birthday and when it was time to go, each toddler gets a balloon, well, our little one shouted out with glee "Orange Balloon!" Daddy says "WHEW! At least his favorite color is not pink!"

Singing To His Own Tune
Anybody who knows Erik, knows that he loves...really LOVES to sing! Nowadays, songs like "The Wheels On The Bus" or "Bah Bah Black Sheep" doesn't hold as much interest to him as the songs he create on his own!

HINDI 101: Unda in Hindi means Egg (as in regular eggs - egg sandwich, omelettes, etc). Thanks to Grandma Katy, being Erik's Hindi & Nepali teacher, our little Boo Boo learned to say Unda to identify...well.....his own "eggs", as a slang. So on the potty, Erik, while waiting for something to happen, he'll sing "Where is unda, where is unda" and closes up his legs to hide his "eggs". Then he'll say "There It is! There It is!". It was just the CUTEST thing ever and showcased our Boo Boo's creative side! HAHAHA! We all had a good chuckle from it and Erik was just so proud of himself, with all smiles!!

He also got back into Baby Einstein and loves the "classical" music. He'll "sing" along with it! Quite adorable when he does the hand gestures as well.

A Third/Fourth/Fifth Language?!
Thanks to Erik's massive obsession with "Dora the Explorer", he's also picking up Spanish! In one of the episodes, Dora and its characters have to cross a sleeping dragon and a Spanish-speaking Owl comes into the help and sings the following:

La Lechuza la lechuza
Hace "Shhh!" Hace "Shhh!"
Hablamos Silencio, Hablamos Silencio
Por favor, Por favor

Erik can sing the first 2 lines and whenever he sees an Owl, he'll say "la lechuza" instead of Owl and starts singing the song! Hee Hee! Por Tía Irma Y Tío Alonzo, Mummy piensa que Señorita Peanut gustaría mucho Erik! (WINK! WINK!) Él puede cantar a su.

P*ssed At You!

Mummy is really on a rage now! She's p*ssed! Really p*ssed! Not at a person...but YOU...you the nasty little virus that has invaded my baby's body causing him to vomit 12 times on Saturday from 10pm to 3am! YOU, the yucky germ, causing my Boo Boo to lose another pound after he had just recovered from your other ugly relative, the Flu. YOU, the contagious little icky bug who should be squashed, who's trying to spread from one family member to another. Alrighty, if Mummy could duke it out with the virus, she'd kick its A Double S far far away! Unfortunately, no can do.

Our little Boo Boo is curently down with a bad case of "stomach virus", basically the Norovirus. It was just all of a sudden! Literally few hours prior, he was happy, running, giggling, laughing, and playing with our friends, Van and Lianne. Then all of a sudden, that same time, he vomited everything out and didn't stop vomiting until 3 the the next morning. WAH!!!!

We called the nurse and basically was told home treatment is the best medicine at this point. Apparently there's an "outbreak" in Northen California and lots of calls and visits since late December to now were about the stomach flu. No water, no milk, no breastmilk can be offered until Erik empties his stomach out. Do you know HOW hard it is to NOT offer anything to your child, especially when he's crying and begging for it?! Just a little?! We'd offer a little, a few tablespoons because we couldn't stand Erik's sad tears and crying and then we'd pay for it a few minutes later, he would vomit it up again. Vomit may have stopped briefly and we'll get a glimpse of hope but then Erik would get diarrhea instead. WhooHoo, what fun!

Took Erik to the on-call pediatrician Sunday morning and was informed that he also has an ear infection, which is now causing him to have a mild fever! However, we can't treat it until his vomiting stops. Oh Great! Hopefully the fever will help Erik fight the virus as well. So now, we're back to offering Erik Jamba Juice with 1/3 Gatorade and 1/3 Water to dilute it down and help keep him hydrated. SIGH! Hope all will be better for our little Erik within the next 24-48 hours.

Manhattan Parents

Mummy & Daddy watched "Nanny Diaries" with a couple of friends last night at home. WhooHoo! For us, it was an exciting and relaxing evening at home. HAHAH Basically its about privilege society in NYC that had nannies taking care of the kids while the Dads were the bread-winner and the Moms were non-income earners but also were not moms to the kids.

If Mummy and Daddy didn't go to New York with Erik this past late Summer, we would've thought the movie was quite exaggerated. However, many parts of the movie depicted actually happens! For example, we visited the Children's Musuem of Manhattan (CMOM) when were in the city with Erik, thanks to one of our blog readers' recommendation, AdventureDad. However, what we did not expect was the high ratio attendance of nannies & kids compared to actual parents & kids. At first, Mummy & Daddy thought the nannies were actually the moms until we've realized, wait, no they were not!

Another example, in the movie, they show nannies waiting outside of a school to pick up their employers' kids. Again, when we were, as we headed out of the musuem and walked by a school, we saw lots of nannies waiting outside! Some were actually the same ones we saw at CMOM.

Alright, Mummy may be crazy here but that is NO way to raise a child! We can totally understand if the family, both the parents have to work, just like Mummy & Daddy here. However, if the family is wealthy enough to have a spouse (husband or wife)that is not working, not going to school and basically just "hanging out" at local spas or shopping sprees, etc, then a full-time nanny should not be needed, unless there are extreme cases.

For Mummy & Daddy, the whole point of having Erik in our lives was for us to love him and spend as much time with him as possible. If both Mummy & Daddy could have it, we'd spend 24/7 with our little Boo Boo! You think we're joking?!

Having kids as accessories. Such an absurd idea that was shown in the movie but apparently it does happen in real life too. One of our friends recently attended a party. They didn't bring their kids since they thought it was an adult-only party however some actually brought their kids to as well, a little bit older than toddler. I was told that adults instead of interacting with the kids, they were left alone and be "distracted" by themselves. Kiddie features such as bounce houses were served as distractions for the kids instead of tools to interact with the kids. The adults were interested in mingling with the adults instead.

We were fortunate enough to have a bounce house at our recent party but just because our very good friends, Marooned with Macaroon, lent it to us. However, all the parents were out there and being there with the kids. It wasn't there for the kids to bounce and entertain themselves but for the parents to be involved as well. Maybe its because our kids are in toddler years?! Is that why?!

However, when we visit our friends of 3 kids ranging ages 3, 6, 8, we totally get down and play with the kids. Okay, sometimes the kids prefer to play by themselve too (on the computer) then that's fine but we'd also get down and dirty and play in their slide set, challenge them in tetherball, play with the choo choo trains, and just really spend time with the kids.

From all this rambling, Mummy & Daddy basically don't want to be like "Manhattan Parents". Not a mom. Not a dad. The kid is like a Versaci bag. We like to be with our Boo Boo. Really, we couldn't get enough time with our little guy. Daddy thinks of Erik all the time. We even complain that we have to share our evening routine with Boo Boo with Grandparents. Is that strange?!

Playdate with Adults!

For a couple of months already, Mummy and Daddy's good friend, Lianne, has been asking when she can see and hang out with Erik. The last she saw Erik was Christmas of 2006, when he was only 8 months old! Horrible!

At the same time, another good friend of ours, Van, was free for the weekend and was wondering what we were up to. As a result, we decided to have a lovely impromptu get together on a rainy Saturday afternoon-evening.

We basically took Erik swimming at the local aquatic center and Lianne & Van also joined in on the fun! At first, Erik was a bit reserved with both of them, even with uncle Van, who helped Daddy the whole night (until 2 AM) put all the 100+ pieces of trainset together just for Erik (who actually destroyed it within 2 minutes!). However, our little Boo Boo totally warmed up to them during the "swim party". He'd smiled and waved at them. When he completes a "trick" or water exercise, he'd smiled ever so expectantly for his round of applause, and of course, Auntie Lianne and Uncle Van both politely complied :o) HAHAHA! Erik lasted a solid 40 minutes in the pool "swimming" back & forth with Daddy and a couple of times to Mummy as well. YAY! As for the adults, we lasted a bit longer, maybe 25 minutes more HAHAHA!

Then we headed home for dinner. It was after dinner when the playdate excitement really heated up. Erik was eager to show his 2 new best buds his "playroom" (really, its his bedroom w/o a bed). He'd climb up the stairs and yell out "uncle van". Can't say "Lianne" yet so he'll say "Yi Y" as in Aunty in cantonese. Erik would show turn on the lights to his room and show him his awesome Step 2 Kangaroo Slide (one of THE best toys that Daddy has picked out, great use).

Erik would slide down and Uncle Van would also "climb" up and stress test the slide after Erik while Aunty Lianne would cheer with encouragement to do more! That would totally sent our Boo Boo into a series of giggles. For the next 20+ minutes, it was none stop climbing and sliding down plus laughing! We'd also settle down for some more "quiet" play as well with some sorting blocks and Van & Lianne would test Erik on his colors. They'd also play Legos with Erik. Auntie Lianne even read "Little Bo Peep!" to him as well, while Erik sat in her lap. It was an awesome playdate! Erik had NO idea that adults could be so fun and showered him with so much attention!!

Thanks A Bunch Aunty Lianne and Uncle Van! You guys were great company!

Being there for Erik

Being There

At 23 you think you'll live forever — and, barring calamity, you still have most of a lifetime in front of you.

And back to the New Year resolution board – I need to be there for Erik. I want to there to share his adventures. I use to always think and wonder why my friend got morbid when he had his son and now I know.

When you are young your brain is wired differently and then out of nowhere this little guy our little guy shows up and things change. My perspective in life changed – you mean to say Chhimi has grown up. I don’t know ask Tabitha and she will still say that I am a big kid at heart and will always be.

I don’t know where I am going with this – but I know for my New Year resolution list – I would like to add this to my list of things as far out into the future as I can. I need to take better care of my body. Got to be more active – not exercise but active so that I can watch Erik grow up. I would like to see my grandkids. (Now Erik if you can read this – I am in no hurry to be a grand dad either so take your time my darling son please do not pull a Jamie Lynn on us).

Talking about grandkids – last weekend while my aunt came over to visit us with her two boys – my uncle told his 9 year old son that one day he would like to be a grandpa too. And to which my 9 year old cousin replied but you are going to be dead by that time.

Perfect weekday Evening

Last night Daddy had a perfect evening in a long, long time. (No, not that you dirty minded folks) But rather I took Erik swimming – swam for about 30 minutes after which we came home and I got to read some books with him and goof around till he went to sleep. After which it was Daddy’s time to watch 2 movies (Resident Evil – Extinction and War – of which War came out just a little better) and play WOW.

Erik - Out swimming Day 1 | Day 2

Last Zoo Visit for 2007

Daddy was wise enough to purchase a membership to the local zoo for the family in December 2006. Boy did we utilize that one for one full year!! For our parents-to-be, it is ever so important to get an annual membership to the Zoo. It was a very good bonding experience with Erik for us and we will renew the membership the next time we go.

So on the last Sunday of 2007, Daddy and Mummy decided to head out by ourselves with Erik, leaving Grandparents at home, to the local Zoo. It was so cold and chilly that some of the animals weren't even out! Really! It was that bad! We bundled our little boy up in his jacket, hat, and dinosaur mittens and off we went.

We saw the lovely penguins. They smelled a bit "fishy" but they were so cute! Yet, Mummy and Daddy always feel so sorry for them to be in such a small confinement!! SIGH! Then we saw some Antelopes and Zebras and off to see the Giraffes, one of Erik's favorites still.

We also stopped by to say a cheery morning hello to the chimps. They were a bit preoccupied to say Hi back. Daddy & Erik "monkeyed" around.





We even got to see the Snow Leopards. Mummy hasn't seen them for awhile so it was great! We stopped by to see the Hyenas, Anteaters, and Tigers as well. Erik was brave enough to visit the Reptile House with Daddy & Mummy too!



After that, Daddy and Erik got a bit crazy and started on "climbing" on trees at the Zoo. Not really, Daddy was just being silly and Erik was being indulgent to his Daddy. HAHAHA!






We also go to see an eagle up close and personal. Plus we visited the Learning Center and saw a couple of different animals. Very nice for a relaxing winter Sunday morning with just Mummy & Daddy!

Happy New Year 2008!

To all of our friends and families, Happy New Year!!! May the 2008 bring you all lots of joy, happiness, and love.



Mummy and Daddy spent New Year's Eve in a very non-exciting way, we stayed home. We've done the partying out all night before (think Disneyland-style) and it really just wasn't our style. Instead, we enjoyed a nice evening at home as a big family.

We took Erik to the bigger park where he could ride his little Trike around the area. He loved it! Erik would even wear his knee pads, elbow pads, and helmet in order to ride that Trike of his! No fighting necessary, it was awesome!



Not so awesome was the fact that Daddy took Erik on his trike to the skateboarding "half-pipe". Come on!!! He is only a toddler! Mummy seriously disapprove of this but Daddy and Erik enjoyed it a lot. In the middle of the half-pipe, there was a little "hill" that Erik wanted Daddy to push him and his trike on more & more. Our little dare-devil! Watch out Tony Hawk!





We also did some indoor swimming in the early evening. Erik didn't nap as much as he should've. He basically woke up and refused to back to sleep, as a result, Mummy & Daddy decided to tire Erik out even more by making him swim :o) HAHAHA! Boy, was he tired after 30 minutes! He conked out right before dinner!

The four adults Mummy & Daddy plus Gpa Tom and Gma Katy had a lovely dinner including some chicken entree, curry shrimp, steamed veggies plus we ordered lobsters from one of our favorite Chinese restaurants and Sizzling Seafood Rice Soup. YUMMY! We saved 2 pieces of lobster for our Boo Boo when he wakes up, since he really enjoys seafood a lot!

After Erik woke up, he downed all his dinner and some more. We played some PlayDoh. We watched a couple of Dora the Explorer, they were 'new' episodes LOL! Mummy & Erik even baked a cake together!! His very first cake and at 20 months, pretty amazing! Erik got to help Mummy pour the cake mix into a bowl. Did very well! He then helped cracked the egg and pour the egg into the mix plus the needed water. Of course, Erik got distracted and was really into the egg shell texture. Mummy had to tell BooBoo that "Eggshells does not taste good in cakes". HAHAHA! Mummy did the mixing and the pouring of the cake and baked it. After a solid 20 minutes, everybody got to enjoy a yummy dessert, made by Erik and Mummy!

Then it was a round of chase. Daddy started it. He'd run screaming from Erik's bedroom into the Master bedroom and then back. Erik followed suit laughing and screaming. Daddy would skip and chase and Erik would do the same. Daddy would jump and chase and again Erik followed. Soon, this game was infectious. Mummy joined in as well, screaming and laughing away. Daddy & Mummy got tired quite soon but Erik still wanted more so Mummy and Daddy changed their strategy and the game became a "Hide & Seek" (sort of).

Daddy would hide behind a wall and when Erik would scream, laugh, and run, Daddy would pop out and Erik would laugh even more. Loving every moment of it! Mummy would then hide behind a wall and do a double-team going and Erik was laughing every moment and running full speed like a toddler should. HAHAHA! This lasted 30 minutes! Whoo! What a work out. Afterwards, Erik had to eat one whole banana plus drink 1/2 cup of milk to regain his energy back! LOL!

By 10:30pm, all the adults in the house couldn't take it anymore and began to start 'dosing off'. Mummy actually fell asleep around 11:00pm with Erik. Grandparents were already laying down in bed. Only Daddy who's all into New Year celebration woke everybody up at 11:50pm so that we can enjoy some champagne! Crazy Daddy! But we all had some and rang in the New Year as a family, including BooBoo (san alcohol of course), who was fast asleep in Daddy's arms.

Happy New Year 2008

Visit From Extended Family

Two days before New Year's, we got a lovely visit from Grandpa Tom's cousin, Joy & Family. They were on their way back home from Yosemite and made a stop at our home! It was great timing! So we had wonderful dinner at home with extended family.

Erik has two little uncles, Alex and Andrew, ages 11 and 9, both just adore Erik every bit! This time around, the feelings were mutual. He got to go "fishing" with his uncles in his new Christmas fish puzzle. Uncle Andrew made lots of different origami shapes for Erik! Uncle Alex was just so attentative to Erik's needs and would follow him around. Erik loved the extra attention and older playmates, especially when he's been "stuck" home for the past 9 days; he hasn't return to day care since his episode of the flu virus (but he will after New Year's).

Erik even showed his 2 little uncles his bedroom so they can play on the slide with him. He absolutely LOVED it! Uncle Alex who's taller than Mummy already at 11 years old actually got down to Erik's level and played with him. He'd pretend to "nap" on Erik's Spiderman foam sofa and Erik would pretend he's snoozing too. So adorable. Uncle Andrew and Uncle Alex would all take turns going down the slide with Erik! He just loved playing with them.

As the evening winds down and they got to make the 90 miles back home, Erik still wanted to play with his uncles some more. So he asked ever so politely and signed "Please Andrew" and then he'd turn to his Uncle Alex and asked "Upstairs?" with those little baby puppy brown eyes (got those from his Daddy ;o) HAHAHA).

So back once more up the stairs, the 3 "buddies" and played for another 15 minutes before it was really time to go. After a quick round of hugs and good-byes, Erik was crying and disappointed that his 2 uncles couldn't stay longer. He insisted on going outside to wave them good-bye and as they were getting into the car, he shouted "STOP!". SIGH! Guess he really didn't want to see them go.

One day has passed and its New Year's Eve. Mummy & Daddy showed Erik videos of his playtime adventures from the previous night with his uncles. He immediately ran to the top of the stairs (where its gated & locked) and yelled down "Aaaannnddreeeww!" and "Aaaaaaalllllleeeex!", thinking that they were still here. Mummy and Daddy had to explain multiple times to our little boy that his uncles have gone home already and were already in bed asleep. Mummy & Daddy forecasts a little "extended" family re-union coming up some time in the near future.