One Happy Mama

Holiday Parties

2009-01-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

posted by Brace

Ryan and Eli at Thanksgiving

Leila plays with her Tai-Gung at Aaron & Maelene's 40th Anniversary

Laurance, Gwendolyn, Phyllis and Eli at Christmas at Gordon and Bea's

Eli, Ryan, Phyllis, Kevin, Mark, Brace & Leila at Caulfield Ct

Tracy, Leila and friends at Cheryl's

Eli

Frosty The Snowman

Leila visits Golden Gate Park

2008-12-20T00:56:00.000-08:00

post by Brace

A day at the new Academy of Science and
the 1914 Herschell-Spillman Carousel at the Children's Playground

Leila turned 3 on November 11

2008-12-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

posted by Brace

Henry, Anna and Leila color. Leila Henry and Ben play Legos.

Geen Leila and Anna chase bubbles.

Present time.

Ben Eli, Henry Leila and Anna sing Happy Birthday.
Leila got a bit too close to the candle's flame.

An afternoon at Caulfield Ct

2008-10-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

posted by Brace

One of Eli's most favoite play things when is comes over is

the mylar balloon. We think he likes the color and rustling sound.

Just moments before, Eli was "talking" up a storm. Couldn't
get him to talk with the camera on. He sure can drool a lot.

Bathed and de-drooled, Eli waits to be dressed. Leila probably planted

two dozen kisses on Eli today. Eli is lucky to have such a loving big sister.

short but sweet (and cute!)

2008-10-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

Despite my desire to take advantage of my only kid-free computer time for the day, my body is begging me to crawl under the covers and go to sleep. So once again, I leave you with a very short post: just two pics to satisfy your curiosity!

Leila learns how to play catch at Golden Gate Park.

Eli gets a grip on his trusty Lamaze cube.

ribbit ribbit

2008-10-16T00:39:00.000-07:00

Well, since it's nearly 1:00 am and I need to work at 6:30 in the morning, I only have time for this one pic. I just wanted to get a new one of the kiddies up since it has been so long. Eli loves his fluffy frog towel, and Leila loves her red marker (all over her face!).

Fun times

2008-10-04T13:13:00.001-07:00

posted by Brace

Leila goes to Carolynn's Montessori Day Care three times a week. She loves it there. Max is one of the two child-friendly dogs.

Leila and Mommy are having a good time together.

Eli's in his own world .

It was the opening day at the new California Adademy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Two cars, two GGB tolls, two tanks of gas, a struggle to find two parking places, and we finally made it,

... only to find out that a limited number of tickets were given away hours earlier.

Leila and Eli didn't mind, though. We all enjoyed the sunny San Francisco day. The picnic on the grass was really quite nice.

Leila got to run around and play football with Mark. One toss went astray.

We'll have to go back another time.

Who's That Baby?!

2008-09-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

People always say that babies love to look at other baby faces. Well when Eli discovered his own face in the mirror, he fell in love! He loves to look in the mirror and, without fail, always cracks a big, gummy smile. I love seeing that toothless grin! Whenever I come home after a day at work, Eli greets me with an amazing, wonderful smile that makes me melt. :)

As you can see, Eli has definitely been a very healthy baby--no problem putting on those pounds. My newest nickname for him is Chub-a-Bub and Bubby; now Leila goes around saying "Hi Chub!" Haha, poor Eli! I could just kiss those chubby cheeks all day!

Leila Does Loud

2008-09-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

I only have time for a quick little post, so I'm just putting up this video today. Leila first learned the days of the week at school, then she started working on the months of the year. We did some hardcore practice at home with those tricky months, and now she has got it down! I showed this video to Leila yesterday, and she was sooo excited to see it, shouting along with herself in unison!

An afternoon in Tomales

2008-08-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

posted by Brace

The 100 degree heat wave passed. It was twenty degrees cooler today, so we decided to take a short field trip to the town of Tomales. It is a little town just 15 miles west of Petaluma. Not much there. A sandwich shop, a bakery, a general store, an art gallery, and of course, a post office. Ryan, Leila, and Eli joined us. We got away so Mark could study uninterrupted. Ryan is back to work now, so Mark had the two little ones all day.

We went to the sandwich shop. Leila has had ice cream before, and she knew about about ice cream cones, but until today, she never eaten an ice cream cone. She chose raspberry. She quietly worked on it with earnest. Then we told her that the cone can be eaten as well. What a revelation! It appeared that she liked the cone better the ice cream, itself. She declined the last bit of ice cream, but kept on eating the cone.

There was also a tiny park with a couple of picnic tables. Leila spotted the throne. She climbed in and out of it at least a half dozen times. Fox always at her side. She can find joy in the simplest of things. She melts me with her beautiful smile.

Phyllis was feeling pretty good despite the fact that it was only about 48 hours after having rotator cuff surgery. Eli was a great today. He is absorbing his environment more and more each day. He flashes us quick smiles when we play with him. He can put a death grip on anything placed in front of him.

snuggle up snuggle bunny

2008-08-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where I got that from, but I always say it to Leila when I put her to sleep. I love how Leila's hand is cradling Eli's head. She really loves him, it's so sweet to see. He's three months old now and she still likes to shower him with kisses!

Proud Mama, Sleepy Dada

2008-08-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

We have a picture of Leila when she was about two months old in the same pose-eyes wide open and fists up like a little fighter. I took advantage of the opportunity and snapped about 12 photos while Eli and I were sitting here...proud mama that I am, and all.

Leila the Builder. Leila helped remove the nails from this board. When she doesn't get to use the real hammer, she pulls out her plastic red hammer and goes about banging on the side of the piano. Not sure why it's always the piano that takes the beating (good thing it was only a freebie on Craigslist!).

Eli's very first bottle feed somehow required three people to get the job done. Leila was really enthusiastic at first, but soon got bored. In keeping with his mellow personality, Eli took to the bottle really easily, which is a good thing since I soon have to go back to work (eek!).

I couldn't believe that Mark actually fell asleep during the Euro 2008 Spain/Italy quarter finals! Apparently Eli wasn't too interested either. I decided to risk the chance of him slipping from Mark's sleepy arms in order to get this funny picture (luckily for my motherly conscience, Eli didn't tumble to the floor).

Tummy time! Eli probably wonders why we insist on face-planting him on his blankies. Haha, poor guy! He may be too young to master crawling, sitting-up, or walking, but he can definitely rock the good neck control. That's our boy! hehe.

Leila put on her little apron and got to work with the Eureka Mini Boss. "Want to hoover!" She loves to help out around the house, hoovering and cooking (making rice, cracking eggs and "stiring it all together" are her favorite kitchen activites). Funny she wants to help with our chores, but she never wants to pick up her own toys!

"Hug Eli!" as Leila says. She loves to take her turn cuddling him. She has a set routine now: first she holds him lying in her lap, then she gives him a kiss, then she hugs him like this. He doesn't look so tiny when she's holding him. I love these pictures!

A Belly Button and a Nose-Kiss

2008-07-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

Big sister, little man, and a belly button. Sometimes when I'm sitting on the bed feeding Eli and Leila is snuggled up next to me, I'm blown away by the fact that these two little-people are my two children. Mark and I can't believe we already have two kids...now if only my brother and my friends would catch up! haha.

We took Leila to the Italian street painting festival in San Rafael where tons of local artists spent two days covering the streets with amazing chalk murals. Leila really wanted to do "painting", so we forked out 12 bucks (gasp!) for her own two by two foot square. (At least she got to keep the box of pastels, that kind of justifies the outrageous price, right?!) Once she sat down she didn't quite know what to do with her blank canvas.

Here we are kneeling on the painfully hot asphalt. Mark and I helped Leila fill in her 576 square inches of street space with zig-zags, swirls and all that good stuff. She was surprisingly timid at first, but got bolder after we started to help.

The finished product. You can see Mark's attempt at Maisy Mouse, Leila's most beloved kids' character.

Helen Putnam Park on Father's Day. We started off by going up a huge, steep hill and Leila climbed it all by herself. Mark was the lucky one who got to carry her for the last half of the hike when she was too tired to walk. I love how tiny Leila looks out there on the trail. You can just barely see Mark and Ryan in the distance.

Killing time drinking bad tea at the airport. Ryan's last photos with Leila and Eli turned out really nice. Leila loved the airport, which she saw as one big jungle gym with its multiple escalators, moving walkways, and elevators. We tried to restrain her by trapping her in the corner of the booth seat. Eventually she found her way out by climbing under the table!

Kissing, eskimo style! I love this picture of Leila and Mark mid-"nose kiss".

I actually managed to catch Leila with a natural, non-cheesy smile! I love this pic of her (of course, I think I say that about 90% of our photos!).

"It's a beautiful, sunny day!"

2008-06-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent the day in San Francisco doing the touristy thing. We wanted to show Mark's brother around, so we tried to cram as many activities into one day as we could. With a baby and a toddler, two strollers, and a fully equipped diaper bag, a whole day in San Francisco turned out to be a pretty exhausting feat, but definitely worth it.

First stop was the Golden Gate bridge. We parked at the south end and walked across. Well, ok, so we didn't walk all the way across, maybe just a third of the way across. haha. The weather was so perfect--clear and sunny. We managed to get some good photos when we weren't busy dodging the wobbly tourists on their tandem bicycles.

Next we went to Union Square. We planned our lunch around soccer, eating at an Irish Pub so that the guys could watch the Euro 2008 game. Then we did some shopping. Leila, of course, wanted to walk instead of sit in her stroller. This wouldn't have been a problem if she didn't have this mad obsession with elevators, escalators and stairs. (She's a prime candidate for one of those child harnesses!) A visit to H&M, Baby Gap, and Urban Outfitters turned out to be a tiring game of chase-the-Leila. Luckily, when we got to the mall on Market, we somehow managed to divert Leila's eyes from the tantalizing escalators that spiral their way up through Nordstroms.

When Ryan split off to do some shopping, Mark and I discovered the ultimate parenting oasis: a "family lounge" in the mall. This lounge is decked out with sofas, colorful carpets, kids' toys, a big screen TV, private areas for nursing (with cushy chairs!), and best of all, a clean countertop with five baby changing stations, each with a sink and trashcan (much better than those plasticy changing tables that you pull down from the wall). Thank you to those brilliant Westfield shopping mall designers! The lounge was full of dads who were bonding over the fact that their wives had left them with the babies and had gone off on shopping sprees. hehe.

After our moment of reprieve, we took the cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf. Even though we were down to one stroller (Eli was in his baby sling), and even though the adults outnumbered the kids 3 to 2, it was still a juggling act getting everybody (and everything) onto the cable car. Leila had a mini-breakdown because it was so crowded and she and Mark had to sit apart from Eli and I. Some kind strangers eventually moved and shuffled around so that we could all sit together. The ride was nice after that. Leila liked standing up and holding onto the pole as the cable car bounced around.

We did the usual at Fisherman's Wharf: walked to Pier 39, got some ice cream, saw the sea lions. Leila, Eli and I took a ride on the carousel (her first time!). By the end she was so tired we managed to get her to fall asleep in her stroller (she hasn't done that in over a year). We grabbed dinner at a very funky Indian food restaurant/bar/Irish pub. The set-up was definitely odd, but the food was great. Loved the spicy biriyani.

We rode the cable car back to Union Square, made another stop at the luxurious baby changing room, then got back to the car ten hours and 31 parking-dollars later (ouch!). On the way home we made one last stop at the vista point, on the north end of the bridge. The view of the city was beautiful since the sky was so clear. Ryan hopped out to get some photos; the rest of us, exhausted, admired the twinkling city lights from the car.

Our bundle-of-energy Leila managed to stay awake the entire way home. It was 10:30 when we got back and she wanted to play (sadly for her, nobody else did)!

Perfect blue skies.
As Leila would say,
"It's a beautiful, sunny day!"
(This is one of her current, favorite phrases.)

Wiggle worm Leila didn't want to hold still for the photo.

When Leila smiles for the camera she scrunches up her whole face.
It's hard to catch her with her eyes open!

Waiting in line for the cable car.

Uncle Ryan and Leila post-ice cream.
She's a happy girl.
I love this picture.

A very tired Leila.
She napped when we were leaving.
Eli napped all day long in his sling.

Leila's first merry-go-round ride.

A view from the pier.

Little Man

2008-06-15T23:04:00.000-07:00

Many props to my dad for all the nice blog posts and for keeping everyone updated. And thank you to all my family and friends who have sent messages of support and congratulations. I'm sorry I haven't responded personally to many of you, but, needless to say, I've been a bit busy recently! I haven't posted at all since Eli was born. In fact, I've hardly had a chance to check my email. My personal computer usage time has severely diminished, especially since I now have to battle both Mark and Leila for some serious keyboard time. Between Mark (with his slickdeals, football news, and google reader) and Leila (with her cbeebies, maisy mouse, and tux paint), I find myself having to sneak quick peeks at my email when my husband and two year old have stepped away from the computer! haha. (I can't even fathom what Mark's life was like before the internet existed! And as for Leila, I'm not sure whether to be impressed or worried by the fact that she already knows how to type "elmo" into the Google search bar in order to find the Elmo's World website!) I live in a house of techies.

Well, Mark and I are absolutely thrilled with our little Eli. We cannot believe that we're now a family of four! So crazy, and so wonderful! Eli is already becoming a little chubby thing. Those newborn size onesies already look tiny; he certainly can't fit them over his big belly! Just like Leila, Eli has my stubby nose and Mark's long eyelashes. I love the way he makes little grunting noises when he's waking up, and the way he stretches his tiny arms and neck. He is amazing and perfect! I've gotten in the habit of calling him my "little man," while Mark has lovingly nick-named him "E-cry". Cheeky, very cheeky!

Leila has been the most amazing big sister (knock on wood!). When she hears him fuss or cry she says, "What's the matter little man?"! So cute. She has heard me say that many times, so she now says it too (beware what you say in front of Leila--she remembers and she copies!). She is so loving towards Eli: she checks on him when he's crying, she covers him up with his blankets (even though it's 80 degrees out!), and she showers him with kisses all day long. Eli receives more kisses from Leila than Mark and I combined, and his kisses are given freely while Mark and I have to ask for ours! We are so fortunate that Leila has adjusted to Eli so easily. The only issue we've had is that Leila doesn't always want to sleep in her bed alone. So our bed can get pretty crowded when Leila comes strolling in at three in the morning and Eli is in my lap feeding. A queen size bed isn't big enough for four!

Today Leila very sweetly said, "Happy Father's day Leila!" She may have gotten things a bit mixed up, but I'm sure the good intention was there. A very happy father's day to Mark and all you dads!

Happy Daddy Day!

Today is also our 3rd anniversary!

Gai Jow and Gee Gurk

2008-06-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

posted by Brace

Another blog writes, "The traditional diet of the new mother is chicken whiskey soup and pickled pigs feet. Both dishes are nutritious and have medicinal value because they provide a source of protein and calcium, act as a purifier and blood thinner, and also rid the body of cold air in the system". While we are not so sure about all of these claims, we like to continue with the practice of providing gai jow (whiskey chicken soup) and gee gurk (pickled pigs feet).

Phyllis managed to make the gee gurk in Lancaster, England for Ryan when Leila was born. We flew into Manchester. They have a little Chinatown there with a couple of stores that sold some of the required ingredience. We found a little old fashion butcher shop on the main street in Lancaster. Surprisingly, they said they could get pigs feet for us. We asked them who buys pigs feet in Lancastser. The Chinese, of course. Phyllis did a great job. It tasted perfect, to me.

Eli's Red Egg and Ginger Party will be postponed until maybe September, when Mark's parents will hopefully be coming to the US for a visit.

(click images to zoom)

Making these traditional dishes for Eli, here in Petaluma, was easier of course. There is a good asian market in Santa Rosa (not a 99 Ranch, but pretty good for up here where there are much fewer asians). Phyllis got the what she needed from them to make both the chicken and the pig feet dishes. Once again they turned out great.

The Wong's and the Mo's were invited to join us. Fortunately, Mark's brother. Ryan, is still visiting from England. Chow mein, chow fan (fried rice) and sweet and sour pork (special order for Mark) rounded out the menu.

Eli slept a lot with the party going on around him. Tai Gung got to hold him during one of his many quiet periods. Beautiful Leila at their side. Tai Pau wasn't so lucky. Eli got a bit fussy.

Same thing for Pau-Pau and for Kevin. Quiet for Phyllis; fussy for Kevin. Kevin drove all night Thursday, from Fullerton, for the party.

It's so great to have Ryan back in the states and Kevin up from southern Calif. We treasure these moments.

I am really glad that Phyllis is able and willing to continue with this family tradition. I can feel my bone getting stronger already. Or maybe that's the whiskey talking.

Leila and Fox Go Camping

2008-06-02T01:45:00.000-07:00

posted by Brace

Phyllis and I took Leila out for a camping adventure this past weekend. We rented a KOA Kabin for two nights, right here in Petaluma. The facilities were very nice. Included a vey nice playground, swiming pool, rec hall, petting farm, hay ride, and even evening movies and karaoke. Leila was really good - even when she started to miss her mommy and her daddy. She had lots of fun.

(click pics to enlarge; then click Back arrow to return)

We got a simple log cabin - no water; no heat.
Leila's red Dr. Seuss fox went every where with her.

Leila got the bunk bed all to herself. The fox
slept with her, of course.

Leila liked sitting on the porch swing (with fox)
and singing. She insists on singing alone.
(click to listen)

A lot of time was spent on this big green "tractor".
It is really a playground structure. It has a slide
on the other side that is made of rollers. Cool.

The slides really generated a lot of static electricity.
Leila's hair would stand out. We would feel quite a snap
if we touched each other. The fox was immune to the shock.

There were lots of different things to climb on.
One of Leila's favorites was this eight foot ladder.

She would climb up and peek back down at me
as I brought fox to her.

She got a purple flower painted on her hand.

Surprisingly, she wasn't all that crazy about it.

So it was ok when the flower washed off when she went
swimming. This was her first time in the pool this year.
The only place where fox didn't go.

The water was cool, so we didn't stay in too long.

Ryan, Mark and Eli (not pictured) were our guests
for a BBQ chicken dinner on the second night.

They took Leila on on the hayride while the chicken was cooking.

They had to leave right after dinner. Leila cried for
a little bit, as they left, but she was ok soon after.

It was a great camping trip, but all three of us were ready to go home.

Leila was happy to see her mommy, daddy, Eli and
Uncle Ryan (Mark's brother) - fresh in from England.

Her Uncle Ryan is here to work again at a summer
camp for special ed kids at in Pennsylvania.

Eli's first four days

2008-05-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

posted by Brace

Eli is doing great in his first week in Petaluma. Seems like he is into eating, sleeping, and pooping. What a life.

(click images to enlarge)

Thursday, Day-4

Dr. John Dahmen, a UCSF grad, was named a 'Family Favorite' pediatrician by Sonoma Family-Life Magazine, Jan 2008. He examined Eli at Kaiser today. As we well knew, Eli is absolutely perfect - well almost. His conehead is slowing resolving.

Tuesday, Day-2

It's easy to get good pictures of Eli. He doesn't fuss much.

Announcing his arrival -

2008-05-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

posted by Brace

Eli Harrison Cooper

born at 5:35pm
May 18, 2008

Kaiser Hospital,
Santa Rosa

7lbs 11oz
20 inches

Ryan entered the hospital with
frequent contractions at 9:00am. As with Leila's delivery, she received no analgesics

Labor went well. Phyllis (an old L&D nurse) commented on how well Ryan managed it. Ryan may appear on the fragile side, but she's as tough as nails. Ask her about the freezing wet bicycle rides to work in Japan, or about her hike up Mt. Fuji. We are proud of her.

Leila is going to be a great big sister. Unprompted,
she showered Eli with kisses.

Phyllis wanted to much to be with Ryan at Leila's birth, but because she was born in Lancaster, England, Phyllis wasn't able to attend. Being there for Eli's arrival meant a lot to her. Leila and I (Brace) had a great fun day together.

Eli appears very healthy. He has demonstrated
a mellow personality so far. No fussiness, no crying while I was there.

Eli will be coming home tomorrow.

It was a great day.

Leila: Two and a Half Years Old

2008-05-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

all sunshine and smiles!

techie in the making, just like daddy!

little rockstar!

feeding the ponies;
Leila and her classmates took a field trip to the farm

coloring is serious business!

picnic time at the farm

39 Weeks, and Still in Waiting

2008-05-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after all this talk about how I thought little Eli would come early because Leila was two weeks early, I'm now only a week away from my due date and getting impatient. He must be too cozy in there! Either that, or he has been siding with Mark who keeps urging him to come later, after the 40 pages are written and submitted. Meanwhile, I'm still pretty comfortable considering I'm so far along and now 24 pounds heavier. My doctor keeps saying that I'm all baby, just one big bump. Poor Leila has no more room to snuggle up on my lap!

Eli back in December, at 4 months.
I love this picture, one of my favorites.
That's his little fist there above his tummy.

And here are some shots of Eli just a couple of weeks ago. At the time, Amanda our ultrasound tech said that he was just about seven pounds. He'll certainly be bigger when he's born than Leila was when she arrived.

I guess all this waiting has given me a good chance to do some serious spring cleaning. Time to clear out all the junk and start fresh. Seriously, how do we accumulate all this stuff? More trips to Goodwill and some postings on Craigslist are in order. Good thing for that nesting instinct.

New Baby, New Blog

2008-05-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm on maternity leave (thank goodness!), I thought I'd take the time to start a fresh blog for Leila and 'baby brother'. Apologies to those who still kindly check my xanga only to find that I haven't updated in, well, a very long time! But, thanks to my dad for putting up new photos from time to time since I never got around to it! (He just posted some pics of Leila the other day www.xanga.com/ryanmw.) Hopefully this new blog for my two little Coops will re-motivate me; after all, it's got a pretty fun polka dot background going on.

Well baby number two is soon to make his debut. The official due date is May 16th. I'm so excited to see him, so I hope he'll come sooner; Mark's hoping he'll wait a bit since he has two 20 page papers due mid May. My co-workers have a bet going to see who can guess his due date. They were also very helpful in trying to find a name for our little guy (and also not so helpful, with suggestions like Peet, haha, and Skeletor). It had become a running joke at work because so many of my name suggestions were completely shot down by Mark, and yet he hardly had any to offer! Finally I came up with a name that he liked: Eli. Eli Harrison Cooper. Once we decided on it, Eli seemed perfect. And I love the way Leila says Eli, "EEE-li!" Very cute.

It has been such a different experience this time around. With Leila, I only worked for the first four months of pregnancy, until I finished teaching in Japan; this time when I reached four months, I got promoted and increased my hours to full time. I love my Peet's job, but working eight hours a day on my feet was sooo tiring. Since I started my leave on Saturday, I've had a nap every single day-luxury! I've spent the last few days trying to get myself, and the house, organized and prepared for baby. I've also been loving this extra time I get to spend with Leila. We've been reading a lot of Green Eggs and Ham and making a lot of Playdough pizza.

The sweetest thing ever is when Leila touches my stomach, puts her ear to my belly and says, "Hi baby brother. I love you!"