An afternoon in Tomales

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

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

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

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!"

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

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

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.