10 Simple Pleasures

Tagged by Joy.

10) Worship music. I love listening and singing worship music.

9) Spend time with Topher. I like learning new things about Topher. His smile is priceless.

8) Yummy dessert. Eating is a pleasure. I enjoy all kinds of sweets - tiramisu, creme brulee, fresh fruit tarts, shaved ice, taro soup with tapioca, custard pie...etc. The list goes on.

7) Free time. Not having to rush somewhere or meet deadlines, and just have time to do nothing and everything.

6) Take a leisurely stroll after dinner.

5) Journal. Being able to reflect, process and write down my thoughts.

4) Travel. I like finding out new things about new places.

3) Sleep in. Being able to sleep in is a pleasure, especially after Topher's arrival.

2) Catch up with friends. Over the phone or in person, it's always nice to catch up with friends.

1) Eat hot pot in the winter or in an air conditioned room on a hot day.

New tricks

Topher is almost 5 months now. He is slowly discovering different functions of his body parts. He can...


grab toys with his monkey feet,


grab things with his hands, including daddy's glasses,


roll over from back to tummy,


sit in his Bumbo seat,


stare at cousin Jocelyn,


and weight train in the play gym.

Tagged

Tagged by Jen (I know, it's been awhile...)

1. Four jobs:
a. Tutor
b. QA Engineer at Helio Med
c. Business planner at Nvidia
d. High School teacher

2. Four Things I Wish I Had Done Earlier In My Life:
a. Short term missions
b. Become a dietician/nutritionist
c. Travel
d. Lasik

3. Four Places I Have Lived:
a. Taipei, Taiwan
b. Los Angeles, California
c. Portland, Oregon
d. Cupertino, California

4. Four Countries I Have Been to:
a. Japan
b. China
c. Italy
d. Greece

5. Four Countries I Would Like to Visit:
a. Australia
b. Italy
c. France
d. Tahiti

6. Four of My Favorite Dishes:
a. Most of Taiwanese night market foods
b. Creme brulee
c. Seafood tomato based pasta without cheese
d. Dim sum

7. Four Sites I Visit Daily:
a. Yahoo email
b. Work email
c. Blogs
d. Can't think of anything else...

8. Four Software Application I Cannot Live Without:
a. Word
b. Excel
c. Explorer
d. Powerpoint

9. Four Things I'll Never Forget:
a. Tomio's proposal
b. Labor
c. Honeymoon on the mediterranean cruise
d. College memories

10. I Tag:
Who hasn't been tagged??

My first mother's day!!

I still can't believe that I'm a mom. Happy Mother's Day to me!!! :)

Separation anxiety?

I have only 2 more weeks of maternity leave left. I can't imagine leaving Tohper and going back to work :( I thought only kids get separation anxiety, but I think have it too. I'm having so much fun with topher, I just want to play with him all day!

Meet Baby Christopher

After 21 hours of labor and c-section, here's baby Christopher!

New born:














One week:














Two weeks:














Three weeks:

Baby Christopher is here!!!

Just wanted to post to let you all know that baby 'Topher arrived today at 3:59am...6 lbs 9 oz, 19 3/4 inches. We're so blessed to be able to share this exciting time with you - thanks for all your prayers!!!
-More posts & pictures to come...

My New Friend

In case you are wondering, Alice is not in labor yet. But at least I'm not home alone all by myself now. Tomio, Alice, and I have been preparing for baby's arrival together :)

This past week, I went to the vet to get my vaccines updated, and I found out that I gained 8 lbs in the last 9 months! Considering that I only weigh about 65 lbs, 8 lbs is more than 10% of my total weight. It's time to exercise.

The highlight of the week was meeting and playing with my new friend, Eric. Eva and Eric visited us in Sacramento, and we went to the park to play fetch. Here are some of my favorite photos:

Showers of Blessing

It's been such a long time since I last blogged, I hardly remember my login and password! Or maybe I can blame my horrible memory on the pregnancy.

As we prepare for the arrival of baby Miyai, we have received an overwhelming amount of love and support from family and friends. We have had multiple baby showers in LA, the bay area, and Sacramento since December, and I am so grateful to have many family and friends to rejoice with us. Here are some photos from the bay area shower:
















Monday will be my last day of teaching before I take off for maternity leave. (Yes, can you believe that baby Miyai can arrive anytime now?!) Students are finally starting to realize that I will be gone for a chunk of the semester, and I have received funny/interesting responses from them. Here are a couple:
* "You are leaving us?! Why?" (Ummm... I thought it was obvious for the last 4 months)
* "Are you pregnant?"
* "Couldn't you wait until June when we go on summer vacation?"
* "Do you have a name for the baby? Can you name him after me?"
* "Can we come to the hospital to get help on our homework? Oh, and if we do, can you give us extra credit?"
Even though I can't wait to take time off, I am definitely going to miss the students.

The other great news is that I will be able to finish my thesis this year, possibly before baby Miyai arrives, if he does not come out in the next two weeks. I have completed my data collection and parts of the analysis. I met with my advisor last night, and things are on track. I just need to sit down and write out my thesis, and present it to the committee by February 17th.

The anticipation of baby Miyai comes with much joy and excitment, but also with some fears. Okay, lots of fears. Fears of child labor pain, fears of the unexpected, fears of unpreparedness, fears of becoming a parent...etc. The list goes on. It's strange, the more I prepare, the more unprepared I feel. All these fears constantly bring me humbly back to depend on God, and I am constantly reminded of God's faithfulness and provision. After all, He is the giver of the coming Gift of Grace.

Count your blessings... Yes, we've been showered with so many blessings, I don't even know where to begin.

Sympathy weight...

Some of you may have heard us comment on how we think that Oski might be gaining some "sympathy weight" - we'll let you decide...


(Left: Oski now; Right: Oski prior to Alice's pregnancy)

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving - here's a little recap of what we've been up to...

Thursday: painted the baby's room with my dad (couldn't resist adding the Cal logo & bear - gotta educate the little one early...wink wink), and feasted on a thanksgiving meal of hotpot (no turkey this year)

Friday: attended a relative's funeral down in Stockton...was a beautiful celebration of his life and legacy...he will be dearly missed & always remembered.

-Had some classmates over on Friday night for another hotpot feast and a couple rounds of "bomberman"

Saturday: drove out to Roseville to pick out the baby's crib at 'babies-r-us'

Sunday: Church at UCC, changed the oil in my car, and put the crib together...here's a look at the baby Miyai's room
-and we also took pictures for this year's Christmas card - we had to use the timer function on the camera...was a little tricky getting oski to sit just right - here are some of the funnier "blooper" pics

Update

It's been over a month since our last entry. What have we been up to?

September: Celebrated Sonia & Kale's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding!














Last weekend: Visited the bay area and got to see Joyce & Sam. To show my parents our recent growth, we decided to take some pregnancy photos:







November:
* Tomio is on his third rotation in the hospital. The great part about his current rotation is that he has weekends off, so we can spend some time together on weekends.
* I'm still "growing". Baby has been kicking quite often. I'm still getting used to his kicks. Sometimes I giggle in the middle of teaching because his kicking feels ticklish.
* My research proposal has been approved this past week! Praise God! I'm aiming to have it completed by February 2006, before the baby arrives.
* We are preparing the baby's room. It's exciting, but it's more work than I have ever imagined.
* Oski's gained lots of sympathy weight since I got pregnant. So Tomio put him on a diet.

I'm "growing"

For the first time this week, I realized that when I'm standing up straight and looking down, I can't see my own feet anymore. The only view I have is my own tummy. As baby grows bigger, my bladder is "becoming smaller". So far, my bathroom frequency has tripled. I can't imagine how frequently I will be going to the restroom in another two months.

This week has been an exciting week. I am starting to feel the baby move. Tomio and I also found out the gender of the baby via ultrasound - we are having (take a guess! You have 50/50 chance!)......... a BOY!

Alice's 20 random facts

I've been tagged. It took me awhile to realize that I was tagged...

1) When I was in elementary school, I was nominated to attend a roller blading competition. I was surprised to win a roller blading award considering how "unathletic" I was.
2) Cafe Strada in Berkeley is my favorite cafe.
3) I love milk, especially almond steamed milk.
4) I became lactose intolerant junior year in college. That made me very sad because I wasn't able to enjoy almond steamed milk anymore.
5) I hate cheese, especially parmesan cheese (or any smelly cheese).
6) I used to be very flexible. I did ballet and gymnastics when I was little. I had to quit gymnastics in middle school because I couldn't overcome my fear of the balance beam.
7) I love taro. I'm not sure if it's the taste or if it's because taro is purple. Probably both.
8) When I was in kindergarten, I used to get car sick after riding in ANY car for longer than five minutes.
9) I love sweets, but I don't like chocolate that much.
10) I have never had allergies until I moved to Sacramento. In fact, Oski is the same way.
11) I have had to wear glasses (or corrective lenses) since I was in the fourth grade.
12) I used to like eating milk powder. My sister and I used to get in trouble with eating milk powder when dad & mom weren't home.
13) I like to add gummy bears in my ice cream. I don't know why Tomio thinks that's wierd.
14) I don't like to peel oranges. I ususally avoid eating oranges unless I can find someone to peel them for me.
15) I'm scared of bugs, especially spiders and roaches.
16) I took golf lessons when I was in high school. My dad was so proud of me. But I play golf as if I have never taken lessons before.
17) I love shoes and I can't explain why.
18) The one subject that I never understood is physics.
19) I lived in Oregon for about two years. I was one of the two Asians in the middle school.
20) I had an extra tooth that had to be surgically removed when I was little.

That's all! I won't tag anyone unless you want to be tagged...

In case you haven't heard...

Coming soon to the Sacramento area...the newest addition to our household...Baby Miyai...expected date of arrival Februrary 2006. I'm gonna be a Daddy!!!
-Please keep us in your prayers as we physically, mentally, emotionally, & spirtitually prepare for the new arrival.

-In other news...Cal football is 5-0 & Ayoob spelled backwards is BOOYA!!!

It's so hot....

The weather is so hot in Sacramento in the summer! AC has become my best friend :) Even though we've been in Sacramento for 2 years, I'm still trying to adjust to the over 100 degree weather. I'm not the only one, Oski thinks it's hot too. He used to love roaming in the backyard in the afternoons, but now as soon as I open the backdoor, he runs inside the house.
After hiding indoor in the AC rooms all summer, I decided to look for swimming pools in the area. I've found an outdoor pool that is 20 minutes away from the house. I've only gone there to swim twice this week, and I've already got tanned lines!

I start my first year of teaching next week. I don't know if I'm more excited or more nervous. I had a nightmare last night about my first day of school - All the handouts I had made were missing, and my students played tricks on me. The last thing I remember was students playing hide-and-seek in the classroom and hid in the lab drawers/closets! Sheesh, at least it was just a dream...

Bday Celebration

Thanks to all of you that emailed, called, left messages, imed, and visited with birthday greetings! I felt very blessed :)
I went out with some of the Canaan gals for dinner last weekend to my favorite Taiwanese restaurant in the southbay (yum, shaved ice!). This past week, my inlaws drove up from LA to visit and took me out for my birthday. It was fun hanging out with my inlaws, we ate a lot. After they left on Thursday, I weighed myself and found out that I gained 2 lbs within 2 days of their visit!
After walking Oski on Friday morning, I found a sweet message on the answering machine from my parents. With the time difference, they must have waited until it was late enough to call in the morning. But I missed it by a couple of minutes. It was a cute message. In the afternoon, I got a surprise flower delivery sent from Eva. Well, I actually missed the delivery. My neighbor received the delivery for me and thought it was my anniversary. Anyways, it was still a pleasant surprise (thanks va!)
After Tomio came back from the hospital, he took me out to my favorite Italian restaurant in Berkeley for dinner. I was really touched because I could tell that Tomio was really tired from working all day with minimal sleep. And he still took the time and drove a long way to take me out. We also got a chance to drive by University Avenue and talked about how it has changed since we were in college.
If you ever go to Berkeley and feel like eating pasta, check out this place. It's a small family owned restaurant on College Avenue.




After dinner, we went to Fentons for dessert. We shared a huge toasted almond and vanilla ice cream covered with chocolate and caramel sauce and topped with almonds, whipped cream and a cherry. It was sooooooooo good.

Vancouver

I spent almost a week in Vancouver attending ChemEd. ChemEd is a chemistry conference for educators that takes place once every two years. Teachers from over 50 countries attended the conference to exchange ideas. I attended over 15 seminars and visited many exhibits. Many presenters demonstrated their best chemistry demo and blew up lots of chemicals. There was even a mole breakfast and a mole run (6.02km run, get it?!) Even though I had a blast, I must say that parts of conference were way too nerdy for me, especially when the teachers started to sing "chemistry songs" about moles and avogadro's number.
My flight from SFO to Vancouver was a disaster. Thinking that Canada is outside of the United States, Tomio dropped me off at the international terminal. After waiting in the "Vancouver" line for over an hour, the flight attendant informed me that I might miss my flight because I was waiting at the wrong terminal. Apparently the line that was labelled "Vancouver" was for the morning flight. The flight attendant said the flight leaving in the morning to Vancouver is considered international, while the flight leaving in the afternoon to Vancouver is domestic. I didn't know that flight time determines whether or not a country is international or domestic... There was another guy that was on the same flight waiting in line at the international terminal (See, I wasn't the only one that didn't know), so we ended up running to the domestic terminal together. By the time we arrived at the terminal, they were calling for last boarding. Thankfully, we made our flight. I wonder how they define flights that leave in the morning and arrive in the afternoon?

Time flies, my summer vacation is almost over. There are only two more weeks left before school starts :(

Meaningful Gift

My parents sent my birthday gift back from Taiwan with my brother-in-law. Instead of waiting until my birthday, I opened it early (I know, I cheated). My parents had put together a photo album for me from my baby photos up to my recent photos. The album must have taken a long time to complete. It included most of the major events in my life - graduations, baptism, engagement, and wedding. They also left blank pages in the back. Initially, I thought they didn't finish the photo album. But as I flipped to the last page, I realized that they left blank pages on purpose. They wrote a note on the last page saying that the photos captured the best memories they had with me. And the remaining pages are to be filled by my new family with Tomio. Isn't it so sweet? I'm really touched by the gift. I miss my parents.
On the other hand, I think Tomio was very entertained by my childhood photos :)

My favorite couch

I got to stay on my favorite couch in Los Altos house multiple times this past month when Alice and Tomio visited.




For some reason, everyone made fun of my new sleeping pose,


and took lots of pictures with me while I was sleeping.




I'm so embarrased... I don't think I'll sleep in that position anymore.