2.23.2010
health care...
i never realized how important and valuable health benefits are until recently (which also seems very appropriate w/ the health care bill that's been such a hot topic)! s' company completely covered our health care 100% - we had no deductions out of his paycheck. it was great; we only had to pay for the copays for my entire pregnancy, delivery and the 1st year of aaron's appointments. we definitely saved thousands of dollars in health bills. however, w/ s' recent company issues (that involves another blog entry), we had to switch back to my company's coverage. we had family coverage with blue shield hmo and that same coverage under my work would be almost $300 a pay period!! health benefits were never a big deal when i was younger and s and i had our individual coverages w/ our companies. however, w/ a family and having so many more appointments and expenses, i never appreciated how much a company covers their employee's health coverage. ummm...as my boss says, "i guess no more new sweaters for you!"
2.19.2010
lions, tigers, bears...oh my!
i took friday off and s and i decided to take aj to the zoo. the weather forecast called for rain but luckily there wasn't any! s took him to the zoo a couple of months ago but now that he's a bit older, he definitely appreciates seeing the animals more. one new experience that didn't go over so well was his ride on the carousel. first, he wouldn't even get on the horse. he finally agreed when i sat down first. we picked a horse that moved up and down and he was not a happy camper. after a couple of rotations, he started yelling, so we sat him on the bench instead. oops. i certainly hope he isn't like mommy and doesn't like roller coasters either! but i do have to admit, that carousel was going fast!! aj really enjoyed the zoo and after 3 hours there, he was knocked out on the drive home!
we had to take him off the horse and seat him on the bench
aj was NOT a fan of the carousel
seriously, once s walked toward the feeding machine, all the sheep crowded around him
aj enjoying the farm
s feeding the goats...
it took a couple of minutes for aj to warm up to the goats
we had to take him off the horse and seat him on the bench
aj was NOT a fan of the carousel
seriously, once s walked toward the feeding machine, all the sheep crowded around him
aj enjoying the farm
s feeding the goats...
it took a couple of minutes for aj to warm up to the goats2.14.2010
15 months old...
this past thursday, aj had his 15 month appt. he is now:
height: 32.75 inches (90th percentile)
weight: 26.4 lbs (75th percentile)
head circumference: 19 inches (75th percentile)
i was a bit concerned as he only gained 1.4 pound since his 12 month appt. however, the doctor said it's completely normal; he's more active now and is just getting leaner. lately, s and i have been a bit stressed about his eating habits. he's so consumed w/ trying to feed himself w/ his fork and spoon or w/ his fingers that he hasn't been eating as much. meals are hit and miss w/ him recently so we just try our best but we aren't too concerned since he's at a healthy weight. the pediatrician says it's fairly common and just gave us a list of things to do to encourage aj to eat.
this stage is one that most of my friends mention as one of their favorite as this is when you really see their development progress incredibly fast. things he didn't quite get a week or so ago, he understands now. things we ask him to do or attempt to say or even how he plays w/ his toys, you can just see how things are starting to click in that little brain of his. this is also when you really do see how toddlers can manipulate gullible parents (that would be me)!
a couple of things that he does that i'm just so amazed by. i'm sure these things are part of this stage in any child's growth but you know, when it's your own child, it's just so cute haahaa.
- he knows to grab my iphone, press the button and slide to unlock my screen.
- he loves to go outside. if you ask him for his shoes, he'll look for them and bring them to you to help him put them on. sometimes, he tries really hard to slip his feet into his shoes.
- when you ask him to smile in chinese, he gives you the cutest scrunchy face
- if you ask him to give something to someone, he will. however, it's only to these people and in cantonese (because he sees them at least once a week):
- s and i (of course)
- my parents
- my brother
- my sister, her hubby and her 2 boys
i do want to get a photo album so we can start to have him remember s' side of the family, our extended family and friends
- when he's ready for bed, he'll grab one of our hands and leads us to the bed
- when anyone touches me, he gets very defensive and starts screaming. for example, if s hugs me, he starts yelling at s. when my cousin was pulling out my white hairs, he started yelling at her. it's quite comical.
- he loves my baby nephew (4 months old). whenever he sees him, he starts smiling and waves hi to him. he always just wants to be near him.
for the most part, everything he understands is in cantonese. my parent's speak to him in cantonese and many words are just easier to say in cantonese than english (or it just sounds cuter)!
this pic isn't that recent but i love the boys holding my sister's hand!
height: 32.75 inches (90th percentile)
weight: 26.4 lbs (75th percentile)
head circumference: 19 inches (75th percentile)
i was a bit concerned as he only gained 1.4 pound since his 12 month appt. however, the doctor said it's completely normal; he's more active now and is just getting leaner. lately, s and i have been a bit stressed about his eating habits. he's so consumed w/ trying to feed himself w/ his fork and spoon or w/ his fingers that he hasn't been eating as much. meals are hit and miss w/ him recently so we just try our best but we aren't too concerned since he's at a healthy weight. the pediatrician says it's fairly common and just gave us a list of things to do to encourage aj to eat.
this stage is one that most of my friends mention as one of their favorite as this is when you really see their development progress incredibly fast. things he didn't quite get a week or so ago, he understands now. things we ask him to do or attempt to say or even how he plays w/ his toys, you can just see how things are starting to click in that little brain of his. this is also when you really do see how toddlers can manipulate gullible parents (that would be me)!
a couple of things that he does that i'm just so amazed by. i'm sure these things are part of this stage in any child's growth but you know, when it's your own child, it's just so cute haahaa.
- he knows to grab my iphone, press the button and slide to unlock my screen.
- he loves to go outside. if you ask him for his shoes, he'll look for them and bring them to you to help him put them on. sometimes, he tries really hard to slip his feet into his shoes.
- when you ask him to smile in chinese, he gives you the cutest scrunchy face
- if you ask him to give something to someone, he will. however, it's only to these people and in cantonese (because he sees them at least once a week):
- s and i (of course)
- my parents
- my brother
- my sister, her hubby and her 2 boys
i do want to get a photo album so we can start to have him remember s' side of the family, our extended family and friends
- when he's ready for bed, he'll grab one of our hands and leads us to the bed
- when anyone touches me, he gets very defensive and starts screaming. for example, if s hugs me, he starts yelling at s. when my cousin was pulling out my white hairs, he started yelling at her. it's quite comical.
- he loves my baby nephew (4 months old). whenever he sees him, he starts smiling and waves hi to him. he always just wants to be near him.
for the most part, everything he understands is in cantonese. my parent's speak to him in cantonese and many words are just easier to say in cantonese than english (or it just sounds cuter)!
this pic isn't that recent but i love the boys holding my sister's hand!
2.08.2010
aj's new ride...
s and i couldn't take it anymore...we had to buy a new stroller. it's such a joke how much we spent on our original stroller...which i do love by the way.
some background....so even before i got pregnant, i always knew i wanted a bugaboo stroller. yes, i know, it's not exactly practically priced but s couldn't say no to me since i was pregnant and paying for the stroller myself (key words to our successful marriage *separate accounts*)! i was actually debating between the bugaboo or the orbitz. however, w/ the infant car seat that my sister was letting us use, the orbitz just didn't make sense. we have a couple of friends w/ the bugaboo and they really enjoyed the stroller so we just went for it. we've loved our cameleon. it rides so smooth and the maneuverability is awesome! the bugaboo is also very sturdy. i've thrown it all over the place and it is awesome. that is probably why it's not exactly the lightest stroller. one of the biggest reasons we love the stroller is because when it's upright, you can actually use it if you are at a restaurant and they don't have a high chair. it's extremely useful when you are sitting outside!
the only complaint about the stroller is the weight and the fact that it's in 2 parts and takes up a lot of space. since we switch back and forth quite a bit between my car and s' truck, it was just becoming a hassle to lug the 2 pieces between vehicles. also, we have a couple of trips planned and we wanted a new stroller that is lighter and easier to travel with. so the new winner is...the baby jogger city mini! diapers.com is awesome...no tax, free shipping and i found a coupon for 10% off woohoo. we'll have to see if aj likes his new ride...
our 1st love...the bugaboo cameleon (we have the khaki cover...not red)
some background....so even before i got pregnant, i always knew i wanted a bugaboo stroller. yes, i know, it's not exactly practically priced but s couldn't say no to me since i was pregnant and paying for the stroller myself (key words to our successful marriage *separate accounts*)! i was actually debating between the bugaboo or the orbitz. however, w/ the infant car seat that my sister was letting us use, the orbitz just didn't make sense. we have a couple of friends w/ the bugaboo and they really enjoyed the stroller so we just went for it. we've loved our cameleon. it rides so smooth and the maneuverability is awesome! the bugaboo is also very sturdy. i've thrown it all over the place and it is awesome. that is probably why it's not exactly the lightest stroller. one of the biggest reasons we love the stroller is because when it's upright, you can actually use it if you are at a restaurant and they don't have a high chair. it's extremely useful when you are sitting outside!
the only complaint about the stroller is the weight and the fact that it's in 2 parts and takes up a lot of space. since we switch back and forth quite a bit between my car and s' truck, it was just becoming a hassle to lug the 2 pieces between vehicles. also, we have a couple of trips planned and we wanted a new stroller that is lighter and easier to travel with. so the new winner is...the baby jogger city mini! diapers.com is awesome...no tax, free shipping and i found a coupon for 10% off woohoo. we'll have to see if aj likes his new ride...
our 1st love...the bugaboo cameleon (we have the khaki cover...not red)
our new city mini!
2.03.2010
biggest loser...
to encourage "wellness" and a healthier lifestyle, my work has been great about setting up a mini gym in our building, ping pong tables in the cafe and hiring yoga instructors to teach classes in our office. we've had wellness fairs w/ external companies to offer home deliveries of organic foods / vegetables, gym discounts and other such things. so the latest activity is our own biggest loser competition. we have 8 weeks and the winner who has the largest percentage weight loss wins 2 round trip tickets to anywhere in us or mexico and 2 free nights in a hotel!!
my entire planning team along w/ several other colleagues on our floor decided to have a side competition as well. none of us are really that large to win the entire competition so we wanted to give ourselves another incentive to participate. we each put in $20 and the biggest loser after the 8 weeks wins the entire pot (which is currently valued at $220). if you actually end up gaining weight after the 8 weeks, you will have to double your entry fee hahaa.
so i'm a pretty competitive person but really, who has time to work out? i'm making better decisions about what i eat and picking healthier alternatives. i do try to take walks during lunch and walks w/ aj in the evenings. i'm definitely a little less lazy about running errands or taking the stairs at work. also, since aj loves going out now and walking around, it's helped me to be a bit more active as well.
so it's been 3 weeks and i've lost 4.6 pounds! i weigh less now than pre pregnancy! woohoo. let's see how long i can keep this up for; temptation is quickly approaching. it is superbowl sunday this weekend and then chinese new year the week after!
my entire planning team along w/ several other colleagues on our floor decided to have a side competition as well. none of us are really that large to win the entire competition so we wanted to give ourselves another incentive to participate. we each put in $20 and the biggest loser after the 8 weeks wins the entire pot (which is currently valued at $220). if you actually end up gaining weight after the 8 weeks, you will have to double your entry fee hahaa.
so i'm a pretty competitive person but really, who has time to work out? i'm making better decisions about what i eat and picking healthier alternatives. i do try to take walks during lunch and walks w/ aj in the evenings. i'm definitely a little less lazy about running errands or taking the stairs at work. also, since aj loves going out now and walking around, it's helped me to be a bit more active as well.
so it's been 3 weeks and i've lost 4.6 pounds! i weigh less now than pre pregnancy! woohoo. let's see how long i can keep this up for; temptation is quickly approaching. it is superbowl sunday this weekend and then chinese new year the week after!
1.28.2010
michael bauer's top 100 restaurant
every year i always review michael bauer's top 100 restaurant as a guide for restaurants to try. with so many great restaurants, we rarely go to the same restaurant twice...we always like to try a new place! having a toddler is difficult enough to dine out but going out for a couple of hours to enjoy a nice meal is even more difficult. however, we are very lucky that my parents are very close by and love watching aj so if we do need a break, we have great baby sitters. his new list should be coming out in a couple of months but it's still nice to look through the list and see what i've been to (31 and counting)! one of my favorite restaurant not on this list is andalu and after watching top chef masters, i really want to try hubert keller's fleur de lys
| American | |
| Ad Hoc (Yountville) | really want to try this one!! thomas keller, need i say more? |
| Bix | was there years ago w/ colleagues for dine about town |
| Buckeye Roadhouse (Mill Valley) | north bay…too far hahaa |
| Cafe La Haye | |
| Canteen | |
| Chow (S.F., Lafayette, Danville) | great casual restaurant; not sure why it's a top 100 though |
| Firefly | |
| House of Prime Rib | love…love their prime rib and of course, the salad |
| One Market | 10 yrs ago… 1st month at gap, boss took us here! |
| Range | great interior…over priced |
| Town Hall | down the street from my work - it's good |
| Wood Tavern (Oakland) | |
| Asian | |
| Betelnut | overpriced asian food |
| Barbecue | |
| Barbers Q (Napa) | |
| Basque | |
| Piperade | |
| California | |
| Coi | really want to try this one |
| Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant (Forestville) | |
| Flora (Oakland) | |
| Jack Falstaff | closed…victim of the recession |
| Manresa (Los Gatos) | |
| Martini House | had a beautiful lunch in their outdoor patio |
| Murray Circle (Sausalito) | |
| Redd (Yountville) | |
| Restaurant at Meadowood (St. Helena) | |
| Terra | love love this rstaurant… so romantic |
| California-French | |
| Bistro Aix | |
| Jardiniere | when I 1st really appreciated french food |
| Masa's | enjoyed it…but way too loud!! |
| California-Italian | |
| Picco/Pizzeria Picco (Larkspur) | |
| California-Japanese | |
| O Chame (Berkeley) | |
| California-Mediterranean | |
| Bar Jules | |
| Bay Wolf (Oakland) | |
| Camino (Oakland) | |
| Chez Panisse (Berkeley) | so delicious and awesome service |
| Coco500 | yummy but again not sure if it's really worthy of top 100 |
| Cortez | closed…victim of the recession |
| Foreign Cinema | really enjoy this restaurant |
| The Moss Room | |
| Nopa | 1st meal after aj was born w/ my girlfriends! |
| Rivoli (Berkeley) | |
| Zuni Cafe | |
| Chinese | |
| Koi Palace | duh, I am chinese |
| Ton Kiang | duh, I am chinese |
| Yank Sing | duh, I am chinese |
| Contemporary American | |
| Ame | love this place! |
| Boulevard | traumatized - found a piece of hair in my crème brulee |
| Cyrus (Healdsburg) | |
| French Laundry (Yountville) | a gal can always dream? |
| Gary Danko | FAVORITE restaurant…we used to go every year for my bday! |
| Madrona Manor (Healdsburg) | |
| Michael Mina | |
| Spruce | overrated |
| French | |
| Bouchon (Yountville) | LOVED IT…came here the day after our wedding |
| Chez Papa Resto | |
| The Dining Room | going there in 5 weeks!! |
| at the Ritz-Carlton | |
| La Folie | |
| French-Seafood | |
| Aqua | it's been years…but really had a nice time |
| Greek | |
| Kokkari Estiatorio | awesome awesome restaurant |
| Indian | umm…sorry, not a fan of indian food |
| Amber India | won't be trying any of these |
| Dosa | |
| Vik's Chaat Corner (Berkeley) | |
| International | |
| Va de Vi (Walnut Creek) | |
| Willi's Wine Bar (Santa Rosa) | |
| Italian (including pizzerias) | |
| A16 | way too loud |
| Acquerello | |
| Bar Bambino | |
| Beretta | |
| Bistro Don Giovanni (Napa) | awesome desserts! came here a lot when s and I were wedding planning |
| Bottega Napa Valley (Yountville) | went there last month w/ s… saw michael chiarello =) |
| Corso Trattoria (Berkeley) | |
| Delfina | heard great things… tough parking area |
| Dopo (Oakland) | |
| Gialina | |
| Incanto | |
| Marzano (Oakland) | |
| Perbacco | 1st meal out w/ friends after I found out I was pregnant… my friend totally busted me bc I didn't order a glass of wine |
| Pesce | |
| Pizzaiolo (Oakland) | |
| Poggio (Sausalito) | |
| Quince | |
| Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar (Santa Rosa) | |
| SPQR | |
| Japanese | |
| Kaygetsu (Menlo Park) | |
| Sushi Ran (Sausalito) | |
| Yoshi's San Francisco | high on my list as well… |
| Latin American | |
| Fonda (Albany) | |
| Mexican | |
| Nopalito | |
| Moroccan | |
| Aziza | |
| Seafood | |
| Hog Island Oyster Co. | realized that I actually loved oysters! |
| Nettie's Crab Shack | |
| Nick's Cove (Marshall) | |
| Sea Salt (Berkeley) | |
| Swan Oyster Depot | always so crowded… |
| Spanish | |
| Bocadillos | |
| Zarzuela | |
| Spanish-French | |
| Gitane | |
| Swiss | |
| The Matterhorn | |
| Swiss Restaurant | |
| Vegetarian | |
| Greens | |
| Ubuntu | |
| Vietnamese | |
| Slanted Door | my vote for best asian fusion flavors… |
1.26.2010
everyone has an opinion...
it's interesting how once you are pregnant / have a child...advice and opinions come out of the woodworks! everyone has a point of view about parenting tips ... from feeding to sleeping to discipline. don't get me wrong...i'm open to listening to what people have to say but that's it. i personally don't do any research so i need to know what other people have read...hahaa. i like to be informed because there are tons of information out there but i don't necessarily like to be told that their way of doing something is the only way.
i've also learned that one can not judge another parent at all. i used to think, "oh i would never do this or that w/ my child" but oh, how i've learned. being a parent...you will learn that everyone and everything is different and you do what's best for your child and the situation. for example, i used to hear about kids who slept w/ their parents, how it became this bad habit and how it so tough to retrain your child. for the 1st 9 months, aj was the perfect sleeper. he fell asleep on his own and slept through the night in his own crib. i thought, yes, i'm not one of "those" parents. then at the 10 month mark, he started developing awful sleep routines and started waking up in the middle of the night. both s and i were too tired to soothe him in his room and we didn't want him to cry it out. so, what did we do? he started sleeping w/ us in our bed. it's come to the point now that when it's time for bed, he takes one of our hands and leads us straight to our bed hahaa. it's so cute!
who knows how much longer we'll let him sleep with us or when we'll try to "retrain" him but you know what? we all get a good night of sleep so i'm not complaining. well, okay, so he kicks quite a bit at night and is a bed hog, but i stay in bed all night. =)
my colleague says the opinions get worse as he gets older because then it's about schools or sports or extracurricular activities...great. that and opinions about difference in years between kids and why i'm not pregnant w/ our second child yet. and how many kids to have...it's just never-ending.
i've also learned that one can not judge another parent at all. i used to think, "oh i would never do this or that w/ my child" but oh, how i've learned. being a parent...you will learn that everyone and everything is different and you do what's best for your child and the situation. for example, i used to hear about kids who slept w/ their parents, how it became this bad habit and how it so tough to retrain your child. for the 1st 9 months, aj was the perfect sleeper. he fell asleep on his own and slept through the night in his own crib. i thought, yes, i'm not one of "those" parents. then at the 10 month mark, he started developing awful sleep routines and started waking up in the middle of the night. both s and i were too tired to soothe him in his room and we didn't want him to cry it out. so, what did we do? he started sleeping w/ us in our bed. it's come to the point now that when it's time for bed, he takes one of our hands and leads us straight to our bed hahaa. it's so cute!
who knows how much longer we'll let him sleep with us or when we'll try to "retrain" him but you know what? we all get a good night of sleep so i'm not complaining. well, okay, so he kicks quite a bit at night and is a bed hog, but i stay in bed all night. =)
my colleague says the opinions get worse as he gets older because then it's about schools or sports or extracurricular activities...great. that and opinions about difference in years between kids and why i'm not pregnant w/ our second child yet. and how many kids to have...it's just never-ending.
1.22.2010
first haircut (kind of)...
aj's hair was getting quite long and out of control. the long hair was not a good look for him; poor kid looked like a total fob. aj's stylist aka daddy gave him his 1st buzzcut! we didn't take a before and after when s cut his hair but you can tell w/ these pictures.
before =(
after =)
before =(
after =)my very own chair...
aj really enjoyed sitting in my nephew's chair so we decided to get one for him. just as a test, we took him to pottery barn kids to see if he would still like it. once he got in the store, he went straight for the chair and sat right down with a big smile! how could we say no then?? of course, s being a huge star wars fan had to get the r2d2 chair. here are some pics of him enjoying his new piece of furniture...
enjoying his bday present from the l family
enjoying his bday present from the l familyadventures w/ daddy...
s had 2 weeks off during the holidays. he was very brave to do daddy daycare and aj had a great time at the zoo and children's museum w/ his pops.
1st trip to san jose children's museum
surprisingly, he was brave and touched the goat at the sf zoo
1st trip to san jose children's museum
surprisingly, he was brave and touched the goat at the sf zoo
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