Happy New Year

Make a Smilebox greeting

Hello Tung

很謝謝妳的留言,因為妳沒有留email 所以所以我無法用email回覆. 在此告訴妳,真的高興認識其他台灣領養媽媽,一般我和其他台灣領養媽媽都是經奇摩的部落格交流,所以真的很高興能認識你們,也很期待看到你們的照片喔~~

Weekend Get Together

On Sunday (Dec 21) we met up with the Lee Family. It was fun for S to catch up with more friends. When I first met the Lee brothers, all of us were still DINKS (double income no kids) couples, but now all three couples are parents! Our dear neighbors, N&I are also becoming parents, so it really feel like a mini baby boom in my circle of friends. :)

Di-di looked much "older" compared to the other two babies! Baby S just turned 3 months old. She has huge eyes and is absolutely beautiful. Baby H is 9 months old and almost standing, but he doesn't crawl yet. Goes to show why I no longer read those parenting books, because every baby is so different with their development!

I stopped worrying or counting how many words Di-di can say. Di-di is still mostly babbling, but he is copying more and more words that we say to him. He can say both English and Chinese. As a matter of fact, daddy is starting to learn more Chinese himself after listening to Di-di! :)

(Beautiful Christmas tree in the House of Lee. Now you should know why I don't need a Christmas tree in my house!)

Neigborhood Baby Shower

Last Saturday our neighborhood threw a baby shower for N and I. Our neighbors also threw a baby shower for us when we brought Di-di home, so we are so honored to follow this new tradition for our neighborhood!!

We also snap more pictures of Di-di under another beautiful Christmas tree.

(Parents to be)

(The cake tastes as good as it looks!)

Daddy Is Back!

We are so happy that S will be home for three weeks during his Winter break. Di-di's eyes just lit up when he saw his daddy and he has been calling "Ba-ba" every 5 minutes!!

2008 Holiday Party

Oh..my gosh... I have been so lazy!!! Halloween, Thanksgiving came and went... No, we didn't do anything special for Halloween or Thanksgiving this year. I have to confess that I didn't even get a Halloween costume for Di-di this year. I try to feel guilty, but I just don't have any feeling of "guilt". I am going to milk this "single working mother" benefit for as long as I can, so that I don't feel guilty for not fulfilling extracurricular mommy duties!! :)~

I did get off my lazy butt and take Di-di to a Holiday party on Saturday evening!
His KinderMusik class teacher threw a Holiday Party every year and this was our first time. I was surprised to see how dressed up everyone was... My family were all in jeans and I didn't even bother putting on lipsticks.. However, our lack of formal attire didn't prevent Di-di from having a blast. He was eating all the food that he could reach, laughing, dancing, running around all evening. I can't believe my brand new camera is broken.:( Didn't capture any of Di-di's crazy dance on a camera or video. Thank God that there was an event photographer who at least captured these pictures...phew...

(Six more days until daddy comes home!!)

(We miss you, daddy..)

(Isn't she adorable! Di-di and J attend the same class on Sat.)

Charlie bit my finger - again !

This is such a cute video!!

Snowing in London

In the 4 months I've been in London, I've experienced some strange weather. August was the 'gloomiest' (defined as fewest hours of sunlight) in the past 40+ years in London. Then things turned completely around and we had a very nice and warm September.

One October evening after my Investments final, it snowed! It hadn't snowed in London in October in 40+ years (I'm not making up this 40+ thing). Then yesterday it snowed again.

Jackie said it only snowed once or twice in the 4 years she lived in London. So I guess I have been lucky or unlucky (depending on your point of view). I was walking both times when it snowed but I enjoyed it because it is a lot better than walking in the rain (which I have experienced numerous times over the last 4 months).

I'll be back in sunny California in 27 days!!!

Chimpanzee rides Segway-

I was laughing so hard at the video, because Di-di is just as mischievous and fearless as this chimpanzee!!


Chimpanzee rides Segway @ Yahoo! Video

Diwali

Diwali, also known as the 'Festival of Lights', is the biggest celebration in India. During the 5 days of celebration people light fireworks, share gifts, and eat sweets. I was told it is somewhat similar to what Christmas is in the U.S. and Europe.

The India club hosted a Diwali celebration this past Friday night. We had excellent Indian food, and Bollywood dancing. It was so much fun. Here are some pics.

New Nickname

I took my first final last week. The subject was Investments and I did very well on the midterm so I studied hard hoping to get an A+ in the class. The exam went smoothly except for one question and I felt pretty good when I walked out of the exam. But after discussing the questions with my classmates I don't think I did well enough to get an A+. Right now I will be very satisfied with an A.

On a related topic, one of my classmates called out to me after the exam..."Hey A+ come over here". I guess I'll enjoy the reputation until my grade comes out and my classmates realize I didn't get one.

Girls Rule!!

I have mentioned that baby girl Ra is already bilingual at 18 months young while Di-di is still babbling at 2 1/2.
Here's another girl that kicks Di-di's butt. Di-di is so SCARED of hair wash that my cousin had to FedEx shower hats from Taiwan for him. Now look at my cousin's Mei-mei (19 months young)... she is getting her hair washed in style with a big smile on her face! :)

Day Trip to San Francisco

Ok.. I am really behind on my blog duty!! On Oct 23, we took a day trip to San Francisco to meet Ri, H and their baby girl Ra. Ra was also referred to Ri and H by the same hospital who delivered Di-di, so both Ra and Di-di were born in Tainan County. The family flew out here to visit us from Boston.

We had lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe, the food was great and the kids loved the fish tanks, the waterfall and animal-themed decoration. After lunch, we walked around Fisherman's Wharf, and Pier 39. Di-di and Ra were mesmerized by the sea lions at Pier 39 and spent a lot time just staring at them. At 18 months old, Ra is very smart and bilingual already!! We were sad to say good bye to Ri, H and Ra by 3:30PM to beat the traffic out of SF. However, we were so happy to see them in SF and hope to visit them in Boston soon!!

(Ra teaching Di-di how to read..:)

H is the most patient mother I have EVER met. I picked up some good parenting tips from her. I noticed that she always talked Ra about what she was doing and Ra seemed to understand her. I don't remember the exact words that H said to Ra, but it seemed that Ra didn't throw any temper tantrums and was always calm. I have been practicing this on Di-di and was amazed by the results. For example, a couple of times when Di-di was very upset over not getting his way, I just took extra time to whisper into his ear and kept talking to him calmly and "explaining" things. I am sure Di-di probably didn't understand a word I said, but it worked to calm him down!! Thank you H!!!

Baby gears from Taiwan

I have bought many baby "gears" from Taiwan. Some I never got to use at all (but I did give to my friends.:)

I love the following items:

1. This Nasal Aspirator was the best buy and got plenty of use with Di-di's multiple colds and flues!
2. This ice pack stays as soft as a pillow, even though it's frozen in the freezer for months. It's great when Di-di has a fever, because he would sleep on it just like a regular pillow.
3. This special shaped pillow helped keeping the back of Di-di's head from becoming flat.
4. Special-made pillows and mattress with breathing "holes" so that Di-di wouldn't suffocate by accident if his nose is pressed against the pillow or mattress by accident.

Now, my newest purchase- baby shower hats!! Thanks to cousin T for FedEx these hats to the U.S.
Di-di hates getting his hair washed!! It's been getting harder to keep him steady so that the water and shampoo doesn't get into his eyes and ears. It's still not easy to wash his hair with this hat, but at least I am not worried about water getting into his ears!

(Testing his new shower hat)

Why I envy my baby

My last posting of a Chinese poem by an Emperor must seem odd to those who don't read Chinese.:)~ I am not religious, but sometimes I do need Buddhist teaching to keep me grounded and calm in a time like this!! The sudden meltdown of the stock market since September and the prospect of a global recession did make me feel anxious for a couple of days. This particular poem sums up so well the "impermanence" of life, even for a powerful Emperor. The only certainty in life is the uncertainty that we face every second.

I haven't blogged much, because I have been focusing more on studying the market and spending more time with Di-di. Even though my aunt is here to dote on Di-di, he just wants to be glued to mommy when he is home! My poor baby probably misses his daddy so much that he is feeling some insecurity.

I will give you more Di-di updates later, but here are some of my favorite pictures of him sleeping. I am so envious of him, because he sleeps like a baby without a worry in the world~~ (wait, he is still a "baby"!:)

(Yes, I let Di-di has his pacifier again. He started sucking his thumb, so I chose the pacifier..for now.:(

順治皇帝醒世碑記

天下叢林飯似山。砵盂到處任君餐。黃金白玉非為貴。惟有袈裟披最難。
朕為大地山河主。憂國憂民自轉煩。百年三萬六千日。不及僧家半日閒。
來時糊塗去時悲。空在人閒走這回。未曾生我誰是我。生我之時我是誰。
長大成人方是我。合眼矇矓又是誰。不如不來也不去。來是歡喜去是悲。
悲歡離合多勞思。何日清閒誰得知。世閒難比出家人。無牽無罣得安宜。
口中喫得清和味。身上常穿百衲衣。五湖四海為上客。皆因屢世種菩提。
雖然不是真羅漢。也搭如來三尺衣。兔走烏飛東復西。為人切莫用心機。
百年世事三更夢。萬里江山一局棋。禹開九州湯放桀。秦吞六國漢登基。
古來多少英雄輩。南北山頭臥土泥。黃袍換卻紫袈裟。只為當年一念差。
我本西方一衲子。為何落在帝皇家。十八年來不自由。南征北討幾時休。
如今撒手西方去。不管千秋與萬秋。

(P.S. This poem was written by Q'ing Dynasty's first Emperor. Q'ing Emperors were Manchu, not Han Chinese. Most of them were known for their hard work. I am simply amazed by their ability to master the Chinese language.)

Kitchen Remodel is Completed!!

Update #1:
Well, the kitchen remodel has been completed since last Monday, but I haven't gotten around to post on the blog. There were some more issues with the plumbing that caused some more delay, but it went well at the end. The counter top has really grown on me. I think S made the right choice with beige sand color after all!
My aunt has been such a great help. I lost eight pounds during the three week when I was alone with Di-di. My aunt is working hard to feed us and I must have gained at least five pounds back already. I am fat, happy AND lazy again! :)

Update #2
Di-di has started his fall music classes again at Kinder Music. He is looking forward to his one-hour class every Saturday morning.

Updated #3
Di-di LOVES watching Mei-mei's video. Mei-mei is my cousin's adoptive daughter and they did spend some time living and playing together in Taiwan, but I had no idea that Di-di is so addicted to watching her video!! Every time I turned off her video, he would throw one of those now rare tantrums~~ Sorry, Baba.. Di-di was not as upset when I turned off your video this morning! :)

Bath

I went to Bath last weekend since it looks like the last weekend before things went from busy to insanely busy. Thankfully the weather was absolutely beautiful and I had a great day.

I left London at 8am and took a smooth 2 hour train ride. (Side note: During the 4 hour ride (to and from Bath) I was able to finish half of a book I am reading called "My life as a Quant". Sounds pretty boring but it is an interesting book about a physics PhD who had a very successful career on Wall Street. Although it is not required reading for my school I am trying to learn as much as possible about all the facets of Wall Street. )

When I got to Bath I walked around the whole town centre (which like most towns in the UK took all of 40 minutes). Then saw a tour of the ancient Roman baths. The baths were built around 300-400AD. It was a very impressive bathing complex with multiple bathing pools, a dry sauna, changing rooms, etc. (In retrospect, it isn't that much different from modern day spas.)

Then I had a "full British breakfast" at a department store (I know, odd place for a breakfast). A full British breakfast is a heart-attack waiting to happen....It is comprised of 2 eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns. For good measure I also had tomatoes and mushrooms.

Next, I went to the only place in UK where you can swim/dip in natural spring water. The spa is 4 stories and top floor has an open air pool where you overlook the town. I didn't want to upset the other bathers by taking pictures but you can see the view from this link.
www.thermaebathspa.com

After that I checked out Bath Abbey (which is a stunning, well-preserved church), ate dinner, did a little shopping and went home!

P.S. - you can click on each picture to see it in all its grandeur...

Busy, busy, busy

The pace at school is picking up. I have homework due next Monday and a midterm next Thursday. I went to bed at 10:15pm but woke up at 2:30am, so decided to work on my homework.

It is getting close to 4am so I probably should try to go back to sleep as I have a busy day ahead...2 classes, study session with my 'team' of 5 fellow students and Investment Management club kick-off meeting.
There is also a 'meeting' at 8pm at the local pub to hear from fellow students about their experiences in I-banking, but I probably won't attend.

Sorry for the dry blog but I had to mix it up (most of my past blogs were filled with my little excursions in and around London)...don't worry the next blog will have some pics of my trip to Bath this past weekend.

Random Cute Pictures

Di-di is such a good boy. He went through his terrible-two stage so fast that I sometimes don't quite remember the mega tantrums.:) Now, I can actually hold "conversations" and reason with him. He is still potty challenged, but we will work on that slowly.

P.S. Kitchen is not completely done yet, but we are getting closer.

Snobbish Shopping in London

I went to the Brooks Brothers store in London recently. It is located in a very nice part of town with other expensive shops. I didn't see any prices on the shirts or anywhere else in the store. So I walked up to an employee and asked about the prices. Like many things in London, the 'numerical value' is the same as in the U.S. but is priced in pounds instead of dollars. So at current exchange rates, things are generally about 1.8 times as expensive.

I asked him whether they had any promotions such as, "Buy three shirts for x pounds". He said "No, we are not a DISCOUNT store". I told him that Brooks Brothers in the U.S. has those discounts. The Brooks Brothers stores in the U.S. often have these promotions...but I didn't mention this. I let him off easy. =)

I went to another store and bought a light blue, herringbone pattern, double French cuff, classic Prince of Wales collar dress shirt. (Say that three times fast)
The shirt was half the price of the shirts at Brooks Brothers and the quality seems excellent.

Life is good!

New counter tops are in; the new breaker is installed and nothing was "fried"!! Kitchen faucet, and the appliances will be installed on Monday, so yeah..we are making progress.

My aunt has been awesome! She started cleaning my house as soon as we arrived home from the airport! No, I did NOT ask her to do so. She just can not sit around and relax, so she has been cleaning my house every day. She has also been cooking for us every night using my hotpot cooker and she helps me take care of Di-di after he comes home from school. This week has felt like a mini vacation and I feel so much more relaxed and happy. :)

We also had a special visitor! My friend D and P traveled to CA with baby A, so they hang out with us on Wed evening. My aunt took care of baby A for 6 months in Taiwan when D and P were going through the adoption process. Baby A has been home since the end of March. My aunt was sad that baby A has totally forgotten her, but we are very happy she has bonded well with D and P. Baby A only wants her mommy and daddy now! She is turning one year old in a few days and has changed so much since I last saw her in Taiwan. She no longer looks like a baby and is so much a little girl now, so I shouldn't call her baby A anymore...hahaha.. Di-di was happy to have so many people in the house to play with him, but he was not much of a gentleman. He still had a hard time sharing his toys with A. :)

(S with baby A in Jan 08 when we visited Taiwan)

(A small conference in Dec 07 for adopted babies in my aunt's- Baby A. Mei-mei and Di-di:)

(Baby A. looks so different now!! My aunt and I just love her natural curly hair which is rare for Han Chinese.)

(Do you think they still recognize each other after 8 months?:)

Kitchen Remodel Challenges

Even though our kitchen remodel has not risen to the level of a "disaster" yet, it's soon approaching to be one..

Here are some lessons I have learned:
1. Always expect delay: I was too optimistic to believe that everything will be done in 4 days. Well, two weeks later, I am still without all of the counter tops, kitchen sink and appliances.
2. Expect project cost overrun: on top of the dining out expenses I had previously mentioned, I would budget 10% to 20% of unexpected costs. In our case, the small electrical problem with the garage plugs has now turned into a $2000 job. I hired electrician #1 who supposedly made the problem worse according to electrician #2. Electrician #1 never returned as he had promised to fix the problems after he unscrewed the plugs in question & didn't even return my calls!! I hired electrician #2 who did fix the problem at $350, but he also suggested that for safety reason I should have the entire "breaker" replaced which costs $1500 plus a $100 for permit. I of course told him to go ahead and do it.... It sounds like a lot of work and the whole house will be without electricity for one day. Hmmm how do I squeeze this one in when I still have counter tops and appliances to be installed? What if he mess up and my brand new appliances are fried... Can you feel that I am getting more and more pessimistic about the remodel!!
3. Trust your instinct and the show room display when choose a new counter top. Lowes kitchen show room featured this beautiful solid surface counter top with an awesome "desert sand" color and I was sold. It's a warmer sand color that obviously goes well with the cabinets and our existing wall color. However, S didn't like it. The color bugs him, because it didn't quite go with the new stainless steel appliances. Sigh... he liked this "beige sand" color & I just...whatever... All we saw was a small piece of sample that looked ok... However, when the installation guy showed up with half of the counter top I almost had a heart attack. It looked sooo much more gray with a little brown than I had envisioned. The color didn't go with anything in our house right now. It was too late to change, unless we put in a brand new order ($2,800). We are stuck with the "beige sand", but I am hoping it might look better once the appliances are in. It might grow on me. The installation guy joked that the gray counter top goes well with our drive way and our cars...hahaha... too bad I can't put those things in my house!!! :)

*** Picked up my aunt from the airport today!!!! Di-di and I are almost fully recovered from the flu.

(Temp cooking stove. I totally forgot that I had this personal cooker for my rare Taiwanese hot pot feast! It has really come in handy when I just don't want to dine out anymore!)

(Bathroom/kitchen sink in one.)

(Mess left by electrician #1)

(Mess left by electrician #1)

(Mess left by electrician #1: this was what caused my network outage)

(Electrician #2 did his magic.)

(Can you see how "gray" my new counter top is compared to "beach sand"? Calling it "beige sand" was too deceiving!!! The installation guy showed me a sample of the "beach sand" color that he just installed... not as lovely as "desert sand", but is still better than "beige sand".)