When the cat is away...

So the last week V has been out of town on business and speck and I have been left entirely to our own devices!!

At first there was a tearful and dramatic goodbye :

But afterwards there were only sunshine, smiles and happy times!

Aaaand if you've been around children then you know that I jest!  The night that V left speck's sleep was way off.  Now whether it was due to missing V or teething it's hard to say...woke up at 1030PM sobbing inconsolably...

and shortly thereafter devloped a new found obession...

with this toy!!  refused to put it away, refused to go to bed...finally passed out on top of me at 12:30AM!  Woke up several times during the night too crying and upset which rarely happens these days but she has been particularly drooly....and she has been cutting her top two molars! 

It's been 8 days of Vs 12 day trip and he is definately sorely missed!  I'm not all together too sure about speck's mindset however...perhaps she's too young.  I'm sure when V returns she'll be over the moon at his return!

During this week though I've had lots of time to flip through my photo album and re-live some of speck's greatest hits!  And four hours later I'm still flipping through pictures and videos!  I can't beleive how quickly Speck has grown!  and how quickly Speck is growing!!

She took her first steps on Christmas day and by new years she was walking like a pro performing at family gatherings like a little trained monkey!

But Speck is a cautious one!  Even now nearly 2 months later she still walks around with a clear wobble and her arms still up in the air around her keeping her balance like a cat and its tail. 

We took her to the zoo for new years and just look at her clinging onto me for dear life as if the goats were going to eat her up!

But caution's got it's benefits!!  Its that cautious streak that delayed her walking till she was 1 year 3 months so really its been working in my favor!  I'm definately NOT looking forward to her running!  I mean a month after walking and though she's not very good at it she's got a certain independant streak running through her when she feels safe!

Refusing to follow -  she can't even talk yet and you can already hear her shouting "DENG WO!" (or wait for me in mandarin).  Oh dear at least she didn't turn into a pillar of salt! ;)

I definately can't wait for what else this one will surprise us with next...

Stay tuned for more speckventures!

A Christmas surprise!

So V and I recently decided that specks first word officially is "uh oh" because it's the only word that she says whilest fully understanding the usage and meaning.  She drops something, "uh oh".  I drop something, "uh oh".  When somethings not right, i.e. A bottle is upside down, "uh oh", and she'll go to turn the bottle right side up.  Today I realize, as speck was picking up yet another piece of lint in the carpet and showing me, that her next word may very well be "zang zang", which is mandarin for dirty.  Kids are funny that way.  The words you repeatedly tell them to say, i.e. "Say mama", they won't!  The problem is, they don't hear it enough.  With kids its all about repetition and though we may feel like we're telling them, "say mama" just about a bajillion times a day we're actually not.  It's the things that normally come out of our mouths, throughout the natural course of the day, that our kiddos pick up on and repeat!  They are truly a little mirror and reflection of us!!  Scary!  Do I really say "uh oh" that much?  Upon reflection I really do!!  I'm surprised she hasn't picked up on "oops" since I say that just as often.  But I digress from the original intent of this post!

So thanksgiving we celebrated at the annual church potluck with a lotta food and thankful reflections.  And of course time for speck to chill with friends natch!

Christmas however, was the real big deal!  We all went over to "da jiu"'s and "jiu am"'s new swanky downtown loft apartment 

for some food, drinks, snacks and fun (mainly watching old Christmas classics like home alone and it's a wonderful life whilst feasting on the prime rib roast that and other delectable morsels that da jiu cooked up!!)

Of course speck was da jius sous chef!

Helping her big pick out the aromatics.

And doing the dicing while her big perfects all the flavors.

But the most notable happenings?

Someone finally took her first steps!!  I can't help but feel a little guilty for thinking "there goes the good life!" While filming it!!  

My only saving grace is that girl is SUPER cautious!!  So even now, nearly 2 months later, she's still wobbly on her feet and has NOT learned the art of running yet!!  

Stay tuned for more speckventures!

Jetsetter and world traveler extraordinaire

Speck turned one on what I beleive must have been the hottest day of the year!  We had planned a birthday party for her weeks in advance but on the day of, it was so hot (the shindig was entirely outdoors in a neighborhood park) that I had half a mind to cancel if not for the handful of people who were comming.  In hindsight I should have just moved the whole thing back to my moms house where 1) there would be air conditioning and 2) there would be air conditioning!  I mean seriously ever since I gave birth to speck there has not been a day where I didn't feel hot!  The weather being in the 100s definitely did not help matters.

(I was so hot we barely took any pictures - luckily someone thought of it and this is one of the few pictures from that day!  Here's to a cooler second birthday kiddo!!)

A few days later it was mommys turn to celebrate her birthday and where else would we do it besides the happiest place on earth?  Thanks to our good buddies, the chous, we were able to go and enjoy ourselves, for free, after church one Sunday.  It was sort of a makeup bday celebration for speck in parts too!

(Happy birthday mommy and speck @ the happiest place on earth!)

But in a few short weeks (actually just 1 in fact I believe) we were off once again to travel the globe!  V's brother had gotten married the year before and they were throwing a huge celebration banquet in his wife's hometown in Malaysia so of course we all "had to go" meet the new in laws for the first time!  

(Ready of not se Asia here we come!!  Being the excellent packer that I am we maxed out how much we can carry overseas!  Four luggage a each at exactly 55 lbs a piece - speck here is pointing out the fact that each of those bags both weigh more than and and are bigger than her and yet mostly they were all for her!  And a few odds and ends we were bringing for people)

When we were planning this trip we thought, "Hey!  Since we're already out there on that side of the world already why don't we swing by Taiwan to introduce speck to V's grandparents (maternal) and Jiu jiu and his family?  So we did!!  

(It's a rare thing to find four generations seated around the table together)

And to make matters even MORE exciting a dear friend of V and mine relocated to Singapore so we thought why not go all in and swing by Singapore?  So we did!!

(The famous merlion of Singapore)

The whole trip lasted two and a half weeks and it was glorious!  

First stop - Malaysia!  Although I was warned that south east asia is hot, it's like half and inch from the equator!, I was Ill prepare for the heat but what really killed me was the 80% humidity!  Yikes I grew up in so cal man!  When it's hot here at least it's like 0% humidity.  But I digress...

First things first!  A general family meet and greet which of course revolves around food!  V's brother E (not to be confused with speck) took us to this FANTASTIC road side banana leaf restaurant.  Can I just say here that there was a party going on in my mouth from that meal?  I love carb-y foods and they had the BEST roti chanai EVER and it goes SO well with the various curries that they ordered!!  Seriously I thought I would not be able to eat my entire trip cuz the heat just kills any desire to do anything!  And yes that includes eating...But the food was so good I ate two full orders of roti myself!  Speck ?  She decided to eat off her neighbor's banana leaf!  I was horrified.  And then to make matters worse, when we were getting ready to leave, I find that speck has been busy throwing her food on the floor and not actually eating it!! The floor underneath speck was a disaster!  Rice everywhere!  We had only recently transitioned speck away from breastmilk and formula and (v can corroborate) I started getting really nervous about her eating habits for this trip!  She'd get a huge breakfast at the hotel and the rest of the day she just grazed on, what seem like, just rice here and there but mostly she grazed on air!

(After five attempts guess WHO refused to cooperate for all FIVE tries?  Also the neighbor whose banana leaf speck ate off of?  The kind lady is standing right next to speck!   Btw she was pregnant with her first child too so in effect speck stole food from a baby!)

The next day the bride's family threw a huge block party!  Again the food was amazing!  Speck did NOT enjoy herself though.  She was so tired (pretty much the theme of our whole trip - speck was so tired). After her dinner v and I took turns sleeping with speck in the brides bedroom while the other mingled downstairs.  Oh did I fail to mention this block party was literally a block party?  A party held on the block where the bride lived - right in middle of the streets?

The day after that was the wedding banquet and speck got all dolled up!

(Speck looking pretty in white!  Since she didn't walk yet shoes were NOT necessary - though we did put socks on her at the banquet - we're not animals!)

We carefully and painstakingly protected that out white outfit during breakfast...

And I must say speck was the cutest baby there!  Our friends from Singapore flew in for the reception too - as I said they're a good friend of the family!  His wife, Y, was pregnant at the time too so we decided to pass E off to them for some practice!  And they seemed like naturals!  E took to them like fish to water!

Several hours after arriving the banquet finally started but of course E had already been getting tired and when the food finally came out she looked exhausted but, she's a trooper!

(Again - gotta protect that white outfit at all costs...whose idea was it to have a 1 year old wear white??  Oh yeah, that was me)

When the party ended we rushed back to the hotel where E proceeded to pass out for the next few hours!  When dinner time rolled around daddy came back for us and when he turned on the lights he was greeted with...

Of course the dented pillow to the right of E is where I lay to make sure she didn't fall off the bed.  But in the biggest mom fail ever the next day speck DID fall off the bed!

(HEAD FIRST!!!)

Daddy made sure she was alright...

And we went to dinner...

Where she, again on mom's watch, fell out of the high chair!!!

Thank GOD she only had a little bruise (well big bruise) to show for it - what a trooper - and overall she looked and acted fine after she calmed down.  I'm happy to report that there were no other kerfuffles after this incident.  And the rest of the visit in Malaysia went smoothly!  In fact there was an uber cute after shower romp in the hotel bed that we were able to capture - but will not be sharing here as its for family eyes only!! ;) but here is a shot of the twin towers...

(We saw the palace where the sultan lives)

(Climbed a bajillion steps wearing ...)

(This sarong because the shorts I was wearing in the previous picture was immodest - whereas V was able to wear his shorts since the policy applied just to women - at least speck was exempt - nice!)

(Caves at the top of those steps)

(Went to malacca and saw an old church)

(And ate and shopped along jonker street)

By the end of our visit I feel like speck really got over her jet lag and adjusted to the local time!  Just in time because Singapore here we come!!!

We got to Singapore and went straight to bed for a nap and woke up refreshed and ready to hit the ground running!

We strolled along the pier with our buddy Y as we waited for her hubby, also our good buddy J, to get off of work!  But less than an hour later this happened...

So much of being adjusted to local time!  Still we had a gay old time!  There was a hawker center right across the street(ish) and we ate a sampling of great food!  I was never one to take photos of the foods I eat so you'll just have to take my word for it :)

J had to work but Y was free and became our guide to the city.  We relaxed on sentosa. 

Speck took a group selfie of us all in front of the universal studios sign...excuse the extreme close up.  She's just barely turned one and her arms are still short.

(At the last minute kid felt like her face wasn't prominent enough so she popped up and blocked me from this shot...its actually behind specks head)

(On specks second try both her face and mines are cut off)

(Found the merlion on sentosa)

(And bought tickets to go to the aquarium - honestly it was for the sole purpose of getting out of the heat into some AC!  We were all dying and Y is pregnant yo!!)

(But the fish were cool...)

(And speck got to picnic in front of the giant fish tank!!)

We ate lunch at a food center in vivo city and the best thing about it?  It was completely air conditioned!  That was my favorite hawker center!!

We went to the gardens by the bay (but did NOT but tickets to go inside).  This time we took an extended visit to the gift shop - which is free - except for the tchotchke that I bought (a magnet - hey it's in my fridge!!)

Of course we can't visit J and Y in Singapore without a visit to the Google Singapore office and partake in some lunch!!  

And to give the lovely couple some hands on experience of eating with a wiggly kid - well played speck!

And no visit to Google is complete without a visit to a napping pod...

Or two...

But I must say the best thing was their game room!!  We were much too busy shooting hoops to take a picture of this so you'll just have to trust me.

On Friday When J got off of work he took  us all out to a restaurant with THE BEST chili crab ever!!!!! 

(A classy family in our matching crab eating bibs)

And our whirlwind visit through Singapore came to an end and it was great for us to visit with the Chens (not a typo - they're also some Chens!! Ha!!)

(What visit to Asia is complete without brining home some ramen loot?)

Our flight from Singapore to Taiwan was actually a premium economy ticket so we  waited in style!  Especially speck nestled away in the corner - reclined in her stroller.

(Lounge access - sweet!!)

And hello Taiwan!

A travel tip for all you weary travelers with kids!  There is usually a priority line for families!  If you don't see one ask!  We didn't and waited in this line.  When we got to the front the lady said next time to go to the priority line for families with babies and handicapped with wheelchair...duly noted!

Taiwan was mostly to visit family and for the first time in over a week we weren't living out of a hotel room!  

V's grandparents arranged for us to stay at their house near the Wan Long exit of the mrt in Taipei! That was so generous of them!  So amazing!!  They only had single beds but who cares?  There's multiple bedrooms a kitchen with a washer dryer and did I mention??  After living in a veritable sauna for the last 8 days Taipei felt cold in comparison!  And beleive me I have never ever described Taiwan as such, ever!!

The first few days were quite slow as I hadn't gotten my bearings straight and poor V got sick so speck and I were on our own!  

Thankfully my aunt was in town and took me and speck around and showed me where things were to orient me...

First things first - where do you get good beef noodle soup?

We checked out college prospects for speck...

And of course no trip is complete without checking out some tasty Xiao long baos!!

(Speck obviously despondent after checking out college prospects...mourning a list childhood)

But daddy got better and things picked up!!  We checked out one night market

 

After another..

After another!

And what do you know?  We bumped into my cousin, A, (who live in la to boot!) at one of the night markets!!

Just kidding it was totally planned!

We went to the national museum and I did NOT any tchotchkes here!  And of course speck is passed out...

V's uncle took us around Dan shui (just outside of Taipei) and we visited such sights as "a drop of water" (I'm not sure what it is in English but it's the home modeled after a Japanese traditional home - and a drop of water is what it sounds like in mandarin)

And we saw lovers bridge...

Fishermans wharf...

And for lunch we ate at a fresh fish market where you pick out your live food on the street and go ipstairs and wait while they prep what you picked out for you!  It was pretty amazing...But again no pictures so just trust me!

And there was a rock naturally occuring in the shape of a lady's head...

But there was a huge line. To take a picture with that rock.  So we walked past it and took a picture with it at a distance - no waiting!

And we found the fake man made version and got a picture with that instead - again no waiting!!

We also visited speck's great grandpa

And shared several meals with V's uncle

And overall had a blast hanging out at V's grandmas place...

And with that we reached the end of our fun vacation and reality sets in that we'll be heading home soon!  

(Waiting for our flight with some fast food - just water in specks soda cup - I'm not THAT irresponsible!)

But speck missed home and was more than ready to be back!!

We landed in la in the late afternoon...

(I don't know what filter I had on but wow I look amazing - not a drop of makeup! As evidenced by my sparse eyebrows)

And then the long process of getting speck 1) used to la's time zone once again and 2) used to sleeping on her own again after sleeping with me for over two weeks!!

To our horror we discovered (when we got to Taiwan) that speck no longer wanted to sleep with daddy so she slept with me the entire visit in Taiwan.  I think there was a night or two where we were able to trick her and I got a break.  It's hard sleeping with a squirmy baby on a twin sized bed!

But with all the fun that speck had she was more than ready to get back to reality!!  

Thank goodness we've got a cal King for her to roll around in!

Daddy did let speck and I have the big bed all to ourselves while I slowly got her over jetlag!

This time it was better than coming back from Shanghai and she took only 3 days to mostly be back to normal and another 2-3 days to get back to sleeping on her own.

And with that we survived two and a half weeks abroad!!  Praise the lord!!

Stay tune for more speckventures!