The Milestone no one ever talks about!

A few nights ago we hit a huge major milestone that NO ONE ever seems to talk about.  Everyone always talks about the STTN (sleeping through the night) Milestone or first teeth or the first time they sit up or crawl or walk.  But what about the mommy getting her sleep back milestone?  So important for a mother's sanity!  Especially the first time mom!

So if you follow us on social media you will have noticed that a few nights ago Speck's mommy found her sleep!

Hopefully it will last but if Speck continues the way she has since 6 months ago...the only thing between sleep and no sleep is mommy herself!

Such a girl!!!

Last week we took speck to the beach.  It was beach night with a mom group I joined earlier this year (MOPS).  They're currently on break for the summer but every Tuesday they now have a "tire out the tykes" activity as well as a beach night at the marina del Rey beach (Mother's beach) once a month on Friday nights.

At the beach I came to the realization that I have raised such a girl!  Obviously this prissiness has come from, though I never really considered myself prissy.  Apparently, I'm much to close to the subject (myself) to make an unbiased observation.  Upon some soul searching and self-reflection I came to the conclusion that I am just as prissy as little miss priss!

Instead of running around in the sand to explore new sites...Speck was perfectly contented in standing by and watching the other kids having fun, occasionally pointing and laughing in glee.

At one point daddy swooped in and carried her off into the sand!!

That did not go over well with little miss. Much tears, loud wailings and screams of "mama" abounded!  I was afraid people would think that she was being kidnapped 😱. Thank goodness the population is generally indifferent to the plight of their fellow man. No one even looked at the commotion we were making!  Whew!  Eventually she calmed down and by the end of the night dare I say?  She actually enjoyed herself!

Every morning its a battle to get speck out of her crib.  She'll roll around for 30-40 minutes (I've clocked this rolling around at an hour once!  We didn't have anywhere to go so I didn't mind).  Part of me is wondering if I should put my foot down to this right now - even on days where our schedules are pretty free because I don't want to cultivate this slovenly behavior!  When it's time to get up do we really need to get up and go even if we have no where to go?  

But I have found that things go much more smoothly if I pluck her out of bed and get her in front of a mirror.  She'll even stand there and allow me to brush her hair into pigtails!

Another tactic to get her out of bed is to ask her, "do you want to come to the bathroom with mommy?"  She's up on her feet and reaching up to be picked up before you can get her sleeping blanket off!  

Somtimes as I'm getting ready in the morning she'll even pull me out of the bathroom (yup - by my cat pajama pants!) and drag me in front of the full length mirrored slidding closet door and demand that I sit while I apply my eye makeup!  I guess it's too hard for her to see from her stool...?  And of course much pointing follows...

Watch out daddy!  Apparenly little miss would like some eye shadow and lipstick too!  And if you give her a tube of lip balm and a mirror she knows exactly what to do...

When she first started walking I once made the mistake of holding her hand and walking her into ULTA.  Needless to say she wasn't holding my hand for long!

Before I could say stop she shot across the room and busied herself picking out the perfect shade of gloss....took her all of two minutes before she found it and brought it over to me proudly!  I was almost tempted to buy it for her - it was so cute and I was caught THAT off guard!!  Plus you've gotta give her points for digging around the clerance bin!  But thankfully I had the wherewithal to put on the responsible mommy hat and talked to her about obedience!

Another time her auntie (my cousin) and I took a walk and grabbed some coffee at the TOMs shoe store on Abbott Kinney (yes theres a coffee shop there with a sitting area in the back!) and Speck bonded over nail polish with some new gal pals who were painting their nails in the TOMs backyard sitting area!

Occassionally she did come back to make sure we were still chatting on the steps before returning to her new buddies to talk nail color and trending designs!  I think she even talked about nail stamping!  I don't even know about nail stamping!

I'm sure much to Daddy's fear and dismay, Speck is also turing into the regular shopoholic!  She's a pro at sifting through the latest fashions and she's no stranger to digging through a mess at the discount stores to find the hidden gems and the great deals!  

Sorting through the latest spring dresses at fast fashion chain H&M.  Digging through piles and piles of shoes at Nordstrom Rack!  She spotted a pink pair of duckie rain boots that she's just GOT to own! (nevermind we live in LA where is rains like twice a year!)

Her latest acquisition?  A gold rimmed pair of Marc Jacobs Aviators - lifted from mommy naturally!

She's developing quite some expensive tastes!  But she's definately down to earth enough to shop at the dollar store!

(Looking for her next sugar fix - of course!)

And what girlie girl is complete without logging hours and hours of talk/text time on the phone?  gabbing to her girlfriends and updating her social media outlets?

(Aside: you can like her on facebook: Speckventures; follow her on Instagram and Twitter: Speckventures in addition to subscribing to this blog!! She's still currently in negotiations for her own youtube channel but we're at a standstill on account of her lack of verbal abilities; but stay tuned on this front!)

Who's she talking to you ask?  Why her GIRL SQUAD - natch!

While its all fun and cute at the moment I've got to remember that a vainity is NOT a characteristic I want to cultivate in Speck.  It's okay to be a girlie girl.  But as she continues to grow and mature I've got to be ever present to help shape, mold, guide and dicipline her to becoming a beautiful woman INSIDE as she's already beatiful on the outside...

Charm is deceitful and beauty if passing but a woman who fears the Lord she shall be praised!
     Proverbs 31:30

Stay tuned for more speckventures...

Mommy's little helper

Even before I was blessed with Speck I hoped for, prayed for and desired having a little girl.  When we found out I was pregnant I was over the moon with excitement because here's my chance!  As the weeks went by I found myself convinced that I was carrying a little boy.  It even crept into my dreams!  So imagine my renewed joy when the dr said "it's going to be a girl!".

In my mind, through my rose colored glasses, girls are so much fun-er than boys!  They've got cuter clothes.  They're less rambunctious.  They're generally more helpful.  And I'm a girl and therefore me and my little girl can do so many fun things together!  She will be my mini-me!

Well, she is no mini-me...

But she is loads of fun!  I'm sure if we had a boy I would feel just the same about him and think myself crazy for wanting a girl over a boy (for all you Anne fans out there... :).  But as such speck turned out to be a girl...and boy is she a girl!!!  I see a lot of myself in her, behavior wise.  It's nice since everyone is of the opinion that Speck's a spitting image of her dad.

My mom always assumed that I was cautious on account of my bad eyes but Speck sure put that theory to rest!  She is the most cautious little person I've ever met!  You'll never catch her jumping off a toy chest.

(Speck the safe "speck"tator in this jumping bonanza!!)

But she is just the most helpful little kid ever!  Ever since she started walking she's discovered she can do so many things!!  And she ALWAYS wants to lend me a helping hand and be involved in everything I do!  With all my daily tasks big or small!  Once she can handle the clean dishes and load them into the dish washer to dry, after I've washed them, I'm convinced I will never have to bend over at the waist again!

She helps me pick up anything that I may drop (including my socks!!)

She helps with the cooking...

(washing the rice...how does she know I hate washing rice?)

(she preps the veggies for salads and stir-frys)

She helps with the cleaning...

(untangling the cords when I vacuum and helping sweep up the dust around the house)

She helps with the grocery shopping...

(scouring the fearless flyer for the latest deals and newest items to try)

(carrying the groceries to the cart! even mommy's instant noodles...)

 She even helps daddy with the stroller...

And the heavy lifting around the house...

Yup we've been blessed beyond anything we could have hoped or dreamed with that one.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly aboev all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in thhe church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever."

Ephesians 3:20-21

Stay tuned for more speckventures...

Grow baby, Grow!!

In just a few months this little bug...

will be turning the big T-W-O!!

Before we hit this next milestone and I find myself in the throws of the terrible twos, I just wanted to remind myself that up until this point I have been blessed with a GREAT and easy going kid!

Two months ago I noticed that we hit a stride and found a good rhythm.  But with each passing day I held my breath and waited for speck to change it up and throw a wrench into everyhing.  A week went by, two weeks, a month and she's still holding fast!  Now 2 months later at 20 months old I'm beginning to think (hopefully) this is just the new norm!!

From the first day speck came into the world she has been an amazingly easy to handle baby!  She was a GREAT sleeper!  A GREAT eater (well up until 13 months she was a great eater...).  She weaned herself off the bottle and into using straw cups practically on her own (well as far as the timing of it - no huge resistance to  losing the bottle).  She settled in and found her own schedule and I have just been able to go along with her and follow her cues since.  She doesn't really cry unless something is wrong (well after we sleep trained). 

The first two months were the only "trying times" during her whole life!  1. being a first time mom - having a baby was just such a shock!!  2.  she wanted to be held - all the time!  and even though she only weighed a measly 7-8 lbs my arms got sore!!.  

As we bump along and are met with new challenges, with disobedience, I have to keep in mind what I've been blessed with thus far!

And the best is yet to come!  So grow baby!  grow!  And who knows?  maybe this one will skip the terrible twos all together!

Stay tuned for more speckventures!

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!