A Weekend Walk and a Sleepover with More Cupcakes

Sorry I've been a little behind in my writing. Mommy has carpal tunnel, and daddy's been on night shift, so I've been having a hard time finding someone to type for me. Don't worry though... I have been up to my usual schedule of meeting new people, walking around the city, and developing new skills, so once I get a chance to tell the folks what to write, you'll get to find out about them.

On Saturday we went for a walk in downtown Culver City. Mommy and daddy took me to have some BBQ. I'm not sure I liked the smoke of the restaurant, but we sat outside, and I had a good time taking in the nice weather.


Here we are outside the Santa Maria BBQ restaurant.


We had a good conversation before the food came out. Here I am, cooing and talking about how much I like walks.


One of the reasons I like taking walks is because I get to see neat sights. Like these little doggies who looked funny. They were kind of scared of me.

That night, Aunty Leng and Aunty Kathy came by to visit. We had a sleepover together! We stayed up making cards and eating pizza. The next day, when we got up, we made cupcakes. Yummy! At least, mommy told me they were yummy. She says Aunty Leng is getting quite good at baking.


Uncle Billy and Aunty Kathy. They are soooo silly!


More of Aunty Leng's cupcakes. Strawberry, Oreo, and something I don't know what.

A Bath with Daddy on St. Patrick's Day

What did you do to my hair?

Daddy never bathes me, and today, he said he wanted to try. So he bathed me in the kitchen while mommy took a shower. Afterwards, he asked mommy what to put on my skin, and she said, "I just put vaseline all over his body." So that's just what daddy did. And in my hair. Now, I know I have cradle cap, but this is just ridiculous.



Also, I'm ten weeks old today, which means (1) I am 12 1/2 pounds, (2) I can sleep for about 5 or 6 hours in a row at night, and (3) I am that much closer to my first green beer.

Visiting the Dentist and Book Club

Here I am in the dentist's office a couple days ago. Mommy got her "teeth" cleaned, whatever those are. Daddy sat with me and held me while we waited patiently. Then daddy had to get a cleaning and a filling, and mommy waited with me. The nice dentists let me go to their lunch room to eat my lunch when mommy came out.

I like mommy and daddy's dentists, even if they claim I'm supposed to get a dental exam when I'm six months old. I'm not sure what they're going to see except my beautiful gums, but then again, they did give me two "toothbrushes" and some "toothpaste" so I like them anyway.



Some more photos from this week. My head control has been getting better, so mommy and daddy tried turning me around in my Bjorn to face out. So far, I'm not too excited about the prospect. I keep tilting my head back to see who's carrying me.


On Tuesday mommy went to another grownup book club. I was sleeping when we got there, so I didn't get to meet the hosts' daughter. She is very "into" babies. She was very happy to see me. She got really excited and tried to pick me up like one of her three dollies. Her mommy kept her from waking me up, but then again, it would have been nice to meet some more girls... :) As it was, I slept for seven hours that night. Book club is boring for baby Owen.

Talking with my Mobile

Lately, I've been talking quite a bit more. I especially like talking to my mobile. When mommy or daddy puts me down to change my diaper, my mobile is almost within reach. Mommy and daddy can't figure out why I like talking with the little animals, but it's clearly because they are good listeners and never interrupt me when I'm talking. Unfortunately they haven't talked back to me yet, and I get frustrated when they don't say anything. One of these days, though, I know the lion is going to tell me why he's chasing the giraffe and the elephant around the room.


Here I am a few days ago having a conversation with the animals


Sometimes I make myself smile. Or is it gas?

Chinese temple visit

Sunday morning was cold! At least it was cold outside. And that's where we went today. After picking up Uncle Nick we headed to the Chinese temple for a late New Year's thing.


Here is the temple in Chinatown.

Inside, everyone did ancestor stuff while I sat in the corner breathing in the incense fumes. So smoky! But my family didn't forget me. Ah Mah helped me give my offerings. At least I think she was helping me out. Maybe she was offering me to the ancestors.




It's supposed to be a bad luck year for daddy (and everyone else born in the year of the dragon). Ah Mah made him give extra offerings to the ancestors. The ghostly looking guy is brushing the bad luck off of him with a wad of money, "Currency of Hell." Then daddy had to go burn the money outside.

I cooed "Ah Goo" earlier today, which is Uncle Nick's name. While daddy was making extra offerings, I started crying, and Uncle Nick picked up my seat and calmed me down. What a nice guy!



Afterwards we went to Golden Dragon, and the grownups had dim sum. I was stunned by all the different kinds of food and all the strange people. Here I am sitting in dazed silence.



I do lots of Chinese things, don't I? Well, I am 3/4 Chinese after all.

Before-After (9 weeks old)

I am 9 weeks old today. From what people tell me, I seem to have grown a little since I was born.

Doctor's visit (2 months)

Yesterday mommy and daddy took me to see the doctor again. She's so nice, and pretty too! I was showing off to her what I can do now. I was cooing, smiling, lifting my head up, and everything.

Pretty soon after the doctor was done, another lady came in. She had some plastic things with pointy tips. Mommy held my hand as this lady let those thingies bite me in the thigh! I cried a little, but since I'm a big boy, I let it go. Afterwards, I got some stickers to put where the thingies bit me.


I don't want to talk about what happened


Two of my stickers

By the evening, I had forgotten all about it. I took a nap for almost 6 hours. While I was sleeping, mommy went out with some friends and left daddy alone with me. I would have complained, but she was back before I woke up.

Today has been much better. No plastic insect bites. I am even starting to say my name a little bit. "O!" "O!" Daddy also claims that I said "daddy" even though that was probably an accident or gas or something. I meant to say "Daddy, give me to mommy so I can eat!"

Tonight, Auntie Leng is coming back to do more baking with mommy. She talks to me in Thai, which I love!

Where do you think you're going?

This morning, I ate breakfast and then spat up all over the place. Mommy thought my milk moustache looked funny, but you know, spit up leads to empty stomach which leads to hungry Owen which leads to crying Owen until mommy has to feed me again.


Got milk?

Then later daddy had gotten dressed, and was saying good bye to me and mommy on his way out the door. I was sitting in my chair, and I thought I would try to make him late for work. I smiled and put on my happy face, and daddy stopped in his tracks and had to play with me. He almost got a "ticket" for not moving our car when it was bathtime for the streets. I know how to manipulate him now! I can see it now. When I'm 16... "Daddy, can I have a car? [smile]"


Daddy, don't go to work! Stay and play with me!

When daddy came home, I was smiling and talking to him too. Mommy got jealous because I didn't smile or talk to her as much. But I can't smile and coo all day long! Tomorrow... "shots" and then mommy told me it's going to be girl's night out. I wonder if that includes me? I hope so.

Dos meses

Today I turned two months! I can support my weight with some help now. If mommy or daddy holds me under my armpits, I can stand for a minute or so before my legs get tired and I have to sit down.


Because I am also more alert, I am trying to reach for things. In this video, I'm trying to get my toys from my mobile, but I'm not quite coordinated enough yet to make my arm move where I want it.

I would have taken some pictures, except the festivities were pretty muted with the rain and all. Daddy said we're going to celebrate by going to my doctor's office on Wednesday. I'm going to get my "shots", which I take to mean they're something like getting your picture taken. I'll let you know how these "shots" go.

This evening, after dinner, Mommy was using the computer for something so while we waited to blog, Daddy was watching some Spanish soap operas on the TV and explaining to me what was going on. I couldn't see them because they were too far away, but I think I'm learning Spanish too!

Sunday's visitors

Today, Ah Gong and Ah Mah came by to visit again with my Aunty Cee. It's a good thing because I didn't have anything to do in the morning.


Uncle Ryan and Aunty Ying came by too. Mommy thinks her hair looks like a movie star's.

Ah Gong and Ah Mah brought some yummy Thai food that I tasted later. The som tum (papaya salad) was really spicy.


I am always happy when people come to visit... That is, as long as it doesn't get in the way of me eating!

Later Aunty Leng came by to make cupcakes with mommy. She wants to open a yummy shop in Thailand and make fancy treats. These were their first efforts. Aunty Leng's going to come back again on Thursday to work on her recipes.

Mt. Hollywood and FIDM

We went hiking again today. Mommy and daddy took me to see the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park. I thought that was silly because we can see the Hollywood sign from down the street where we live, but I guess they wanted to get some exercise.


Mommy and daddy missed a turn on the trail, so they took the long way to the top. Here's mommy looking out over Glendale.


Mommy packed us all lunch. Daddy had a turkey sandwich, mommy had a turkey sandwich, and I had a breastmilk sandwich, hold the bread, please.


The mountain we climbed is called Mt. Hollywood. The Hollywood sign is on a mountain called Mt. Lee, just next to it. And here I was, thinking I would get to see it up close...


On the trail on the way back, we saw this dome-y building that daddy called "Griffith Observatory."


After the hike, mommy took daddy and me to a store at someplace called FIDM.


At the store, famous clothes makers donate their clothes to be sold for big kids to go to the clothes-making school.


After giving me a little snack in the car, mommy went in to shop for some grownup clothes. She ended up buying several pieces of clothing and she only had to give them ten dollars! She told me in these pictures you can see dresses for when girls get married ($900 dress for $100) and big kid mannequins ($30 each). These were very popular.


Daddy and I hung out in the car since there weren't any baby or daddy clothes in the store. This is me waiting patiently for mommy to come out.

Thai book club

Like I mentioned before, Ah Mah brought me some books from Thailand. Today, mommy read me some stories from them. She was reading in Thai, and I love hearing the language! I smile every time someone talks Thai to me. Even when Daddy tries to talk Thai even though he can't really do the tonal thing.

Here's the first book I read today. It's about a fork and a spoon who learn that taking turns and being polite can protect you from the attack of a giant rat.


The "Chaotic" cutlery. See the rat in the upper left corner?

Here's another book I read today. It's about Nidnoi ("A little bit") and how she gets lost in the forest and saved by a magical flower. The Thai version of the story tells you so much more than the English one. Good thing I'm learning Thai too! Check out some of the captions from the book:


Actual translation: Nidnoi is a grateful girl who lives with her grandmother in a house by the forest.



Actual translation: Nidnoi bent down to look at the colorful small flower but it was about to die because it lacked water. "My dear flower, I'm so sorry for you!"

The flower grants Nidnoi three wishes, and she only uses one of them: to wish her sick grandma recovers. The flower heals grandma and then throws in some candy and clothes too on top of her wish.

I love my Thai books! I'll share some more with you when mommy reads them to me!

Eight weeks old

Ho hum, another day of constant snacking and wanting to be held... It was hard to get my way though today because mommy was making me a cake to celebrate 8 weeks of me. Once again, I didn't get any.

Also, I reached 11 pounds (5 kg) today. Yay!

Hanging out

I went to school again today, but mommy forgot to sign me up for more classes. I had no homework when I got home. I just got to hang out with mommy and daddy. Good luck, huh?

When we got home, daddy was playing with me, and I was in a good mood, smiling and gurgling. So mommy left us at home while she went to the diaper store by herself. I think it was the first time mommy went out without me! I guess grandma used to walk me without mommy, but I was asleep when that happened so I never noticed. Anyway, no sooner did mommy walk out the door than I started crying. Play time was over. And no mommy in sight! What were we going to do??!!

Well, daddy gave me some of his milk (I still can't figure out where he gets it from). That relaxed me for a little while until mommy came home. Lucky she didn't go far! I don't think I'm going to be ready for "baby-sitters" any time soon.

Carrying me

Because I'm getting so big, mommy's wrists are getting sore. So that she can still carry me, daddy got her these high-fashion gloves to wear. They're for "car-pal tunl" or something like that.