My Best Cousin's B-day

Yesterday was my nephew's birthday. He turned 5 yrs old. I can remember when he was just born and weighed in a barely 5 lbs. It was a very happy day for everyone. My sister rented a jumper with a water slide. There was a ton of food. It was a blast and the kids loved it. The theme was "Transformers". My nephew was so happy! My little one was another story altogether. She had a fever beginning last wednesday and was still not feeling her best. Saturday looked like she was feeling better. I was even able to take her and my nephew to the park and McDonald's to play; however, in the evening, she was feeling very tired and I noticed signs of rashes on her body. Sunday morning the rashes flattened out and I began to worry because she has had a case of this before and the doctor prescribed steroids. I called her doctor and recommended over the counter medication. He warned me that it would knock her out for a little while and it did. She was out for the entire b-day party. When we got home, she slept another hour and was back to her good ole silly self. The doctor suggested that she come into his office if there were still signs of rashes. Fortunately, they were gone. I had her stay home from school to rest a little more and on Wednesday, she'll be back to school.

Playdates...Same But Better This Time Around

Yesterday, we had another opportunity for playtime for my little one and her friends (Kelly & Jackie). This time I planned ahead of time and picked up her cousin from school first and then took the both of them over. In addition, it was such a warm day that I bought water balloons for the kids to play. It was a hit! The four of them played together very well for about an hour to an hour and a half. Afterwards, they were so hungry that they ran in and ate their dinner (pizza) without a fuss. :) We stayed until 6:30 and then took my nephew and my little one home for a bath.

Playdates

It's really funny how little ones grow and mature so quickly. It was just 3 months ago that my little one was looking forward to spending time with her friends Kelly & Jackie. Kelly is 7 and Jackie is going to be 5. My little one is 4. We decided to have a playdate on Thursday because my little one would not be able to attend Kelly's b-day on Saturday. So, we went out and bought her a present and 3 little cupcakes for each of the girls. It was apparent from the beginning that their was a social / maturity gap. When my little one gave the girls a cupcake, each one said that they didn't eat sweets. Keep in mind that the older one was just finishing a Butterfinger Crisp. I'm not sure if my little one heard it but even if she did, she didn't fully understand. Later, they went out to play ball. Because my little one is a little younger and not as skilled at catching the balls, the older girls complained that she was too slow at the game and went into the house to play something else. My little one came in ready to cry. I told her that it was ok and that the girls just wanted to rest. Even the girl's mother tried to encourage the girls to go out to play but they both said that they didn't want to. My little was stubborn too. She kept nudging me to ask to have one of her friends come out to play on the swing with her. It was a no win situation. We distracted all 3 by asking them if they wanted to go out and play with the scooter. They agreed. The 2 older girls were much faster and my little one was slow. Eventually, she stopped riding because she couldn't keep up. Kelly and Jackie's mother suggested that I bring my nephew over which was a wonderful idea because my little one and nephew are really close. That was the answer to our troubles. When my little one saw him, she was so happy. They played and played very well until the end of the evening when they fought for the computer. Oh well. It's 8:45pm and time to go home anyways. My nephew fell asleep as soon as he jumped into bed and my little one was fast asleep even before we arrived home. :)

Baking Cookies!

Yesterday, my little one and I had alot of fun just bonding. We spent the day just playing and relaxing. I had an appointment in the early afternoon and asked uncle to babysit for about an hour and a half. After my appointment, I called my little one and she was so happy to hear from me. I told her that I would be back soon and she yelled "OK". As soon as I got back, I couldn't believe it. She was sound asleep on the couch. Gosh, I had just spoken to her a few minutes ago. I can't remember the last time that I was able to just fall asleep like that. After she woke up, we had dinner. Apparently, all day she was telling uncle that mommy and her would be baking cookies today. So, after dinner, she excitedly asked me about it again. I told her yes we would. I took the prepared dough out of the freezer and baked the cookies. My little one had a wonderful time putting frosting and chocolate chips on the cookies. The funny thing is that I think more of the chocolate chips ended up in her tummy than on the cookies itself. These are the cherished memories. :)

4th of July!

Yesterday was a wonderful day spent with family and cousins. The early part of the day we camped out at Torrance beach with my little one and her little one yr old cousin and his mommy and daddy. We literally camped out with a tent. The kids loved it! My little one kept insisting on zipping everyone up in the tent! With the temperature being so warm, it was not a good idea. We splashed in the water and watched a school of dolphins swim by. After about 2 hours, we headed home. That was plenty of beach time for the little ones. Time to go home and nap before the big firework show at the park.

My little one was looking forward to the firework show all day and insisted that her uncle come along too. We called him 3 times during the day and even went to his house to look for him. I told my little one that if he doesn't come home before 8pm then the 2 of us will head off. She didn't like this idea so we waited. Fortunately, on her piggyback ride home we saw uncle coming home. We called him right away and he came over. We headed out to the park and parked by the high school. The only problem with this was that my little one insisted on being carried. I piggybacked her all the way to the park. Boy, my back aches. Of course, no fault of hers. Only mommy's because I love my little one so much! My little one was fine until the show began. They had to turn off all the park lights. As soon as they did this, she wanted to go home. We convinced her to stay for another 15 minutes and then headed home. Again, piggyback to the car. As soon as we got home and cleaned up, she was fast asleep with her teddy bear. :)

She's Back!

My little one is home again so we're back to "Mommy and Me" Adventures again. Over the weekend, I asked my little one where she would like to go with mama and surprisingly, she told me Chinatown. I gave her a handful of choices. Those being the Long Beach Aqaurium, The LA Zoo and the beach. She chose Chinatown. I think she's just like me when I was younger. It's not that Chinatown is all that fun, it's the environment, the people and mainly the culture. Of course, the wonerful dim sum too! The summer is beginning to get pretty warm and I'm not sure where our next trip will be...maybe Disneyland.

The Adventures of Only Mommy!

Well, it looks like it'll only be the adventures of mommy until Thursday. However, once my little one is back, we're back on track! :)

Manhattan Beach Surfer's Paradise!

Thursday was just a beautiful day! We're so fortunate to be living in a state with such wonderful climate. As soon as we woke up, my little one wanted to go to exercise with Gung Gung. I suggested that we head out to Manhattan Beach because my father (Gung Gung) and I hadn't gone out in such a long time. Also, I knew my little one would enjoy it as well. Parking was great! We found one right away on Highland Ave. There was alot of metered parking as well. The first place that we headed to was the Pier. At the end of the pier there is a little marine aquarium called the Roundhouse that we visited. The Roundhouse is where many schools have their field trips. The trips include pollution awareness, animals up-close, and beach exploration. The Roundhouse is FREE & is great for all age groups! However, to continue to operate this educational facility donations of $2.00 per person and $4.00 per family are suggested.

After walking on the pier, my little one wanted
to go down to the shore to play in the sand & dip her little feet in the water. We were having tons of fun running and following the waves as it came in & out. The surfers were waiting for a good wave to ride on while we were digging for sandcrabs in the sand. My little one has never seen one before so it was fun trying to find one for her. I told her that they were in the sand and you could feel it tickling your feet. Well, she was fine with the idea until I actually found one. From that point on, she wanted to be carried to the water and lost the enthusiasm for play. It was interesting watching the surfers. The surf wasn't too high but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. After about 5 minutes of this, my little one wanted to head to Coffee, Tea & Leaf to get our usual drinks. Mocha Fraps! Yum Yum!

But first, we had to climb up those steps that you see before you! It wouldn't have been so difficult if I wasn't carrying a 25lb backpack with a stroller in hand (note: I was carrying it) and a big bucket of sand toys. I almost had to carry my little one too but I convinced her that mama had no more hands left.

Well, these wonderful steps lead us to Gung Gung who saved the day. He met us half way down and helped us carry everything up. From there, we walked past a variety of restaurants ranging from pizza places to fine dining. Trendy restaurants, ice cream shops, bakeries, and coffee shop hangouts are everywhere. We stopped at Coffee, Tea and Leaf for an enjoyable cup of Mocha Frap with whipped cream! Even Gung Gung enjoyed his!

Reaching Another Level of Maturity

Well, my little one has reached another milestone. She had an annual appointment with her pediatrician today. While sitting in the room waiting for her doctor to arrive, she asked me if she was going to get a shot today. I told her that I wasn't sure. So when her doctor came in, he told me that she will be needing another chickenpox shot. I told my little one this and she seemed to be fine especially since she knew that a treat would follow...a lollipop. When the nurse came in to administer it, my little one sat still without moving and before we knew it, it was done. Eversince she turned 4, she suddenly matured. She told the nurse that she's 4 and a big girl now and asked if she was going to get a cute bandaid. Unfortunately, the nurse ran out of the character bandaids and gave her a plain one. After much tugging, we went and she picked out a red lollipop. She wanted to eat it right away but I told her after school. She didn't much like the idea but gave in because it was a no win situation with mommy. :)

Happy Father's & Grandpa's Day!

I grew up visiting Chinatown every weekend to buy Chinese groceries with my parents. Fortunatly, my little one has come to love these outings as well. There's a restaurant in L.A. where they serve Hong Kong style waffles. This is a favorite of my little one. For Father's / Grandpa's Day, we came here. Although the menu is varied consisting of rice, noodle and porridge dishes, she only has eyes for the waffles. I think it's because she likes to tear them apart like a puzzle. Afterwards, we went to 168 Supermarket to buy groceries. We must've been there for hours. Usually, I'll take my little one out to the carousel and let her ride a few times. With the weather being so warm & hot, we have to take a few breaks and go back into the supermarket to take advantage of the air conditioning. It's so refreshing! After a couple of hours here, we headed back home. On the way back, while grandma drove, grandpa, little one & myself fell fast asleep. :)

Splashing Away

Thursday was a warm day. I took my little one out to Irvine Spectrum and we played in the water area for about 1 1/2 hrs. She loved it! The water shoots out of the ground and the little toddlers attempt to catch the water as it comes up. It's so cute. My little one will just stand there over the spout and wait for the water to come up and wet her hair. After this happens, she comes running back to me giggling and does it again. Oops, here she comes...

My Real Birthday!

Yesterday was my little one's actual birthday. She went to school and I picked her up at 12:30pm to take her to have lunch with her daddy. We lunched at Buca's in Huntington Beach and ate just a little or maybe alot too much. Her daddy gave her a new outfit and a pair of roller skates. Since my little one is somewhat reserved, it took her some time to reach a level of comfort with the skates. Once she reached that level, she wanted to roll everywhere...that is within the artificial turf at the mall. After an hour or so of playing, we headed back home to her cousin's house for more cake and ice cream because it was also her grandma's b-day a few days before.

Little One's B-day

I haven't had an opportunity to post the last week or so because life... as usual... is very busy. Last weekend was my little one's b-day party. Typically, we would invite all the relatives and friends; however, this year was different. At my daughter's request, we only invited the immediate family...Gung Gung, Pau Pau, Auntie, Uncle, Jason and Auntie Mable & her 2 little girls...Kelly and Jackie. We went to Adventure City in Buena Park & it was great fun for the little ones. We had a little birthday party with a "princess' b-day cake, pizza, punch & lemonade. There weren't a whole lot of rides but enough for Jason and the girls. Half the day was spent there and they still didn't want to go home. Finally, all the adults were tired so we convined them to head back home to open presents.

First Time Kayaking

This morning I got up early to meet my friends out in Belmont Shores. My intention was to just do my training, which I did...an hour of brisk walking... and then spend about an hour with them and then head on home to study. However, it didn't work out that way. Through my friend Gary, I met 2 new friends. They all came out to Kayak and had 4 kayaks. With some nudging and encouragement, I went along and kayaked for 2 hours. It was lots of fun. We kayaked to the end of the Marina and saw alot of jellyfish. I never knew jellyfish to be so beautiful. I had the opportunity to touch one of them. Yes, it was slimy and very thick....kind of like squid. After this, we kayaked back and had lunch. I was ready to go home to sleep. I said my goodbyes and told my new friends that we would keep in touch and do this again soon.

2nd Day of Training

Today was another good day. I dropped my daughter at school and hit the gym for my 2nd day of training. My sister told me yesterday that Disneyland was holding a half marathon this year in Sept. I thought about it and thought "You know what? With a little/alot of determination, I can do it". Thirteen miles. That's not too bad; however, you would have to keep a pace of 15 minutes per mile. This was doable. I went to the gym and jumped on the treadmill thinking...gee, that's a piece of cake. Well, apparently, not the case. I was brisk walking so fast that I almost walked off the treadmill and it still wasn't a 15 minute mile. I'm going to try again. I may have to do a slow jog to make the time. I'm looking forward to getting back into shape...slowly, but surely. :)

First Day of Training

Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to get together with some former co-workers. It was great because we all had our babies within a few weeks apart. Not only that...we all had the same interests. It was made known to me this weekend that one of the moms is training for the Long Beach Half Marathon in October 2007. I haven't seriously excercised in .... let me see... how old is my daughter? :) I think it's been at least 3 years. Well, once she told me, I decided that I was going to begin training. I ran the Huntington Beach Half Marathon before my baby. It was an accomplishment for me. One of my main goals is to eventually do a marathon. I figured .. why not .. it's probably better to do it now rather than wait until I'm older. So, ...

It was wonderful today. I was able to get myself up early as well as my daughter and exercise. Today was the first day but I was able to brisk walk for 45 minutes with my daughter in a stroller. Now, to work on my diet to maintain a good energy level. Will have to do some research.

Din Din Time...Almost

It's been another long day for me. A job interview, buisness, drive to south O.C. and back to South Bay, playtime and dinner...almost. It's late but my little one wants to go outside and play with her friends. Of course, she's had a very long ride in the car and needs to stretch out a little. I don't blame her. Even I get a bit stiff from sitting in traffic for a few hours every other day. She had alot of fun with the neighborhood kids riding their bikes back & forth. She's just a bit frustrated because they're all riding bicycles and she's riding her tricycle and can't catch up. :) It's dinner time but of course, playtime is more important in her eyes. Who cares about food when you can play. When she gets tired and her metabolism is working overtime and her tummy is calling for food, then she'll come looking for mama. Half an hour later, sure enough, my little princess comes calling for mama. We go inside the warm comforts of home and have a wonderful dinner together.