An annual get together

On Sunday, we tried to get Austin back on his normal meal and nap schedule. It worked out and he had his meals at the normal times and he fell asleep right away for his nap. He's been pretty worn out all weekend and taking long naps. He slept a little over three hours.

I, meanwhile, spent the whole day in the kitchen. After my Thanksgiving break, it was time for me to work in the kitchen again. I was cooking for eight straight hours, only taking breaks to get Austin when he woke up and have breakfast and lunch with him. I knocked out an appetizer, a main dish, a side, a dessert and something to give away. It was tiring, but felt good to finish everything. :)

After Austin woke up, we packed up and headed to Dawn and Gary's house in Covina for our annual holiday get-together with them, Jamie, Janice and the Barretts. We had planned to get there much earlier, but arrived just in time for dinner. We all had a great time hanging out and chatting. Austin enjoyed running around their house and playing with their Rock Band drum set and guitar. Coincidentally, he was wearing his "Rock Star in Training" shirt.

Evie, Austin and Katie

Austin playing the drums and singing the ABCs

Just before we left, Willis and Austin were running around playing as I packed up our stuff. They had a collision so Austin was crying as we left. He said his thank you's and goodbyes but was very sad and tired. He fell asleep on the way home and I easily slipped him into his pajamas and into bed. He had a rough night, not sure what was bothering him, but he woke up twice in the middle of the night. I can usually pat his back and say something soothing and he falls right back to sleep, but tonight he cried and was pretty much inconsolable until I asked him if he wanted to get up. I carried him for a little while both times he got up and I thought it was weird that he didn't put his fingers in his mouth, but his eyes closed and he looked exhausted. Willis asked him if his teeth hurt, then if his feet hurt, both "yes" so still unsure. I gave him teething tablets the first time and asked him if it was better and he said, "yes." When I asked him if he wanted to lie down again, he said, "yes," very sadly and laid down again. Hopefully he was able to get enough sleep. He cried again in the morning but calmed down on his own.

The big game

Saturday was the day of the big game, USC vs. UCLA. We left home around 3pm and the freeway was fairly empty for a game day. We got to our usual parking structure and were surprised to find the gate open but no attendants. We were relieved to find parking since the only spots left were on the roof and it filled up about 10 minutes after we parked. Campus was as crowded as usual with tailgaters and people walking around. We met up with some friends, had some dinner at the Marketplace then headed to the Coliseum. What a game! It was so exciting and fun to watch it in person! The final score: USC 28 - UCLA 7. (The pic to the left is us posing with the wrapped up and protected Tommy Trojan statue. This is how the statue looks during the USC vs. UCLA game every year. It was well protected and guarded and did not meet the same fate as the Bruin bear did this year)

Socks off.. all by a self

Austin is really good at taking his own socks off now. He loves taking them off. Yesterday morning I heard him talking in his crib so I went to get him. He saw me and said, "Mama!" I said, "Good morning Austin." And he said "I take a socks off!" And the were each in a ball in his crib

When we're at home, he keeps taking them off and leaving them on the floor somewhere. Just before I put him down for a nap yesterday, I asked him if he wanted socks. He said, "yes." So, I put socks on him. I checked on him and by the time he was asleep, his socks were off and he had put them on the changing table next to his bed. Tonight, I peeked in on him while he was sleeping and his socks are again off.

He's also getting pretty good at putting on his own pants now. He looks for the tag and can put his legs in then stands up to pull his pants up. He says, "I put a pants on... all by a self!" I just watch to make sure he gets the tag in the back and one leg on each side. He figured out how to take his pants off all by himself many months ago, but doesn't do that by himself much. Shirts are a little harder, he hasn't taken them off by himself yet, but he occasionally tries to put them on by himself. He also tries to put on his own socks and shoes. Shoes he can sometimes do, but putting on shirts and socks by himself will take a little more practice.

Side note: When I take his shirt off to change clothes now he says, "I'm cold."

Black Friday

I started black Friday shopping a little early since the Old Navy by my house was open on Thanksgiving day. It was so nice, I left the boys at home and wandered the fairly empty store for two hours. Just about everything was on sale! I knocked off half of my Christmas there.

Willis also started black Friday shopping a little early too by shopping online on Thursday. On Friday, he woke up really early and went shopping with Ryan and Eve. He found some awesome unbelievable deals at the stores he went to!

My sister and I did a some black Friday shopping at Target. We got there around 11am but found good parking and the lines weren't very long. We walked around the store for almost three hours. I mainly walked the toy aisles, shopping for gifts. This helped occupy Austin, who sat in the shopping cart the whole time without complaining. I was so impressed by his patience with us. I just let him play with toys along the way and replaced them when he got bored.

In the cars and trucks aisle, Austin pointed at a small yellow big rig truck with matching car and wanted to see it. I let him hold it and pulled a different colored one down telling him this other one was for a gift for someone else and he replied (as he was holding the yellow one), "..And dis one fo' Autin." (He occasionally says, "I'na open it" when looking at packages, but he doesn't usually say stuff is for him) Out of all the toys he played with at the store, that was the only thing he said that about (even other toys he really seemed to like), so I knew he really wanted it. It's so cute to see him pick out what he likes.

After lunch, my sister and I left Austin at home with Willis so he could nap and decided to brave Del Amo Mall for a little more shopping. We didn't stay long, that mall was crazy and overcrowded! A few stores and a few gifts later we headed home. I'm so happy with my very successful shopping weekend. :)

What song is it?

Austin keeps singing the song I referred to in the "Baby Bumblebee" post. I still don't know what song it is, but here are his words and hand motions.

He pounds his fists together, one on top of the other, and says, "down a hole, down a hole." He then puts his hands up into an arch and says, "a rainbow, a rainbow." Then, he makes a big motion like he's throwing something across his body and says, "and chrow 'em 'way."

Thanksgiving Day

We spent the afternoon at Willis' Mom's place for Thanksgiving lunch. Willis took care of all of our food contributions, he made ham and stuffing and picked up some cakes. It was a nice and relaxing change for me, I just took care of getting Austin and myself ready.

Willis' brother and Ling brought potatoes and pumpkin pie and Willis' Mom made Ox tail soup. Everything was delicious! Austin got to see the tail end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and pointed out the Spiderman and Hello Kitty balloons. He also really enjoyed watching tv from his chair while eating.


After lunch everyone was looking at the Thanksgiving ads that were spread across the floor and a cartoon with a dragon was on tv. Austin was a little afraid of it and stayed near me, but he was intrigued at the same time. He kept telling me, "No mama, no mama, no mama.. Iss a draagon!"

By the time we left for home it was around 3:50pm. Austin was so worn out, he fussed for his cloth and doggy a couple of minutes after getting on the road. I said, "they're right there next to you." He pulled up the cloth and was knocked out within a minute.

Happy Thanksgiving!

According to this card that Austin made at day care, he is thankful for Thanksgiving. (His teacher asked, and that's what he said.) When I saw the card on Sunday, I asked him again what he is thankful for. He thought for a while and his answer was again, "Sanksgiving!" (The photo in the card was taken earlier this year at Easter time, he is decorating his Easter basket)

I am thankful for many things this year. Most of all, my loving family, a caring, supportive husband, a happy, healthy child, my health, a nice place to live, food on the table and great friends. I am looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend and maybe getting in a little black Friday shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Baby Bumblebee

I love when Austin sings a song with hand motions. Just a moment ago, he was sitting on the floor next to me singing a song. It's not a song that I know, but the hand motions were cute. (I didn't have my camera nearby, but I'm sure he'll sing that song again)

He has moved on and is now singing "Baby Bumblebee."
I missed the first couple of minutes, but here's what he's singing right now:

I lick it up a bumble bee
I kick an a bumble bee
Uh all dirty
I lick it up bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so oh me
Squish a bumble bee


Here are a few verses of the song, a version I found on the internet:

I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee
Won't my Mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee -
OUCH!! It stung me!!

I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,
EW!! What a mess!!

I'm licking up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
I'm licking up the baby bumblebee,
ICK!! I feel sick!!

Wedding shower weekend

I headed up to Northern California this weekend for Gia and Matt's wedding shower. Friday was my 9/80 day off so I took Austin to day care in the morning. I let him sleep in as long as I could so we ended up getting there a little late, but the kids were still eating breakfast. Austin sat in an empty seat and his teacher brought over a bowl of cereal and a cup of milk. I finally got to see my big boy eating a meal at the table with his classmates. I snapped some pictures of Austin at the table, got my hugs and kisses from him, said my good-byes and went home to finish packing.

The Southwest lines move pretty quickly and it's not a bad airline for such a quick one hour flight. I thought it was really cool that Southwest called me on my cell phone just before my flight boarded to let me know that there was a last minute gate change.

When I arrived in San Jose, Matt picked me up from the airport. The air was crisp and cool and rainy, but it wasn't too bad. We hung out a while at their house, went grocery shopping, picked up Gia from the train station, did more grocery shopping and had dinner at a delicious Korean BBQ restaurant. When we got back to their house, I started on my desserts for their shower. I made Magnolia's Chocolate Cake cupcakes that night and Carrot Cake cupcakes the next morning (The couple's favorite cakes, according to Gia). I ended up sleeping in (I guess I was pretty tired) and had to rush to finish baking and frosting the cakes before the shower.

Gia's family arrived from LA while I was finishing up the cakes, then we all headed to Matt's parents' house in Saratoga for the shower. There was tons of delicious food - sandwiches, pizzas, salad, cookies and pies from their favorite eateries. I had such a great time at the shower, getting to see the other bridesmaids, hanging out and meeting everyone. I relaxed with the families after the shower and watched the Cal vs. Stanford football game until dinner then I tagged along when Matt's parents took Gia's family out to dinner as an honorary family member for the weekend. We had delicious Chinese food and it was nice getting to chat with Gia's sisters.

On Sunday, Gia and Matt took Gia's family and me to the California Science Academy Museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It was really cool - a Rainforest, Aquarium, Planetarium and History Museum in one. We got to see an albino alligator and I know Austin likes alligators so I got him a little rubber albino alligator that I found in the gift shop. A big thank you to Gia and Matt for hosting me all weekend and allowing me to be included in all of their family activities. I enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know their families. It was such a fun weekend, but I was anxious to get back home to my two boys.

Willis picked me up from the airport on the way home from his basketball game and when we got home, I peeked in the front door to surprise Austin. He had a look of shock on his face when he first saw me then he ran to me with a big smile. (Big, big thank you to Joy for watching Austin during Willis' basketball game!! We really appreciated it, especially since her two boys were at home sick. I hope they both feel better soon).

Some updates

(Correction: the L's usually sound like Y's, only occasionally like W's. We repeated the sequence below when I asked him again. I guess my memory wasn't so good when I first posted.)

Austin's L's come out like Y's. Trying to see if he could say the "L" sound:
Me: Can you say Lion?
A: Yion
Me: Can you say La?
A: Ya
Me: La, La, La
A: Ya, Ya, Ya

If I'm busy doing something, like cleaning or folding laundry, Austin comes over and asks, "Wha-da-doin' Mama?"

He still says, "I'na eat lunch," instead of "dinner," when he's hungry in the evening.

He likes to say his whole name. "Ma name a Autin Chang!"

If he hears the Happy Birthday song or sees a birthday cake, he says, "Happy birthday Autin" or sings it. He occasionally sings, "Happy Birthday Mama."

He's started asking us to play with him. I help him take out or set up some toys and he says, "Pway with me, Mama. Pway with me." It is just too cute to resist!

He sings songs that he learns at school but haven't sung at home before, e.g. "Do your Ears Hang Low."

He continues to love the "Train Song." I didn't have the cd in the car on the way home yesterday so I played another CD. He didn't care for the first song (Itsy Bitsy Spider) so half way through he said, "more song" then "change a song." After each song, he said, "spider song," but said "no" when I asked, "You want to listen to the spider song?" When the next song started and I asked, "Do you want to listen to this song?" he said, "yes."

He likes to say, "Mama-Daddy-Autin." (or some arrangement of us three)

If I'm scolding him or telling him to do something, I say, "Okay Austin?" afterward to see if he heard me and he always repeats, "Okay Mama." (even if he's still crying)

He still says "no" a lot. He is starting to say "mine" more frequently. I was trying to fix his hair, he brushed my hand away and said, "no mine hair!" I try to play with or clean up his trains and he says, "no mine train!" I give him his plate and fork and he says, "mine plate, mine fork."

He tries new foods, if he likes it, he says, "I like a try it." If he doesn't like it he says, "I don't try it." Sometimes he wants me to try something, he holds it up to my mouth and says, "Try It!"

Quote of the day

Austin just ran into the office and said,

"Ma name a Autin Chang"

He repeated it a few times before I understood him. Once I said, "Ohhh. Yes, your name is Austin Chang!" He was satisfied and then left the room to play with his toys.

More Train Song, peese

Austin requested the "Train Song" as soon as I started the car once again today. And he said "more Train Song, peese" every time the song ended. This confirmed that it takes us 3 1/2 "Train Songs" to get home from day care. A bonus, just like yesterday, is getting to see the Metro Rail Train pass on the bridge on the way home.

And, he not only knows how to lock the car with my remote, he has figured out how to unlock the doors with the remote and open the trunk too.

Fussy evening

Austin was super fussy tonight. We got into the car and he didn't want to give me my car keys. I can usually separate the car keys and he is happy with the house keys, but not tonight. I told him I couldn't drive home without the keys and he cried but handed them over. He requested the "Train Song" (Music Nick's "Train Song") as soon as we got on the road. Each time the song ended, Austin asked for "more Train Song, peese." We listened to it over and over, our drive home takes us 3 1/2 "Train Songs."

He only ate a little bit for dinner and was fussy so he was sent him to his room. I was making a casserole and Willis left for basketball while Austin was in his room. When I finally finished making my casserole, I stuck it in the oven then found him fast asleep in his room on the floor.

After peeking in on him a few times, his eyes were finally open after about an hour. I asked him if he wanted to come out, he said "yes" but was clingy. He didn't want to eat or drink milk at first. I ate my mac & cheese casserole and I guess I made it look good enough so he eventually said "yes" to a bite. He loved it! He said, "I like a mac & cheese!" He ate a whole bowl and finished most of his milk. He was in a much better mood after that.

I'm sure he was tired and needed that nap, but I wonder if he's also teething again. He still needs that second set of molars and the skin below his mouth has been red and irritated by drool lately.

What I'm Thankful For...

Austin's latest homework project was to create a poster showing what he's thankful for. I asked him about a few things, "Are you thankful for (fill in the blank)." And he said "yes" to everything (except, strangely, he said "no" about trains for the first couple of times). Willis picked out pictures and put it together and I put in my two cents. I think he did a really nice job. :)

Quote of the day

A variation to the quote from the other day.

"I need five dollars... for lunch. I'ma wash a hands."

As he pretend washes his hands under the strings of a pom pom.

Mama!

Yesterday, I picked up Austin about half an hour earlier than usual. All of the kids were sitting on the floor facing the teacher, except for one kid standing up in the middle of the crowd. It was Austin. I'm not sure what they were doing, but he was standing with legos in both hands. He spotted me, dropped the legos and ran to me at the gate saying, "Mama... Mama!" (One of my favorite sounds) He was full of energy, maybe he was excited that I was early. He walked around the empty part of the room as I gathered his things then we walked out to the car together.

When we got outside, it was getting dark, but the light was shining on us. Austin stopped and said, "Iss bright! Iss bright!" He then reached his arms toward the sky and said, "Can't reach a sky, can't reach a sky." He held my hand as we walked through the parking lot and we got to watch the trash truck pick up the day care's trash from inside our car. He loved that! :)

Quote of the day

"Five dollars. I need five dollars"

(He has said this randomly before, but I'm still not sure where he got this from)

Quotes of the day

Austin has already repeated this to me five times since we got home:

"I'na be Spiderman!"

And as Willis was cooking dinner Austin went up to him at the stove and said,

"What you cookin' Daddy?"

Austin's BFF

On our way home from day care, I ask Austin about his day. Most of his answers involve his friend Lucca.

Me: What did you do today?
A: Lucca
Me: Did you play with Lucca?
A: Yes
Me: What did you play with?
A: (Various answers)

Me: (One day, his teacher told me about the day's activity where they ate
vegetables and he loved the broccoli) Did you eat vegetables today?
A: Yes
Me: What's your favorite vegetable?
A: Lucca

Me: (Noticing scrapes on his knees) Did you fall down today?
A: Yes
Me: How did you fall down?
A: Lucca
Me: Did Lucca push you?
A: Yes
Me: What did you say to her?
A: I do'n li' dat

Last night we were on the phone with my Mom and as Austin was talking to her, he said, "I wanna play with Lucca."

But, today was a little different. Lucca's Mom was picking her up at the same time I was picking Austin up.

Me: Say bye to Lucca
A: No
Me: Is Lucca your friend?
A: No

(He's been going through this phase where he only says "hi" or "bye" to people if they're not looking at him or if he's not looking at them. Otherwise, he turns his head away and says "no.")

Me: (Later in the car, after Austin pointed out what he called a "giant castle," aka a pretty office building with sparkling lights) What did you do today?
A: Yisa
Me: What?
A: Yisa
Me: Did you play with Ms. Lisa?
A: Yes
Me: What did you play with?
A: Auntie
Me: Auntie?
A: Auntie Ayison, Unka Dafe, Heyo Kitty
Me: Oh, okay
A: Mo' song (my cue to turn the music back on)

Quote of the day

"Hey, Mama!... Wha-da-doin'?"

Quote of the Day

As Austin was cleaning up the crayons he had just poured onto the table and floor, he said (to no one in particular),

"Hey, you! Iss clean up time."

And he is also counting the crayons as he is picking them up, "One, two, tree, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten... eleven, twelve, tirteen, fifteen, fourteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, tweeenty!" :)

Welcome Baby Ayumi!

Akemi is now officially a big sister! Baby Ayumi Fu was born on Thursday morning. I guess she couldn't wait to meet her family so she decided to make her entrance a few weeks early. Willis and I were so excited, we went to visit them at the hospital last night. Kids aren't allowed in the hospital anymore so Austin spent a fun evening with Uncle Bob at my Mom's house (It was last minute so we're so grateful that Bob was able to watch Austin). It was so great to see the new parents, 2nd time around. Ayumi is so cute and tiny and I wanted to carry her all night! Congratulations Karen and Jonathan!

Here's Austin saying "hi" to Baby Ayumi and Akemi.

(At the end I was trying to tell him to say "it's Austin" but he didn't hear the "it's" part so he just said "Austin." Hee hee. As you can see, he was very busy.)