From Diego to the Bay

Without a doubt, I am spoiled. I had such a wonderful first Christmas with so many of my family members! Mom and Dad were worried that I was going to be a beast for the long 6 hour car ride from San Diego to Los Banos so they decided to start the drive at night when I would normally go to bed. Overall, I did pretty good and slept most of the way. I think I would have been really cranky if we had driven during the day.

I arrived at my kapuna and Vovo's house abour 2 am on Wednesday morning. I had lots of fun visiting. I love when Vovo sings to me. Too bad mommy's singing is so ugly! I spent my first Christmas Eve with lots of family. I was a trooper and was still in a good mood even though I didn't really nap so well the whole time I was gone from my house.




I wasn't sure if I was allowed to rip stuff open so I had to look at Dad and make sure I wasn't going to get into trouble.



Checking out my cool new boots!



Me and my great-grandma, Tutu




This sparkly light up thing on Grandpa Keith's neck was SOO rad!



My Vovo, Me, and Mommy




I was thinking of this funny joke when I took this picture with Dad, Mom, Vovo, and kapuna.

I got lots of nice things....clothes, gift cards, and a really cool stand and learn musical table. I loved pushing all the buttons while holding myself up and playing by myself! Christmas morning, I was off to visit Mema's side of the family in Discovery Bay, another 1 hr 15 minute car ride.


Here I am with aunts and cousins and mema and mommy



The bows were so pretty!



Especially when they were on my head!



I was certainly a good sport about it!

After dinner in Discovery Bay, we drove to San Jose to Mema and Grandpa Rai's house. I was pretty exhausted but managed to stay up to open MORE presents including ANOTHER music table (grandparents were thinking alike on this one!), and lots of hip clothes. I will definitely be the best dressed Hummingbird at school! I finally went to sleep, in another new house so unfortunately my bad sleeping continued. =(



The baby Santa hat that Grandpa Rai got was so small for my big head. His fit me better. Poor drooly me with a runny nose. =(



Mema didn't get the memo that there was something really cool up there that she was supposed to look at!

Late Saturday night, we were headed home to San Diego. I slept the whole way home. I woke up once we got home and got really excited when I saw that I was home in my own room again. As if three Christmases weren't enough, I finally had #4 at home. Being 2009, we used my favorite Skype technology so Popo, Gong gong, and my Lui uncles could see me open my presents. More toys. More clothes. I am sooooo spoiled!




Now I get to spend the rest of the week chillin' at home with mommy. I am so glad I get to sleep in and miss school this week, especially because my first tooth has started coming in and it has been bothering me. =( I'll have mommy take a picture once you can see it! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

My Visit with Santa

Well, this was the best photo we could get. I didn't really feel like smiling for this strange man. So, yes, I am aware that my dress is up (tacky!) and I'm not looking at the camera at all (duh!), but at least I don't look scared and very serious like all the other shots. I asked Santa for a laptop, a Blackberry, and some toys. I fink I've been a good giwl.....

New Pictures!

My mommy and daddy's friends, Marlana and Edmond, came over on Saturday to take some family photos. Check out some of their AMAZING photos. I wasn't feeling very good but I tried my best to take pretty pictures! I must say, even I think I'm pretty darn cute!!

http://www.nemaphotography.net/blog/

Ugh sick

Even though I feel terrible, I wanted to send out a quick update on my health. I started getting a little cold over the weekend but I felt miserable at night and couldn't sleep. Daddy stayed home with me today and took me to the doctor. I have a small ear infection in my left ear and an upper respiratory infection. I have to start that yucky pink medicine again for the next 10 days. The doctor said my bottom teeth will probably pop through in the next few weeks as well. Poor me, I just feel so stinky! I'm still contagious so mama will stay home with me tomorrow. Hopefully I can go back to school on Wednesday.

Emma the Food Critic

Here are my ratings of the menu items I have tried from the Lui kitchen:

Prunes: 5 stars
Butternut squash: 5 stars
Peas: 4 1/2 stars
Apples: 4 stars
Green Beans: 1 star (maybe 2 stars after my second attempt)
Zucchini: 3 stars (maybe only 1 star after my second try)
Carrots: 4 stars
Sweet Potatoes: 4 stars
Pears: 4 1/2 stars
Banana: 1 star off of a spoon, 4 stars when chilled and served in my mesh teether/feeder

I have also started entertaining myself with rice puffs while mama feeds me. I can only get 1 out of 10 actually into my mouth, but I refuse to give up. Mom just gives me small pieces when I get pissed off that I missed my mouth again!

Oh Happy Day!

Life is good. I have been sleeping really well at night again after a two month period of major sleep regression (e.g., up 1-3 times a night and very unroutine sleep patterns since my cold). I think it was starting to drive mom crazy so I've been sleeping from 7:30 pm until at least 5 the next morning and then back to sleep until up for school at 6:45. Mama and Daddy have been very busy with work but Mama said that I help keep her from going insane sometimes. I think that's a good thing. I really try my best to make my parents proud of me!

Thanksgiving

It is weird to think that last year, I was still in mommy's tummy and only the size of an avocado. This year, I weighed almost as much as our turkey did! I had a really great day and loved watching my mommy make Thanksgiving food. I heard mommy complaining a lot that she was having a hard time cooking since she couldn't taste any of the food since mostly all the side dishes had milk or butter. She tried eating some yummy breadsticks from Pat and Oscar's the day before, and while the butter they were covered in tasted DELICIOUS, it did not do wonders for my tummy for the next three days. =( Unfortunately my tummy still cannot tolerate any dairy. Mama has been able to start eating bread again, which has been very exciting for her. Anyways, back to my point....I got very tired by the time it was dinner, so I took a nap while everyone ate and woke up shortly after to have my first tastes of ham (no turkey cuz mama used butter.) Mama's dinner consisted of ham, cranberry sauce, and a baked sweet potato. I know that nursing me has been very hard, but I'm really glad mommy hasn't given up.

I had a lot of guests for my first Thanksgiving: Mema, Grandpa Rai, my Lui uncles: Jon, Kenny, and Vincent, Kenny's girlfriend Alice, and family friends: Quan, Kennon, Sheri, and Kennie. I was very sad that my Kapuna, Vovo, Uncle Mike, and Uncle Gary couldn't make it down since kapuna's stupid job made him work. My GongGong and PoPo were on a trip so I didn't get to see them in person either. Fortunately for technology, I was able to Skype with my grandparents. It was nice to spend part of the day with them still, even though they couldn't be here. They were missed very much! I really hope that by Thanksgiving next year I can have a piece of custard pie!!!!

Me and My Mommy

I went to my future BFF's (Mahalia) 1st birthday party last weekend. It sure was a lot of fun. Mahalia's mommy just posted some pictures from the party. Mommy LOVES this pic of the two of us, especially since she hardly has any photos with me. It's official....I definitely do NOT have mommy's nose. =)

6 Month Stats

I had my 6 month checkup yesterday morning. They made me get naked to go on the scale. HOW embarrassing! All embarrassment aside, I now weigh a whopping 16 lbs 4 oz, almost 10 lbs more than when I was born. I have also stretched a lot and am now 26 1/2 inches long. Wowzers. Mom said she can't believe I am getting so big now. My doctor, Dr. Upton, is usually pretty busy and I really like to see Jennifer, the nurse practitioner, so I waited patiently in the room for her to come see me. Well, kind of patiently. I sat on the table and tore up all the paper while I waited.



Jennifer was very proud of how well I can sit up now. I told her all about the new foods that I am eating......pears, apples, squash, sweet potato, and carrots. I HATE green beans so Mommy promised she won't give them to me for awhile. Jennifer also told mom that my bottom gums were really swollen, so that's probably why I haven't been too interested in eating solid foods the past few days. She said I will probably have some teeth popping through soon. I had to get three stupid shots this time, but I was very brave and barely cried.

I am so very excited for my first Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am going to keep begging so hopefully mom will give in and let me have that turkey leg! Nom nom nom nom......

Spaghetti and Meatballs for Halloween

Okay, friends, I'm super behind on blogging, so here's the quick update on my first Halloween. Mommy dressed me up as spaghetti and meatballs. She ate lots and lots of meatballs when I was in her tummy so she thought it would be an appropriate costume for me. Mommy made a matching costume for herself. We went to a Halloween playgroup at my friend Kayla's house. I had lots of fun and can't wait for next year!!



The cutest meatball ever. The balls on her hat were downsized after I realized she looked like Genghis Khan.




Yep, I'm THAT mom now....I make costumes AND I match my kid! =)




Emma had enough of the hat.





Enough with the WHOLE costume already! Emma wishes she was as big as Kayla! =)




All partied out. Passed out in the car before we were even off of Kayla's street.



Even though Emma had a long day, Mommy insisted on a photo with my little pumpkin! Happy Halloween! =)

I'm Still Alive and 6 months old now!

Mommy and I have been soooo busy lately, so sorry I am behind on my blog. Mommy promised that I will have time to update it this weekend and share with you all of the exciting things that have happened in the past month!

Newest Member of the Big Head Club

Oh yeah, I forgot to update you guys on my head issue. I went last week for an ultrasound since my head circumference had increased so much (from 50th to 90th percentile in two months). The exam looked exactly the same as when they looked at me in mommy's tummy, including putting that yucky jelly stuff on my head! Did not do wonders for my gorgeous hair do! I had to lay still for 6 or 7 minutes while they rubbed that mini-wand thing all over my soft spot. Mom was trying to entertain and distract me. I made sure to yell in protest a few times and then I got distracted by the pretty pink sleeve of my ultrasound tech. =) My doctor's office called later that night to tell me everything looked fine and nothing came up to concern them. Yep, basically just means I have a big ol head, which just means more room for my big brain! =)

Butt Kicking Cold

Well, since my trip to the pumpkin patch, my health has still not been the best. Mommy ended up taking me back to the doctor Thursday after the trip to urgent care because my cough was still really bad and I couldn't sleep at all. Since I was already on antibiotics and am too little for much else, they told mommy she would just have to bear with sleepless nights for a little bit longer. Poor mommy! =(

My daddy left for Chicago that same day for business. I tried my best to sleep good for Mommy, but it was really hard. I was happy and in a good mood, but still had a nasty runny nose and silly cough. On Saturday, I had a playdate with my friend Mahalia. I'm really jealous that she knows how to walk. I decided that I wanted to start drinking out of a sippy cup after watching her do it. Piece of cake! She even let me ride her like a pony! That was fun! Later that night, my kapuna and vovo drove down to San Diego to visit. I was SOOOO happy to see them (and mommy was too!). I was much bigger than the last time they saw me, especially my kapuna who hadn't seen me for 4 whole months. I was extra lucky that I didn't have to go to school on Monday and Tuesday so I could spend time with my grandparents. It was the best ever playing hookey!

I went back to school on Wednesday since kapuna and vovo had to go back home. Ms. Pilar gave me lots of kisses because she had missed me a lot. I had a great day at school and was glad to see my friends again. When mommy went to take me to school on Thursday morning, my left eye was pretty swollen and all goopy. It looked like I had been in a fight. Mommy couldn't take me to school so I got to go to work with her for a few hours. The doctor was able to prescribe antibiotic eyedrops over the phone. Pink eye in both eyes. Yuck. Daddy came home Thursday night and since I hadn't been on the eyedrops for 24 hours yet, I got to stay home again on Friday with Daddy.

On Saturday, I drove up to Orange County to see my Gong Gong and Po Po before they leave for their long cruise. Mom and Dad went out for most of the day. I was a really good girl. My runny nose finally seems to have gone away and my eyes are better. I just have to keep tolerating those stupid drops for a few more days to make sure the infection is all gone. Now my poor Mommy is really sick. Yesterday I knew she was home but I didn't get to see her unless I was going to eat. I hung out with Daddy so Mommy could rest. I tried to be extra good and have gone back to sleeping through the night after 6 long weeks of getting up 3-4 times a night! This morning, Mommy still wasn't feeling good, so Daddy drove me to school so Mommy could rest at home. Even though this cold/flu has been kicking butt in the Lui house, you would have never guessed I was sick because I still acted pretty happy.



Ignore my non-matching outfit and just focus on my cute little face! =)




I am so glad my daddy is home! Stay tuned for upcoming photos of me in my first Halloween costume!

Pumpkin Patch and Urgent Care

Me, Mommy, and Daddy went to the pumpkin patch today at Victoria's Garden in Lakeside, where my mom used to work. I had a lot of fun looking at everything, but I didn't have a lot of smile in me today. We found out later on in the evening, after mommy and daddy took me to urgent care, that I have an upper respiratory infection, an ear infection, and a double eye infection. I have had a runny nose for the past three weeks, but I've been more stuffy the past couple of days. Then my stupid eye started watering, and then the watering turned into having nasty yellow crap coming out of it. I had a fever of 101.4 once I was at urgent care. The doctor gave me some antibiotics, which should knock out both my eye and ear issues. I took some Tylenol and finally fell asleep to the sound of my humidifier while smelling the Vicks vapors from the bottom of my feet! I hope I will feel better in the morning. Here are some pictures from my first trip to get a little pumpkin!

A bit serious here....

Not interested in looking at the camera

I was drooling on a big pumpkin. I asked mom to put up this picture so you can see that I have a tiny bit of hair on top!

Chillin' in the pumpkin wagon

"Yep, this is the one I want!"

Me and Daddy

Nope, still wasn't smiling.....actually kind of pissed to be a sheep!

4 Month Highlights

Mommy is going to do this post since I am too tired from my cold and my shots....

I can't believe September has already come and gone. I must say, being a working mom is more of a challenge than I could have ever imagined! I have yet to find a routine and a good balance in my life. It has gotten easier to drop Emma off at daycare but between 1:30 and 4:30 when my students leave and I get to pick her up, I get incredibly anxious to get to see her. The hardest part was missing one of Emma's "firsts". Ms. Pilar informed me that Emma had started rolling over from her back to her tummy. Well, Emma did not display this new trick for mommy and daddy for several more days. But boy is she rolling all over now! I am so proud of her and she is so proud of herself for doing it!

Another first during this month was that Emma attended her first birthday party for her girlfriend, Kayla, who turned one. Emma had lots of fun at the party and was sad that she wasn't allowed to eat any cake!

Ms. Piggy also started eating rice cereal in a highchair like a big girl. I was going to hold off until her four month appointment (which actually wasn't scheduled until she was 4 1/2 months old) but Emma's lip smacking and attempts to grab my plate at dinner indicated to me that she just might be ready for some cereal. She had NO problem eating it! No ugly faces. No spitting any back out. My lil' meatball acted like she had been eating from a spoon her whole life! Due to all of her funky food allergies, we will probably hold off on veggies and fruits for another month or so to give her digestive system more time to mature.

Emma got her first cold, starting with a runny nose last Monday. Since my time off from work is very limited, I wasn't sure if I should keep her home or not. I decided to take a half day off. She seemed okay, but her runny nose persisted through the week. Well, by Tuesday, her poor little cold had progressed and she couldn't breathe well at all. Poor baby couldn't nurse unless I was sitting in some funky pose that allowed her to be upright to eat. She wasn't running a fever, but she was pretty miserable. We put a humidifier in her room. put Baby Vicks on the bottom of her feet (Thanks for the suggestion Auntie Andrea!), and put a pillow under her mattress to help elevate her head. She had a restless night so daddy stayed home with her on Wednesday, I stayed home with her on Thursday, and her Mema came for a visit and stayed home with her on Friday. She slept A LOT on those three days, which helped start getting rid of that nasty cold. :(

On Friday, Emma had her four month checkup. I wasn't sure if she would be able to get her shots because of her cold. However, she checked out okay. No fever, no ear infections and her lungs were clear. Just a cold virus. Ms. Piggy now weighs 14.1 pounds and is 25 1/4 inches long. This puts her in the 60th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height! It's hard to believe that when I was pregnant, I was sent for an additional ultrasound because I was so small and Emma measured in the 35th percentile at one time! Her head also shot up in size to the 90th percentile. Due to this huge change (everything was at the 50th percentile at her 2 month appointment), the doctor wanted to have Emma's head checked to make sure everything was okay. This is due to her head size increase and due to the prominence of her soft spot. I'm not really concerned and neither is the doctor, but they are sending her in for an ultrasound just to make sure. Fortunately since she is so young and her soft spot is still open, they can do an ultrasound and don't have to do a CT scan (like her friends Mahalia and Ian) where they have to sedate the baby. Hopefully everything checks out okay, but as of right now, I'm not too worried.

I thought some fresh air would do Emma some good, so we went to the beach in Coronado today. Emma LOVES putting her feet in the sand and the water still. She checked out the Hotel del Coronado, but I sadly informed her that she wasn't allowed to get married there because mommy and daddy wouldn't be able to afford it. =) I forgot my camera at work this weekend so I will upload some new pictures next week sometime. Hopefully I will have more energy to update her blog more frequently. Emma typically only gets up once during the night for about 15 minutes to eat but getting up everyday at 4:30 to give me enough time to pump, get ready, get the baby ready, get her to daycare, and get to work by 8 is very tiring. My hopes are that a more normal routine will fall into place sometime soon. My days are long and I am constantly on the go from 4:30 until Emma is fast asleep by 8:30.

We all hope everyone is doing well! XOXOXO

100 Day Celebration and Hummingbirds

I have been so busy the past few weeks that I haven't had anytime to update my fans! Last Saturday was my 100 day celebration in LA. Around 100 people came to my party and I was able to meet sooo many people for the first time. I could tell my mom was nervous that so many people were holding me, but I made her feel better by making sure I didn't cry...not even a peep! Even though I hated the car ride, I enjoyed my special dinner even though I couldn't eat most of it (meaning mommy couldn't have most of the food because it was made with stuff that would hurt my tummy!). It was a very long day for me but I was a super good girl!

On Monday, my mommy had to go back to work. Mema came down to stay for a week so it would help mama not cry so much. I stayed at home on Monday and Tuesday with Mema. I was a really good girl. Mom SMOTHERED me with millions of kisses as soon as she got home! I sure did miss her so I decided to get up lots of times in the middle of the night so I could visit with her. I don't think mommy was a big fan of getting up so early because sometimes her eyes weren't even open when she was feeding me in my rocking chair!

Wednesday was a very big day for me. I started my first day of school at St. Paul's Community Center. I heard mama saying that she felt like she was going to throw up but she didn't. I am in the Hummingbird classroom and boy is there A LOT of stuff to look at. My "teacher" is Miss Pilar and she promised my mommy she would take good care of me. Mama said she will put up pictures soon of my first day. I only cried a little bit but it was because I was tired. I only took a 20 minute nap between 7:30 and 11:00. Mema came to get me early so mama would relax a little bit more at work! Yesterday I had the same school schedule but I didn't cry at all. My daily report that goes home to mommy said I refused to sleep so I decided to squeeze in a 25 minute nap so it didn't look like I was being a brat. Today I was so happy to get to sleep in until 8:30 since my mommy doesn't have to work again until Tuesday. I don't really like getting up at 6:30.....it's toooooo early! =p Mema leaves tomorrow so I will have to go to school ALL DAY on Tuesday. I know that will be extra hard for mommy so I am going to try to be a superstar and prove to her how amazing I am!! Tomorrow I get to go to my first wedding in Pasadena so that should be exciting! For now, I think I need to go take a nap......

Lui Day

My Lui family came to see me today. Fortunately my tummy was feeling better from yesterday. Mama kept asking me to tell her what upset my tummy because she didn't eat anything that I'm not supposed to have, but I couldn't tell her. I just know it was a very barfy day and I had trouble sleeping. =(

I showed off my new tricks to PoPo and Gonggong, except I didn't show them my rolling over trick! That's right, yesterday while doing tummy time (which I don't really like very much, but the sooner I lift up onto my arms, the sooner mom lets me be finished!) I lifted my head and legs so far up that I was able to roll over from my tummy to my back. I was soooo proud of my accomplishment. Yay.

Showing off how I like to try to walk to my Uncle Vincent. Gonggong took lots of pictures and Popo stayed by to make sure I didn't fall down!

I finally hold my head up well enough that Uncle Jon will hold me!

Now Mommy just needs a picture of me with Uncle Kenny!

Down by the bay....

"where the watermelons grow. I dare not go. For if I do, my mama would say-a-a. Have you ever seen a llama eating his pajamas, down by the ba-a-a-a-y!" (It's a Raffi song, for those of you not cool enough to know!)

Sorry for getting sidetracked. Mama sings me that song a lot. =)

Since Mama and I only have a couple more weeks of being together all day, we went on some fun outings the past couple of days. Being in the house all day is so BORING! Yesterday we drove up to Mt. Soledad. It was a bit chilly so I had to wrap a blanket around me, but it was really pretty to see all of my city. Today Mama and I went down to the beach to watch people and then we walked around the bay for awhile. It was a really nice day, even though there were some really fat people on the beach that scared me.

I liked laying on the grass by the bay and watching the sailboats.

Here I am minus my "Asian tourist" hat.

But I got bored of laying down. Mom tried really hard to get a photo of me sitting up, but it was tricky!

What a fun day today!

Four Generations

Hey everybody! I just had the best weekend with my Vovo and my Tutu! My Vovo talked to me alot and sang me pretty songs. I started talking and giggling a lot. Mama said I was super cute. Here's a picture of all of us...four generations of strong, beautiful ladies. That's my Tutu in the back. For those of you that didn't know, my middle name, Kalai, is after my Tutu. I feel so lucky that I had a chance to meet her. She just turned 81 a few weeks ago. There's a better picture of the four of us on my Vovo's camera, where I'm actually smiling, but mommy wanted me to put this picture up anyways. I even have my Tutu's dimples. =)

I had an upset tummy on Saturday cuz mama gave me dirty milk (in the form of eating a bun on a hamburger). I threw up a lot, but felt much better the next morning. I went out to lunch with the ladies and my daddy on Sunday and then last night, my mommy and daddy went out to have Ethiopian food. I'm glad that didn't bother my tummy! I was a very very good girl while they were gone.

Mama said she is SOOOO proud of me because yesterday morning I slept until 5:30 and went back to sleep until 10 and today I slept until 5 and slept again until 8. I love when she tells me what a big girl I am. I like to make my parents proud of me. =)

I am so happy that my family likes to come see me so much. I was really on my best behavior, so I hope they come back to see me soon! I hope I have something cool and new to show them when they come see me next, like rolling over or sitting up by myself! =)

Finally Updated Photos

Phew, uploading pictures sure is a lot of work! Daddy, Mommy, and I finally borrowed Dad's work laptop and uploaded all of the photos for June and July. Check out my photo website for the updates! www.emmakalai.shutterfly.com

Happy Friday!

I hope all my fans have a beautiful weekend!!! XOXOXO

Visitors from Chicago and a day with Grandparents

I hope you guys haven't missed me too much because I have kicked mommy off my blog and I am BACK! Those darn shots sure made me feel pretty yucky for a few days. Due to feeling yucky, last week was pretty boring. Mommy apparently didn't want to take me out of the house because I was being a "fussy butt" as she says. On Saturday, I went on my first car ride up to Orange County. The car kept making me fall asleep but don't worry, I woke up plenty of times to make sure I didn't miss anything along the way. I love to just see everything! I finally got to meet my Uncle Danny and Aunt Brooke on Saturday. They came all the way from Chicago to see me! Wowee, I am special. =) Then mom and dad dropped me off with Popo and Gonggong. Mom said she was leaving me forever and never coming back. She was smiling when she said that so I hoped that she was joking. Just to be sure, I made sure to stay awake from 3 pm until midnight when her and daddy got back from dinner in LA with Danny, Brooke, Dave, and Hilary. I was good for Popo and Gonggong and showed them what a good eater I was by eating four bottles while mom and dad were gone!

On Sunday, my Uncle Mario and Aunt Sandra drove down from Santa Ana to have a BBQ. I LOVE looking at my uncle Mario. He is my Peruvian Prince. =) I feel so lucky to have so many people in my life that love me. Uncle Danny and Aunt Brooke brought me a really cool Led Zepplin shirt and some new books. I can't wait until I'm big enough to wear my new shirt. I should be getting bigger soon. I have been SOOO hungry the past few days that I HAVE to eat all of the time. Otherwise I feel like I am dying so I cry to make sure mom doesn't forget to feed me. She always remembers. =)

The past few nights I have been sleeping in my own room in my crib. It's pretty comfy. Although I miss being right next to my parents, I like show them what a big girl I can be. It's pretty cool sleeping like a big girl. My kitty cat sleeps on the floor by my bed, so I know that I am safe. I am also getting stronger and holding my head up better and sitting up when mom and dad hold my hands. Now that I am 10 weeks old, I DO NOT like to be treated like a baby. If you ever come over to hold me, don't hold me in the cradle position like a baby cuz I will cry to let you know that I want to be upright. Got it dude?

Candid thoughts on motherhood....

Emma is still recovering from her vaccinations, so I was granted permission to do today's entry. Since we haven't done much the past few days while Emma has been running a fever, or throwing up, or battling diarrhea, or sleeping restlessly, I decided to do a very personal entry on my thoughts on being a mom. Friends of mine with children have always been very candid with me as to how they feel on any given day. More and more I understand what those days are like. I somehow feel more "bonded" to other mothers now. It's weird. Anyways, here is how things have been for ME for the past 9 1/2 weeks.... (thoughts and comments do not represent Larry's thoughts. Maybe I can get him to do an entry =).)

1. Flat out, I LOVE being a mom. I look at Emma and am SO filled with happiness. I spend a bagillion hours a day with her, but I never get tired of looking at her. She is just amazing.

2. Emma is a pretty great baby, most of the time. Until I figured out the issues with the foods in my diet, Emma had some pretty crazy tummy issues. I didn't realize how fussy that made her until I see how calm she can be now. Poor baby just couldn't tell me what it was upsetting her. So this whole experience has made me feel a TON of emotions.

Good mom because......breastfeeding is the "BEST" thing for your baby

Bad mom because.........something that I am personally eating is upsetting my poor child

Good mom because......I worked SO hard to figure out the whole diet thing and she is better!

Bad mom because.........I sometimes feel so pissed about all of the things I can't eat.

Good mom because......I have persevered through this whole complicated job of being Emma's provider of food.

Bad mom because.........I think about giving up breastfeeding on a daily basis

Yeah, no one really explained to me how challenging breast feeding can really be. Fortunately Emma takes bottles from daddy every night now, so I have a break from having to feed her ALL the time. I sometimes feel that formula would be so much easier.

3) I tear up every time I think about having to take Emma to daycare in September. I feel so blessed to experience every moment with her right now and am very sad that will be changing soon.

4) As much as I love being home with Emma right now, I could not do this forever. Some days I

miss adult human interaction. Don't get me wrong, Emma's cool and all, but it's still pretty lonely sometimes. We've had tons of visitors and I try to go out as much as possible which has been a lifesaver. Larry takes her a lot just to give me a break. It's nice to be able to leave her with him so I can go out by myself for a few hours. I NEED time away from her sometimes. That kind of makes me feel bad. Plus I really miss working. My kids really do mean the world to me.

5) I have gotten pretty frustrated with Emma at times. I've had to be that mom that puts the baby down and walks away for a minute. I am to the point where I am okay to have to hear her cry sometimes. Unfortunately on days like today where I am going on Migraine Day 3, her crying has made my head want to explode and I feel like my patience are really wearing thin.

6) I've definitely had those thoughts on hard days of, "What the heck have I done? My life was so much easier before." And then Emma smiles at me and I remember why I have her. =)

7) Being a wife and a mom is hard. While I have tried to keep a balance, being a mom sure occupies most of me right now. Emma is my first priority and being her mom exhausts me. Staying bonded with Larry is so important because we both agree that we need to maintain a strong marriage to be better parents to Emma. He has been slammed with work and I've been so tired, it's become less frequent that we even eat together at the same time because our dinner time is when Emma refuses to sleep or be set down. I would say 6 until 9ish is her "fussy" time. Sometimes that time of day can be a big pain in the ass. Back to my original point, Larry is an awesome dad. He is great with the baby and helps out with her tremendously. Seeing him as a dad has made me even more proud to be his wife. I can't believe that this October will mark our 10 year anniversary...5 years married. *smile*

8) I don't miss sleep as much as I thought I would. But since Emma has been sleeping longer stretches at night, I am sleeping a bit more now these days. Too bad Emma grunts through the ENTIRE night sometimes, which does not make any stretch of sleep too restful. Trying to get her on more of a schedule now so my life can have SOME predictability.

9) While pregnancy was very kind to my body, I hate how everything fits me right now. Its not so much that I mind carrying around 10 extra pounds, but more that I just hate that everything I own is too tight due to my now wider hips and milk-filled bosom.

10) I can't wait to see what her future holds and to watch Emma grow up. I never long for the day that she is older or doing something more advanced because I want to appreciate each moment. They really do go by quickly.

Ouchie!

*posted by Mommy because I don't feel good today* =(

Emma had her two month checkup today. She now weighs 10 lbs 3 oz and is 22 inches long! I can't believe how much she has grown! She is just under the 50th percentile for weight, height, and head size. When we had to do an extra ultrasound when she was in my tummy, she measured in the 35th percentile so she is catching up. She was a very good girl at the office. I, on the other hand, was very anxious about the whole shot business. I couldn't look when the nurse poked her little legs. Emma barely cried, which was very surprising to me! Larry and I were so proud of her. I have honestly heard her cry much louder and longer when she wants food! She fell asleep in the car on the way home but has had trouble sleeping most of the day. She's been running a low grade fever and my poor baby just isn't feeling her best. I gave her some Tylenol so hopefully that helps her feel better. I am not a big fan of my angel feeling yucky. =( She is sleeping peacefully with Daddy right now, so hopefully a good nap will help her get back to her old self in no time!

More visitors...

I feel so special that people like to come visit me. My uncle Gary came to see me on Friday and stayed for the weekend. Yesterday I was a little bit cranky because my mommy gave me yucky milk. I know she loves me a lot and is being so careful with what she eats. I saw her pick all the shredded cheese off her taco, but I think there must have been a few small pieces she couldn't get and it made my tummy hurt yesterday. =( I am feeling much better today and mom and dad said I was a perfect angel today.

Oh yeah, my mom wanted me to tell you that the computer memory is full right now so she can't get all my cute pictures from the camera to the computer but she will do that soon and upload the new ones to my website. Her and daddy sang to me yesterday....some weird happy birthday song. Apparently I am two months old now! Woo hoo. Mommy has been talking to dad all day that she is sad about taking me to the doctor tomorrow for shots. I hope I can be really brave so my mommy doesn't cry too much!

Beach Bum

My Auntie Andrea and cousin Dominic came and visited me this week from Sacramento. We had a lot of fun! I went to the beach with them and my mommy for the first time on Tuesday. I LOVE the beach. Mom held me while I put my feet in the water and I started digging my toes in the sand. She thought I wouldn't like it cuz the water was a little cold. Geez, she must have forgotten that I am part Hawaiian! =) I hope we get to go again and bring daddy next time!

I love summer!

Hello there to all of my fans! My mommy told me that I got to be in charge of my blog now and I am soooo excited to get to share all of my adventures with you! I have had a very fun and busy week with my mom. My tummy is starting to feel so much better so it makes it more fun to go outside and explore my neighborhood. I've been hanging out in my Sleepy Wrap a lot. It is so much more comfy to go shopping next to my mom instead of being in my dumb carseat stuck in a shopping cart. I especially like Target! Last time I went, though, I got really tired and fell asleep in the diaper area. I was really trying to stay awake until the toy aisle to see if I could use my cuteness so mommy would buy me a new toy. ;)

Wednesday night was really fun cuz I got to hang out with just me and Daddy. Mom went to go have dinner at Hillary's house so I showed dad how I could eat like a big girl and downed two bottles before mommy got home. Then I slept like a big girl from 8:30 until 1 in the morning.

Yesterday, I went and visited my neighbors across the street. They are so very nice. I went to visit mom's friend Khalielah and got to hang out with my girlfriend Mahailia. She can crawl and I was really jealous, so I tried to show off what I could do by pushing my legs against everything to show that I could jump! That made me really tired so I fell asleep and was at home making chili for dinner with mom when I woke up. I cried for a long time when mommy couldn't hold me. =(

It's been a busy week so I think I'm just going to relax at home today. I told mommy I'd help her clean the house. We have the coolest purple Dyson vacuum so I hope I get to help with that! It might make me fall asleep, though, like it usually does.....

New Author

Emma talked to me this week and told me that she would like to start giving input for her blog posts. So, since we all know who the boss is in the Lui household now, I figured I better listen to her. She will be the new author unless she gives me permission to add my two cents. =)

Letter from Emma

Dear Tummy,

You are being a real pain in the ass and starting to frustrate my mommy! Its bad enough that you don't like dairy or soy, but now you have to hate wheat too!? Do you know how much cheese and ice cream I got to eat for the last 9 months? You are being so lame. I would also appreciate it if you stopped making so many bubbles. I heard my mommy laughing at me cuz I fart too much. I'm just a little baby and you are being a big bully. Please start being nice or my daddy will getcha! =p

Emma

What a week!

The past week in the Lui household has been rather eventful. Last Saturday, we picked Mema up from the airport so she could visit with Emma for the week. Shortly after arriving at our house, Larry began prepping dinner for the following night. I was in the living room feeding Emma and began seeing orange reflecting off of our stainless steel refrigerator and the smoke detectors began going off. Long story short, when Larry went to put oil in the pot, the oil caught fire and began shooting off 2 foot flames. He took tongs to lift the pot off the stove and carry it outside. Finding it hot, he set the pot down on the kitchen rugs, melting those. He finally got the pot out front and the fire was out. Emma and I had to evacuate the house because it was really filled with smoke. She was pissed....she had to stop in the middle of eating and now she was out front in just her diaper screaming bloody murder. Larry came outside, which is when I noticed how bright flaming red his left arm was. I insisted that he go get it checked. He persisted at being stubborn for a bit. When his upper bicep looked purplish to me, I made my mom drive him to the emergency room. In the meantime, our elderly neighbor across the street came to check on us. Nice way for him to meet Emma while she was satanic in the front yard. =) Larry returned three hours later with a nice burn on his left arm, a sore right arm from a tetanus shot, and more pain pills than I received for giving birth! Thank goodness my mom was here. Otherwise I may have panicked on how to get Larry to the ER. Emma had been exceptionally fussy all day so I could not imagine sitting in the ER with her for hours!

Emma experienced her 6 week growth spurt for a few days. She returned to an "I MUST eat every 90 minutes!" schedule, which was a bit challenging for me to keep up with. We went to a breast feeding group on Monday and Emma weighed a whopping 9 pounds already! She is growing so dang fast!!!! We continued through the week, with me struggling with my dairy/soy free diet. The limited food selection succeeded in making me pretty grumpy. =p

Larry and I went on our second date since the baby on Tuesday night. We had planned on going to the French restaurant that we attempted to go to when Vovo was here, but decided there was probably a plethora of butter/cream in the food which would not make our daughter happy. We ended up going to a Japanese barbecue place instead. Some of the meat dishes had soy sauce on it. Reluctantly, but starving, I still ate a few pieces. We went and saw "Up" after dinner, which was SUCH a great movie! I can't wait to start taking Emma to the movies!

Mema reported that Emma was a perfect angel. She plowed through two bottles like a champ. I regretted my decision to eat the meat with soy sauce shortly after feeding Emma. She got really sick...constant puking, very congested with lots of mucous, gas, cramped belly. Oh, the poor thing cried and cried. It finally passed and she slept peacefully, but not without a few tears from mommy. =(

Wednesday night was the first REALLY hard night with Emma. She woke up from a nap at 2 in the afternoon and at 11 that night, she still hadn't slept yet. She was screaming. Nothing seemed to soothe her and she screamed and cried unlike I had ever heard her before. I took her temperature and she didn't have a fever. I put a call into her doctor and my mind went over and over anything I might have eaten that could be upsetting her. Nothing even seemed to work to soothe her poor belly. =( Finally, I woke Larry up around 1 and he was able to get her to sleep. The on call person who pages the doctor gave him my phone number wrong, so he didn't call back until 7 in the morning and was very apologetic. I have to very carefully diary everything I eat throughout the day. He thinks Emma was just having alot of gas pains and recommended that I get some Mylicon to give her after eating. Started using it yesterday and it seemed to help her a lot. She farts like an old man now, but I'd rather her do that then let the bubbles build in her tummy. My poor poor baby. I don't know how I am going to handle it when she is sick for the first time. =(

So to end this post, I would like to give special recognition to the inventors of Sleepy Wrap. Ever since I have started "wearing" Emma, both of our lives have improved. She is so peaceful and sleeps like an angel. I am able to get so much done, so I feel less like a sloth. I would highly recommend it to anyone!! www.sleepywrap.com

Best purchase ever!

5 Weeks Old

My oh my the weeks are just flying by. Little miss thang is growing like a weed. I ended up getting plagued with Larry's cold, which was not so very pleasant. It was very hard to take care of Emma while I felt so bad, but fortunately Larry came home early the first day so that I could get some sleep. I was feeling much better by the next day.

Last Wednesday, Emma went on her first trip to the park. My old school, Lemon Crest, was having their end of the year picnic so Emma and I made a trip out there so we could get a little fresh air and sunshine. Perhaps this was more for me since I had not been out of PJ's in days. We had a nice time. Emma got hungry before we left so I had my first experience feeding her in the car. This worked out okay until we went to leave and my car wouldn't start. Long story short, my friend Mark and a tow truck driver came to rescue me and jump start my car. Wouldn't be an outing without a little drama.

On Thursday, Emma had her first real restaurant outing. We went to The Yardhouse in downtown San Diego with Khalielah, Jeremy, Mahalia, and Samantha. Emma was a little angel and only awoke to eat. I gave her a bottle because I was not quite ready to breastfeed completely in public. Maybe next time. It was great to see everyone. Unfortunately by this day, I was beginning to suspect that Emma may have a milk protein allergy based on her nasty green poops, spitting up, gas, and fussiness. So no cheese for mama. =p

On Friday, Emma had a big surprise and her kapuna drove down to visit her. =) We started off the day at our breastfeeding group, where Ms. Porky weighed 8 lb 6 oz. already. I am glad that she is gaining weight despite her poop issues. The lactation consultant advised me to cut all dairy out of my diet and see if things got better over the next two weeks. She also warned me that soy could be an additional culprit so to consume with caution. Emma had a wonderful time hanging out with her grandpa. She loves to just sit and stare at him. She gave him a genuine mischievous smile when he told her that he was going to teach her how to be bad to mommy and daddy. =) It was super duper cute. Grandpa left early Saturday morning and that evening, I went to dinner to celebrate Natasha's 30th birthday and left Emma at home with Daddy. She was a good girl and ready to eat again by the time I got home.

On Sunday, the Lui clan drove down to San Diego for dinner to celebrate Emma's one month birthday. We also celebrated Larry's first Father's Day. It was great to have all of the family together. Emma truly is blessed to have so many people in her life that love and adore her.

Emma, aka Gremlin Child, appears to be hitting her 6 week growth spurt a bit early. She has been eating like I starve her all day and been a bit more restless during the day. Yesterday, she refused to sleep at all. She woke up around 9:30 and did not go down for a nap until 5:30 in the evening. She was a whiny brat for most of the day! She only slept briefly when I put her in the baby sling so I could get some groceries. It is amazing how many things contain milk and soy, so needless to say, I am not a huge fan of my diet right now. Emma has been spitting up much less and seems much less fussy when eating, so I am hoping dairy or soy is the issue and I don't have to further investigate by cutting MORE items out of my diet. Eggs would be next, followed by nuts, and so on. Pthhhh.

Well, I finally had the chance to catch up now that the princess is sleeping. She has not been a big fan of sleeping in her crib, or her swing, or her pack and play. She's really been needing extra holding and sleeping with Mommy. Or should I say "on Mommy". It makes my sleep a bit less sound, but I know it won't be much longer that she will let me cuddle with her so I let her have her way every once in awhile. =)

Stupid DC!

Emma and I had a great visit with Vovo. Emma was a very good girl and impressed her grandma with her good behavior. =) It was great to have extra hands to help around the house. I really don't know how anyone could ever be a single parent. Being a mommy is so much work! The extra help ensured that I ate meals when I was supposed to, actually took a shower every day, and had hands to hold the baby while I did all of these things. Emma has finally passed her 3 week growth spurt, but her new favorite thing is to be held all of the time. She's been a bit more grumpy when someone is not holding her, but I have also have learned that sometimes I just have to hear her cry. She is producing real tears now, though, so that makes it a bit tougher.

We were both very excited for Larry to return from Washington DC last night. I had a really long day with the baby and was pretty exhausted by the time he came home. Well, he came home with a cold so my long awaited relief was sequestered to the spare bedroom and isn't allowed to pick up the baby until he is a bit better. It made for a very long night, but I hope he will recover quickly so I can get a few hours of sleep. Mama Lui is running on empty!

Bye Daddy! =(

Yesterday Emma's Vovo arrived in San Diego to help me take care of the baby while Larry is away on a business trip. She will be here until Saturday to help me keep my sanity. Last night she was very eager to babysit Emma so Larry and I went out for a lil' dinner date. The restaurant we initially chose to go to ended up being closed for a private event (go figure!) so we ended up at a sushi restaurant, which after 9 months of deprivation did not bother me at all. =) Dinner was fabulous and it was nice to spend some time alone with Larry. The report from Vovo was that Emma was a perfect angel the entire time we were gone. Not even a little peep. She's started taking a bottle of pumped milk once a day so I can have some slight relief from feeding her. She has not problem going from bottle to boob, so again, my child is wonderful. =)

Larry left at 4 this morning for Washington DC and will not return until late Saturday night. He was very sad to leave his princess, but we plan on using Skype so he can still see her. She seems to be smiling more now with intent and she is tracking all over with her eyes now. She is changing so much every day...I just love it! I really want to take advantage of all the time I get with her now before she gets too big and doesn't want mommy to hold her and smooch her adorable face. Now that laundry is going (P.s. had to do an emergency load after Emma had a projectile spray of poop all over mommy's clothes when I was changing her diaper last night. Ew, there was literally shit on my face....so gross!) I'm going to go take a shower. Hopefully there wasn't poop in my hair all night too.

Comments

I think I fixed the comment feature so it should be working now! =)

Emma and Mommy

Click here to view these pictures larger

Picture Website

I uploaded all of Emma's pictures to a shutterfly website. I think this will be the easiest way to keep up with all of her photos. The website is

http://emmakalai.shutterfly.com

Enjoy her cuteness! ;)

Meeting Her Fans

While I am waiting for the bagillion pictures to upload to shutterfly for me to post up here, I figured I had a few free moments to post before the munchkin wakes up for breakfast. Emma and I went to her two week doctor's appointment on Thursday. I started getting her ready with PLENTY of time to get there by 10:15, but of course, she had to poop and barf right as I put her in the car seat. At least I was only 5 minutes late. =p Everything went well at her appointment. She weighed a whopping 7 lbs, 1 oz! Her jaundice is all cleared up and the doctor was pleased with how well she was doing. She was very alert during the whole appointment and did not make a peep even when she had to lie naked on the table. =) Such a good girl. Next appointment is in 6 weeks for her shots. Oh no.....

On Friday, Emma and I went to Children's Workshop (the school I work at.) The kids were putting on a Spring concert and even though the doctor suggested that I avoided crowded places until she is 6 weeks old, we went anyways. I just didn't let anyone hold her this time around. I was so excited to see my boys and they were all very sweet to the baby. I received many comments about how much she looked like me. I didn't believe this until my dad sent a baby picture of me. It looked just like Emma. Same bad hair line and everything! I'll post that too when I get a chance.

Emma has had lots of visitors since we have been home. I feel so lucky to have so many amazing people in our lives. Everyone has been eager to meet her and fortunately Emma has behaved while company was here. =) She has now met all of her grandparents and uncles.... Kapuna Kane and Vovo, PoPo and GongGong, Mema and Grandpa Rai, and Uncles Michael, Gary, Jon, Kenny, and Vincent. She sure has a big family! Since Larry and I both only have brothers, Emma is blessed with 5 uncles! This means that all of my dear female friends get to be her "aunties". She has met.......Hilary, Dave, Andreas, Tina, Billy, Dallas, Khoan, Hillary, Alicia, Laura, Megan, Sara, Tristen, Tifani, Liz, Natasha, Khalielah and her future playmate Mahalia, Monica and Miles, and Kelly. This afternoon Dave and Hilary are coming down to see her again and Emma will get to meet Tio Mario and Tia Sandra for the first time today. She is such a lucky girl!

Well, the princess is beginning to stir. I will post all of her photos as soon as they are finished uploading!

Two Weeks Old

Time is flying by and as of today, Emma is 2 weeks and 3 days old already. It is amazing to see her change each day. Every day is an amazing new experience and I am enjoying being a mom more than I could have ever imagined. It helps to have a relatively calm and peaceful baby, but trust me, she is not perfect all of the time. =) Larry is a natural at being a dad and I never imagined that I could love him more than I did, but that love just grew to a whole new level after the arrival of our daughter. Clearly I see his eyes every time she stares at me. =) I can't believe she is ours!!

Our first few weeks at home have gone very well. Since newborns don't do much more than eat, sleep, and poop, I love when Emma stays awake and absorbs the world around her. She loves doing tummy time and will scoot across the blanket when I put my hands by her feet and rotate her head from one side to the other. She thinks she is so big and tries to hold her head up when I burp her over my knee. Sometimes she resists taking a nap and gets a bit cranky when that happens, but overall, I could not ask for a better baby!

Larry had to go back to work on Monday. Thankfully, I am off until August 31st so Emma and I will really get to spend some quality time together before I go back to work. =) After our first few days home together, I decided that I could easily get used to hanging out with my girl all day. =) Yesterday we ventured out to Target. Emma was wide awake, quiet as a mouse, just looking around at everything. I realize now that it will take me an extra 30 minutes to get places after loading up all of her crap. Plus, right now, I'm still moving a little slow so things take longer than usual. I wanted to do a practice outing since tomorrow I have to take Emma to the doctor for her two week checkup. She was slightly jaundiced at birth so they will check to make sure that is clearing up, as well as weigh her. By two weeks, she should be back up to her birth weight (she was born at 6 lb 10 oz and was 6 lb 4 oz when we left the hospital.) The way this piggy eats, I have no doubts that she has not only returned to her birth weight but surpassed it as well!

Emma has quickly learned that mommy is her traveling milk truck and daddy is the guy that plays with her. She likes to stay awake and play with daddy and becomes eager to eat when I am around. This child likes to eat like her parents. =) Breastfeeding has gone better than I expected, although I must admit that I wanted to quit at first cuz it is not so very comfy to get used to! =p The things my poor body is enduring for my baby! The only downfall is that since I am her sole food supply, I have to feed her every 2-4 hours. During the day she eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and at night she has been sleeping for 4 hour blocks. I'm getting some sleep so it's not so bad. =) Last night she even slept in her crib all night like such a big girl!

Someone is awake and ready to eat........

New Website

Since Baby Lui has arrived and my life is a whirlwind and I can't remember one day from the next, I decided to move Emma's blog over and save babyluiiscoming for whenever Baby #2 comes into our lives. (Yes, this means I will allow siblings for Emma once she is older!) I doubt I will be a cool enough mom to actually keep a baby book, so the website is the best way for me to document all of the changes going on and keep Emma's numerous fans updated on her growth!

XOXO

Maile