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!