Holidays 2010

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Sierra Daycare 2010

A collection of photos captured by Sierra's daycare throughout the year...

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Sierra's day off from school

The daycare was closed today due to Staff Development Day. So I got a taste of being a SAHM with Sierra and Aria (Grandma was also home to help out - mainly by watching/holding Aria at times).

Sierra was such a busy bee at home!

Afterwards, we went to the Splash Park, drove downtown to have lunch with Daddy, played some more at home, and Sierra took a 3 hour nap (finally at ~4pm!). During all this, Aria fed a lot and slept a lot (preferably in someone's arms or in the carseat).

Mommy's tired!

Everyone likes the swing...

Yeah, yeah, I know. Sierra is topless. She didn't want to put her shirt on after her bath. Climbed into Aria's (formerly Sierra's) swing, and insisted that I put on Sesame Street for her.

A week later, I capture Aria chillin' on the swing as well.

Blowing a Kiss

Sierra learned this over the past couple of weeks

The things I'll do for a Cheeto...

You know how people like to show off their dog's talents by torturing them with a treat in front of their face as they run through their panoply of tricks?

Check out our Sierra doing the same!

She'll do anything for a Cheeto (in this case), chocolate, candy, french fries, or any other type of junk food you can think of. Oh, and fruit, too. Here's a tidbit of a few of her "tricks".

This was actually the first video we took... she was too excited to speak coherently.

Go, go, go!

This is one of Sierra's favorite toys which she received as a birthday gift from the Borgs (not the ones from Star Trek :P). It converts between a push toy and a ride toy. However, Sierra always wants to push it. If I switch it to ride position, she'll sit on it for a bit, but doesn't really move anywhere. She'd rather get on her knees and push it.

These days, she likes to push her dolls on it.

She recently went through a growth spurt, and I saw her straddling it in push position this week. No converting needed anymore!

Regression?

Sierra used the Soothie pacifiers on occasion in her first few months. But then she found her thumb at 3 months and there was no turning back!... Well, until she saw us give Aria a pacifier the other day (Aria is not a fan, hope she discovers her thumb more quickly!). Sierra very strongly insisted on having one, too!

So tired, she's delirious!

We dragged Sierra to a late dinner (~8pm) at a local chinese restaurant... Super tired kids can make for entertaining videos.

But I love her laugh in these videos...

"Hi Aria!"

Sierra amazed us when she showed us she could say "Aria" just a day or so after the baby came home. However, I could never capture it on video! Finally, got a clip...

Sisterly Smooches

Yokidoo is fun!

Playing in the bath with her Yokidoo toy

Yogurt and cereal sure taste good

Sierra can feed herself with a spoon much better these days.

And if she likes it, she'll nod (as seen here) or sometimes reply with "taste good"

But eating breakfast is very serious business...

Kissing baby

Sierra likes to point out facial features, too.

Aria - 2 days old, Sierra - 19 months

"Hi Baby!"

Sierra really wanted to see and say Hi to the baby on the way home. She got a little camera shy when I whipped it out, but I finally caught it at the end.

Bgl2 has a name!

Introducing...

Aria Jiayi Liu

Born July 11, 2010 at 2:51pm

5 lbs 12 ozs

18 inches

*****

I haven't blogged about the pregnancy much since I didn't want to *jinx* it at the time. The first one, albeit with it's share of complications (low-lying placenta that moved at last moment, GDM, mild anemia, low AFI at the end) was a great experience. I felt good during the entire pregnancy (except for the occasional worries whenever the doctor mentioned something new going on), exercised the entire way through (kayaked 'til 6-7 months, swimming/stationary biking/walking to the end), and although Sierra was induced at 37.5 weeks, the experience was surreal, but not terrible.

This pregnancy was a challenge compared to the first. Mainly due to diagnosis of a short cervix at 19 weeks which essentially confined me to modified bedrest for the remainder of the pregnancy. It was a psychological challenge, because the doctors warned me that preterm labor could occur, and I spent the entire pregnancy worried the baby was going to be extremely premature, concerned about "viability" (ugh, hate that word) and developmental delays/anomalies, and that the baby would be in NICU for the first several weeks/months of her life. I had a cerclage placed at 22.5 weeks which involved an overnight hospital stay, with the procedure the following day (scheduled at noon, but did not happen until 2:30pm - difficult since I wasn't allowed to eat past midnight, yet my nausea was bad when I was hungry!). Spinal anesthesia - NOT FUN, did not enjoy the experience of getting it done (even though the anesthesiologist himself was great). But it worked and the procedure was painless, thank goodness. Waiting several hours to get sensation back in my legs was a drag. Didn't get home until early evening.... Cerclage was removed at 37 weeks sans anesthesia. Wow, talk about a test of my endurance of pain (doc and nurse agreed I have high tolerance for pain). However, it was worth it since I was in and out in 30 minutes. Hanging around for spinal block and then for it to wear off again was NOT an option.

In addition to the short cervix (which by the way stumped all the physicians as I had no history of cervical issues -i.e. incompetent cervix- and had a normal pregnancy before), I was diagnosed with IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) at 32 weeks (baby was measuring small throughout the pregnancy 10-15%, IUGR is official when baby drops below 10th percentile). There was fear of premature induction if the baby's growth plateau'd. In contrast, Sierra was born a small baby, but measured normal throughout the pregnancy (30-60th percentiles). Doctors were not overly concerned as they believed we just make small babies. In most cases, IUGR is caused by an inefficient placenta.

I also had GDM (gestational diabetes mellitus) this time around. Instead of just the last trimester, I measured my own sugar levels and diagnosed myself to have it the entire pregnancy. 6+ months of GDM diet is much more difficult to maintain than 3 or less months. Note: GDM is caused by placental hormones.

Interestingly enough, I had GDM and IUGR. Oxymoronic, no?

But everything can be caused by the placenta. That organ just likes to challenge my mental psyche!

Let's see, what else... I had a low-lying placenta that moved. So we weren't crazy worried. Amniotic fluid levels (AFI = amniotic fluid index) were good for the most part, but was starting to decrease in the last few weeks (37 and on, AFI was dropping to 7-8).

In the end, I was induced at 39 weeks. After months and months of concern of premature labor, I never felt contractions and was induced. HA! Part of the reason we didn't wait until 40 weeks or to see if it would occur naturally is that there were signs the placenta was wearing down (my GDM was getting better, AFI was decreasing - which is normal, and a sign that placenta was not functioning as well as before). If the placenta is not working efficiently, the fetus is not getting as much nutrition. Since the fetus was small to begin with, it would be a good idea to get her out sooner... However, we did not want to induce earlier since GDM babies usually have lungs that mature later than non-GDM babies (37 weeks is fine for most babies, GDM babies - they like to wait until 39 weeks). Also, if the baby is TOO small at birth (less than 5 pounds), she'll automatically go to NICU.

Overall, I had over 20 ultrasounds by the end of my pregnancy. Perinatology clinic knew me by face and name - scary! Sonographers, nurses and OB all recognized me in hallways. That says something, huh?

A common question I would get (since we now have 2 girls) is whether or not we're thinking of having a third, and the answer is NO WAY! This pregnancy tested my limits of optimism and sanity. I am DONE!

Besides, for me, the perfect number is 2. As long as at least one of our girls (preferably both) can share in our love for outdoors and active lifestyle, then there is no need for a boy. Heck, even if we had a boy, what if he was a couch potato obsessed with computer games???

*****

So I was induced at 39 weeks. The experience overall was faster, pitocin worked twice as fast (started at 8am, delivered almost at 3pm... with Sierra, it was after 9pm with similar start time), and labor was much faster (last time, from start of push to delivery was ~30 minutes, this time was probably 10 minutes?). The only negative was the epidural. I was VERY nauseous with the anesthesia this time. I think they gave me larger boluses. Also, the anesthesiologist was in a rush this time, and I believe did not put as much care into his work as my previous experiences/anesthesiologists. Overall, I was happy with everything except HIM. Hm, he may get a nasty review from me if I get a survey to fill out. But L&D nurses are awesome at Scripps Memorial. Always very competent, and technically very good. I had my own OB deliver Aria which was a boon to scheduling your own induction. :)

We stayed in the hospital overnight and was allowed to leave the next afternoon. Dave brought Sierra to meet Aria and we all left together as a family!

A few pictures:

7am checking in at the hospital

Dave watched World Cup Finals, Tour de France, and a whole lot of Food Network shows.

First breaths of life

Hello World! I'm here!

Cute teeny feetDaddy bonding

July 12, 2010 - Sierra meeting Aria

Sierra's last picture as an only child

A quick shot of Sierra sleeping in her crib right before we headed out to the hospital

Last moments as a family of 3

We are scheduled for an induction tomorrow, so today is Sierra's last day as an only child!

We spent the morning roaming around Coronado. Dave was doing a practice triathlon. Sierra played in the sand, ate small rocks (go figure), and climbed benches.

In the afternoon, we decided to spoil Sierra a bit by taking her to SeaWorld (trying to take advantage of our membership passes), and buying her an Abby Cadabby doll (since Elmo and Abby are her favorite Sesame Street characters, and she already has 2 Elmos).

Playing at the Bay of Play

Poor Sierra has no idea how life will change for her tomorrow!

Sierra loves slides

19 Months (+ 1 day)!

We went to check out the new 4S Ranch park... one of the playground structures was for kids ages 2-5. Sierra loved the slide there! She went down first side-by-side with Daddy, but then wanted to do it all by herself. She did, at least 5+ times! Frontwards, backwards, sideways... at least she didn't go face first! We caught 4 of them on video (see below). Some other play pictures can be found here (page 2-3). She really liked the swing, too! (but no videos, sorry!)

Listen for all the giggling on the first go:

SeaWorld - Sesame Street Gang

Sierra was playing at the SeaWorld Sesame Street Bay of Play when she spotted Elmo walking by. She got super excited and wanted to see them. Dave had to scoop her up and rush over to watch the Sesame Street Gang perform. (Some pictures in this album - page 2)

Sierra was thinking, "Daddy, stop turning around to the camera! I'm watching the show!"

A better view of Sierra

Where's your nose? Toes?

Giving kisses

Sierra is learning to associate the word "kiss" with the action. She used to do it randomly, just with me... but she's getting better!

Looks like she was about to give the camera a kiss first here:

Say Cheese!

We just figured out that daycare has been teaching the kids to say "cheese" and ham it up for the camera!

Crazy Memorial Weekend with Tao kids

Memorial Day Weekend - we were babysitting Dave's niece and nephew, Julia and Ryan (ages 8 and 7). It was a PACKED weekend:

Saturday - Wild Animal Park, followed by Splash Park, and playing in the pool at home

Sunday - Chilling near home, then a visit to Chuck E Cheese's

Monday - La Jolla Shores for some sand, sun, and kayaking!

I have pictures from the weekend here.

Some videos are below:

Kids in the car:

Playing a ball game at Chuck E Cheese's - it was a Team Effort! (even Sierra helped)

La Jolla Shores

Kayaking

Sierra playing while the older kids went to check out the sea lions on the kayak

GOOD TIMES!

Dancing to The Cure

17.5 months

Sierra groovin' away to the The Cure at Mieng and Sandy's wedding!

She can't seem to stop herself!

High-fiving Chris!

Hi Coco!

"Please"

First popsicle

Mmmmm... fudgsicle...

Yup, that's my dirty baby.

Animal Sounds

Sierra's verbal skills has been growing dramatically recently. Here, she is reviewing a new Zoo book she just got a couple days ago... associating animals with the sounds they make. Her enunciation isn't so great, but we can recognize the following:

Lion - Rowr!

Sea Lion - wuff wuff

Snake - ssssss

Monkey - ooo ooo ooo

Frog - her version of ribbit ribbit (cracks me up!)

Tiger - grrrr

In this clip, you'll also hear her say "apples".

This next video is to show you one of her favorite toys - a ride on lion. When you press the nose, it will usually go "ROWR" followed by some music.

The reason why I showed the previous clip is because we've noticed on occasion, when you ask Sierra what sound a lion makes, she'll say "rowr" followed by quiet singing and wiggling around, like she is dancing. I think she is associating lions with music, too! This next clip... the second time she roars for the lion in middle of the clip, look closely. It is subtle, but she does the dancing thing to a small degree afterwards.

She will also make the following sounds on occasion -

birds/ducks - ka ka ka

owl - oo ooo oo ooo

dog - wuff wuff, and she can actually say "dog"

cat - meow

fish - she calls them "yu" (fish in chinese)

bear - she can say "bear", although sometimes calls them "baby" since she has a stuffed bear we refer to as "baby bear"

Happy Mother's Day!

A few shots of Sierra with Coco

...as we waited to go out to Mother's Day brunch with Dave's mom and grandma. Sierra was starving, so we had to give her a head start on her breakfast. Coco was hoping for some goodies from her...

She enjoyed teasing Coco with her food.

After brunch, a short walk around La Jolla Shores. Sierra was having fun walking on the wall.

We spent the afternoon at the Wild Animal Park doing the usual... checking out birds, playing in the splash/water area (Sierra likes to climb on the animals), going on the Journey to Africa Tour. Still one of my favorite parks ever!

The day ended with a cute video of Dave and Sierra playing with "lightsabers" (rolls of wrapping paper).

Brushing teeth

She doesn't do it regularly (yet), but likes to copy us when she gets the chance.

PB&J Sugar Rush + Park

Chasing birds

"Bye!"

Down the slide... kind of.

First PB&J Sandwich

After eating half of the sandwich, she started to get REALLY silly. This next video is HILARIOUS. She was hamming it up... smiling REAL hard for the camera...

Just a cute day and outfit

Just some pics of her wearing a cute Hawaiian outfit we bought last September...

Pigtails Attempt #2.

Cute as a button.

But again, lasted only a seconds long...

Strutting around checking out fish at a fish store

She says Hi to everything... including corals.

Mother's Day Tea

Sierra's daycare had a Mother's Day Tea today (Friday before Mother's Day). It was great! All 8 of the moms in her class showed up. They had a slideshow, and then sang songs with the kids to give us a taste of what they do.

Some gifts they made for us... LOVE THEM!

(the strawberries are made from footprints!)
Very very short video clip showing what circle time is like. I would've taken a longer one, but I was trying to sneak out without having Sierra start bawling (poor teachers had their hands full when the moms started to leave).

A Day with Grandma and Grandpa Huang

Grandma and Grandpa Huang were in San Diego for a mere 1.5 days. We spent a day in La Jolla, showing Sierra the pelicans, sea gulls, and sea lions... with a nice meal at Cody's.

Enjoying her afternoon snack

Plopped down on Grandpa's lap before saying Goodnight.

First visit to the Splash Park

Happy 17 months, Sierra!

This is the same park that Sierra had her 1st birthday party at. However, she has never experienced the Splash Park aspect of it. The day was warm, the water was flowing, and we decided to see if she was interested.

On the first go, she was a bit hesitant.

So we took a break and went on the swings for a short bit.
She had some fun, but then was anxious to get down running around again. Not the hugest swing fan. So we took her back... Watch her go!

Whoa, she totally got drenched here. I thought she was going to get washed away...

Running around

She was absolutely mesmerized by this contraption. She would just stand there and hold onto it, even though she was barely tall enough for it.

This big boy kept trying to steal it from her, but she wasn't daunted by his size.

Shooting at Daddy!