My life just keeps getting more fun each month. This month was especially happy since I celebrated my first and most triumphant year of my very special life.
Daddy made me this very nice resonance board so that I can play on it, make a ton of noise, and learn to be an active baby (vs. a passive baby). Mommy and Daddy give me lots of cool objects to explore and to bang on the board. The board amplifies the sound so that I can get great feedback. I also love to kick really hard and fast to make a lot of noise.
I'm enjoying eating carrots and other vegetables this month. I like when Mommy, Daddy and Kenda, my nanny, feed me, but I'm starting to learn how to handle the spoon myself. I also love fresh, pureed mangos and sucking on the mango pit. Avocados are also very, very tasty.
We enjoyed Labor Day in Los Altos across the Bay at the home of a friend named Lee. She has a pool and I got to swim for the first time with Daddy and Mommy. I enjoyed my little baby boat and my sunglasses as my parents floated me around. I didn't cry at all and actually kicked my feet a lot.
After the swimming pool and a nice lunch in the garden, I enjoyed my introduction to the piano in Lee's house. I played the piano both with my hands and my feet.
I'm doing a starfish imitation here, wearing a cool star-shaped bunting made by my mommy's friend Anna.
I'm starting to practice sitting up by myself, although I still need a lot of help. Here I am practicing my sitting in my baby tub.
I'm smiling and laughing more and more each day, especially when
I play with Mommy and Daddy. I also love to hold my own bottle too, but not always. It's still fun to have Daddy hold it for me.
I'm enjoying my second month in my high chair, sometimes studying my toys with great interest.
My grandma Noriko made this gorgeous outfit for me. I was able to pose while sitting, without falling over too much, even when I raised my foot up in the air!
I'm so very happy when playing with my random household objects that make noise. But my favorite play objects are actually my feet which are always nearby. I just love to smile and grin and do it very, very frequently.
My grandma Tiscareno flew down for my birthday and made two beautiful cakes for my party. One cake was bilingual, with English and Spanish birthday wishes. My second cake said "Happy Birthday" in Japanese. Mommy chose a dolphin party theme, to build on the dolphin theme in my room.
My party was a very, very special occasion for my Mommy and Daddy. We planned on a large gathering, so we had my party at my parents' favorite park. The park is near the home where I was conceived, just minutes away from our current home.
There were over 50 people that came to wish me a happy day and to celebrate my life. Mommy and Daddy's friends and family were there and each of them held me for a while and whispered sweet wishes to me.
I also had some honored guests join us on this special day. The talented, loving medical folks that saved my life and took care of me last year when I was very small and vulnerable came to celebrate with me. My doctor, several of my favorite nurses and my favorite respiratory therapist were all at my party.
I loved it when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me, but I especially loved it when I was allowed to stick my hands in the cake and eat the frosting! That was my favorite part of the party. I am truly a blessed little baby girl to have so much love around me.
After the party was over, Mommy, Daddy, Abuelita and I just hung out at the park since we were all exhausted. Mommy then took these photos of me in her favorite dress, one she bought in Malaysia a few years ago. She will photograph me in this dress every year on my birthday, so that she can watch me grow into it. I can't wait!
When we arrived at home, Mommy placed these goofy ribbons on me, for more birthday photos. I also played with two of my new toys, a vibrating, musical turtle, and a Lamaze puppy with crunchy ears. It was a wonderful, wonderful day for me, but especially so for my parents and grandma.
A week after my birthday, I spent the day with my parents in Berkeley, at my first Cal football game in beautiful Memorial Stadium. Before the game, we snapped this photo with Mommy's friend Sonya's three boys. Jasper is the one holding me. I like wearing matching hats with my daddy.
After the game, I made a new friend. Her name is Liliana Trevino, and she was born in July. Her mommy and daddy are college buddies with my parents. Someday we'll be able to play together since we're the same size. We stopped at a favorite spot on campus to play for a while. After spending the day in my parents' arms in the bleachers, I really enjoyed being on the ground.
The final big event of the month was the annual NICU reunion at the hospital where I lived for a long time. What a special time that was, seeing many more of my nurses, and hanging out with my friend Cielo. It was a time to visit with other preemies and their parents and to celebrate how far we've all come since last year.
Ping was happy to hold me some more . Cielo and her parents, along with my parents, had a lot to celebrate after the year we've all just survived. We had a beautiful day of rejoicing, and reflecting.
