It's Gymbo time

We had Kairo's 2nd b'day party at Gymboree last Saturday and it was so much fun, even for me just watching them. Kairo had such a blast there and also at night at Pao and Cheryl's that he's losing his voice now...oh well, once a year is okay i guess:)

It was such a big difference to see him playing at gymbo now compared to when he used to go there for a class. Well the obvious reason was that he is now very mobile and he can pretty much go anywhere he wanted withouth having to drag me or shun with him...hehe....when he was in gymbo class, he was about 8 or 9 months, he was actually showing lots of interest too. He climbed, slided and crawled into the tunnels...I guess that's why I'm in love with gymboree, it really encouraged Kairo to do all these things without having to force him to do it.

Something that I notice now with Indie is that she isn't into crawling at all, in fact, she isn't into moving around at all:) She's just content with sitting and playing with her hands. Apparently, according to my Doctor, boys develops their gross motor skills first, so they can move around and get all over the place i guess:), while girls develop the fine motor skills first, like twirling their hands, wiggling their individual fingers. They will catch up at the end, it's just that the different gender develop different skills first. It was actually a relief to hear that, cause I was worried that my little girl is going to be one lazy ass...heheheh:)

Anyways, here are some pics from the party at gymbo (thanks for Auntie Suzie for doing the deed:) ) There are like 80 pictures from the party, for the complete pics click the b'day cake picture here

Thank you again for coming and for all the nice gifts and nice after party (courtesy of Uncle Pao and Auntie Cheryl) for Kairo and us. It's definetely a memorable one:)

And just like that, he turned 2...

Yep, My boy is turning 2 today...singing happy b'day to himself and wishing himself a happy birthday...heheh...well, we sang and wished him happy b'day too, but when he sang it himself it sounded like he's singing to himself:)

Thinking back two years from today, everything seemed to happen in fast forward. My contraction started Jan 15/05. We were suppose to drive down to that Bowling alley by Holdom skytrain station for John's 27th b'day but since it started to snow around 6.30ish pm that day, Shun decided that we should take the public transit so that we would eliminate any chance of slipping and got stucked in the car:)...I remember that day, my first night on maternity...we walked chocolate in the snow while still discussing what names we should pick if they baby's going to be a girl. I miss those walks now, we used to do it everynight when I was pregnant with Kairo...we bundled up chocolate and my pregnant self, and off we went walking around that Kits neighbourhood, always said that one day we'll buy a house there hhehe....Kairo's name was 'invented' during those walks, along with many other names that got invented and turned down:)

Anyways, on our way to the bowling alley; we had to bus it to Granville station and then skytrain it to Broadway station then change train to Holdom station; I started to feel this pain on my lower back. We thought that it's due to too much walking (although the whole trip I was sitting). As far as I can remember, the pain was tolerable. I think the biggest thing is that I didn't even think that the baby will come anytime soon. It was weird back then, the whole pregnancy seemed so surreal, let alone delivering and carrying the baby in my arms. I kept on telling myself that I was overdue when I was born, so my baby will be too. So eventhough the pain came and went and came again, I really thought it was my body getting tired....until we hit the bowling alley and out of the blue I felt this really sharp pain on my lower back and Shun had to give me a counterpressure....well, I thought for a bit that it might be a contraction, but since it didn't come back, I thought it was nothing:)

Liz and Bry gave us a ride that night, and I remember that we got home right at midnite and I felt that I was really ready to hit the sack. The whole day Sunday was pretty much a write off. I spent soo much time in the shower cause it felt so good and the rest of the time lying on the couch on my side...we didn't actually leave the house until 3 or 4 pm and even then we were only on the road for maybe 1/2 hour and then headed back since my pain started to come again. But it's amazing how your brain controls your attitude, cause even up till then, I still didn't think that it was an early labour or anything.

It was until about 7 or 8 pm that night when I still had the pain that it started to sink in that I might have a contraction already...that the baby might come early and the most terrifying thing...the baby will be here soon....I spent the rest of the night pacing while breathing properly. Shun tried to coach me and being an unexperienced Dad-to-be himself, he told me to go lie down and have some sleep...heheh....little that he knew that if I could do that then I won't be pacing and breathing like a maniac. Past midnite Jan 17, I phoned the hospital and explained my situation, and then she told me that it didn't sound like a false labour like I thought it was, but it sounded like an early labour. She said I could either go there or stay home..and being still on denial, I opted to stay home while wishing that the pain will go away and I can start my day fresh and pain free tomorrow (right!:)...I lasted 2 hours in that pain, and by 2:15 am I jumped out the bed and screamed to Shun that I couldn't take it anymore. So he phoned the hospital and then off we went to Women's.

The whole trip in the car was painfull. Good thing it was in the middle of the night so the street was really empty. And as soon as we got admitted and I got dressed and stuff, the nurse told me that I was 5 cm dialated. I think then was when it hit me that there's no way i'm closing in after 5 cm dialated, the next thing that will happen is that i would get dialated even more, and after that, I would get to see this little person face to face. It was the scariest thought for me...we weren't ready at all!! We didn't even buy a crib yet, we haven't even done any hospital tour yet, and the most important part, I was mentally not ready yet...everything came waay to soon.

By 6 am that day, I was pretty much fully dialated, the more reason why they didn't even recommended me to take any pain killers since the baby, supposedly, was ready to pop out. But being me, things are rarely go smoothly. Kairo was breached and they had, many time, tried to get me to push while they tried to turn him...with no avail of course. I think the contraction part I can tolarate, but once they induce me and made my contraction harder (to try to get kairo to turn on his own), that's when I started to weep and asked for epidural. I tried everything, the gas, birthing ball, shower, squatting, walking, sitting on the toilet...everything...nothing works. At the end, they let me had the damn epidural and that was the most relaxing 2 hours or my life:) After 40 hours of labour(started Jan 15), Shun and I can finally rest..for a bit.

One hour after the magic drug was in, the doctor came in and said that they might have to do a C-section on me since they've waited 7 hours for the baby to turn and tried every thing to get him to turn but didn't work. I was soo sad at that point. Its the thought of surgery and stitching that freaked me out...but the good doctor said that she'll give another hour and see if anything progressed...but in the meantime, they already took my blood sample and got the emergency OR ready.

By around 2 pm, she came back and said that the last resort to deliver naturally is by vacuuming him out. My main concern was whether or not it could have a long term damage to the baby's brain, but she said the only damage would just be a temporary cone head:)... but she said I had to push really hard for the suction cup to catch the baby's head.

Well, the good thing about epidural is that it numbs your pain...but it could back fire that in critical time like that, when the fate of this delivery is based on how hard I push, I couldn't feel a damn thing! I felt like I was pushing but I couldn't feel anywhere else in my body doing the same thing. Lucky for me, the nurses were helpful and after 2 pushes, I felt this feeling of being 'unplugged' and there it was...a baby..with the white umbilical cord attached, got pulled out of me....

Kairo Isaac Dimas Chiang was born at 14:12, weighing 7lbs 5 oz, 51.5 cm long, 12 days ahead of schedule...when he was born, I didn't even remember to ask whether or not it was a boy or a girl..I was busy worying of the fact that he didn't cry. The doctor had to tell me 'by the way, it's a boy':)

It's still hard to believe sometimes how fast he grows. Especially now that he talks back, and copying and having lots of personality:) Like yesterday, as I was cooking and slaving myself in the kitchen (something that I never thought I would ever done before I got married:) ), he pulled up a chair on the other side of the kitchen counter and stood on it and just casually asked me questions like 'what are you doing mama' (he asked this about 10 million times btw), and when he saw I was cooking him some broccoli he went on and on and on at how much 'I love broccoli':)

Anyways baby boy, may you find all the happiness in the world and may your life will always be blessed with love and laughter. Happy 2nd birthday my son....many more years to come..and may your Papa and Mama be around to see it.

This is fun:)

I love this thing! hhaha:)...if it were not because of this website, I wouldn't know that my daughter have the slight similarity to Will Smith:)


Here's mine:)

Mommies lunch date

Here are the pics from the lunch date:) We should do this more often...and Richmond is a good place for everyone right...seems that it took everyone 15 minutes to get there...what do you guys think?
In age order:)

It's like they're playing tag...Kelan bugged Rylan, Rylan bugged Payton and Rylan won cause Payton got nobody else to bug:) (cousin Indie might get too feisty if you bug her Payton:) )

Kelan, it's about time you show some affection to me...otherwise....

Yeah, we need to get out more..:)

29 years old!

Well, according to my Mom, on a Thursday at 3pm exactly 29 years ago, I began my debut as a human being who breaths air, 10 days overdue. I still remember how what seems like a lonnngg time ago when I was 14, I told my brother, who turned 20 then, how old he was! Sigh..little that I knew:)

My b'day started with a little surprise from Shun. I have to say that after all this years, he still managed to really surprise me with his surprises. He asked me to add more time to the dryer after he put my gift on top of the washer. And of course, I didn't even look at the washer and went straight to the dryer and when he asked me to see if the washer was closed, I saw this big box sitting on top of the washer:) Apparently it was 12:07 am already:)

The day was pretty low key, Shun took it off so I managed to have longer nap with Indie while he kept Kairo company downstairs. At night, my cousin came to house sit for us when we sneaked out to have dinner at this greek place less than 5 minutes drive from our place.

To my surprise, the food was reallly good. The place was Santali and it was a chinese-chefed Greek restaurant:)..but it was really good. We ordered from that place before but last night it tasted much better. We started of with a glass of wine for Shun and just a specialty coffee for me. Shun had yummy calamary for appy as I chowed on my dolmates!! love those stuff. We both had lamb for the main course, he picked the rack of lamb while I picked the shoulder...it was really tender and good, melt in your mouth. We closed it off by sharing a dessert of cheesecake wrapped in fillo pasty with vanila sauce. The place was quite small and we were pretty much the only people there. It was a very nice and quiet dinner and we talked and laughed and even argued ( of course:) ) The plan was to have dinner and a movie, but Indie's teething kinda messed up her sleeping schedule that she wakes up before midnite sometimes, so we just have to go see a movie some other time. Have to say the dinner was the icing on my 29th b'day cake:) Shun suggested that maybe we should pick one day in a week and do this once a week...excellent idea but hard to do cause my cousin is the only sitter we have and he's only 20, Friday is of course his partying day:)..but we'll see:)

Anyways, thank you so much for you girls and guys that emailed, phoned, friendster messaged and e-carded me:) Wonderful friends and families ,excellent food and a loving husband...what more can I ask for:) Thanks again everyone!:)

2007!

This has been redundantly said, but Happy New year everyone!:)...10 years ago on January 2nd, my parents and I arrived in Victoria right after the snow storm. I still remember how this country smell, the coldness in the air and how really super tired I was. The snow in Victoria was like knee high, not very many places were open and did I mention how cold it was for us? Funny that until then, Canada was only a name I saw on those teeny boopers magazine that I used to love, you know how in magazines they have prices in US and Canada. It's crazy the surprises life has for you..never in a million years I ever thought that 10 years from that day, I will be right here, sitting writing my blog, in my house, married and a mom of two...:)

Anyways...our new years eve was really mellow. I didn't even realize that it was new year already until Shun wished me happy new year. He hummed (kinda off tune) the Auld Lang Syne and we had our little goofy dance to start the year:) Earlier that day we went to church and it was one of those moments that I got so emotional. Maybe it was the christmas songs (yes, we missed church on Christmas day!!!!!!), or maybe it was the fact that we were all there as a family (even for only short while cause Shun had to take Kairo to the back), but whatever it was, it really moved me that I cried. Embarassing, since the lady 2 rows in front of us saw me and smiled:) oh well:)

Just like the last two new year days, we went down to the states to pick up another baby item. Were supposed to meet up with John and Lyn down there but kept on missing it and at the end we met up back in Canada, outside Wal Mart in Langley hehhe:) So new year day was pretty much spent on the road.

For the past how many years, my resolution is always the same, including this year of course. So I think this resolution is going to be a decade resolution and hopefully by the end of the decade I will have achieved most of it:)

Many things in store waiting for me this year. As I mentioned, there's this school thing that I kinda sort of started already. There's also 2 photography courses that Shun gave me as a christmas present that I will be taking in Feb and March. Liz and I will be doing them together, so I really can't wait for those days to come!:) A full day course just me and the camera! I guess it's a double gift, the courses themselves and the fact that I can get a break from both kids for the full day!!:) I agree with you Nat...we all love our kids soo much, but yes, a break from them once in a while is only healthy!.

So 2007, here we come!!!:)