Cornerstone

They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. (3 John 1:6)

We took Naomi to Cornerstone for the first time last weekend - twice in one day. Richie and I have been attending this Christian church in San Francisco's Mission district for about 5 years now. I remember when I was pregnant, Naomi would be very active during the worship portion of the services. Whenever I would stand and clap to the music, she would dance along with me :) Since Naomi has been born, we continue to watch Ed Young and Joel Osteen on Sunday mornings, but afterward Richie goes to church by himself. He brings home a CD of the message for Mimi and I to listen to during the week.

On the morning of Saturday July 25th, we attended the child dedication which is a special time for the Cornerstone community to celebrate each child as a gift from God. During this ceremony, the pastor encourages and prays for the parents to raise their children to know God’s love. This event is not infant baptism or a christening. Cornerstone believes that when people are old enough to understand what it means to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they should have the opportunity to make that choice for themselves. A baby is not able to understand sin, forgiveness, the sacrifice our Savior made for us, and what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This event is really about the commitment as parents to lead their children into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, so that as they get older, we are able to guide them and to help them understand what that means.

Richie and I decided that we wanted to check out the ceremony and how it was organized before dedicating Naomi. Pastor Marty was officiating the ceremony and he also happens to be the same pastor who re-baptized Richie and myself a couple of months after we got married. During the regular weekend services, it's rare to see a baby in the sanctuary because parents usually drop them off at the nursery upstairs beforehand. So seeing a dozen babies, not to mention the older siblings running around, was actually quite a pleasant site :) Naomi sat in her Daddy's lap the entire time and was so attentive to what was going on. It was extra special because the sisters of the Hanalani Ministry performed two hulas and spread the "Spirit of Aloha" :)



After the baby dedication ceremony, we visited Grandma and Grandpa in South City for the afternoon. Then we decided to go back to Cornerstone as a family to attend the Saturday evening service. This was the first time I've been back as well as Naomi's first time, too. We sat in the "cry room" on the second floor and watched the service from a large flat screen TV. I nursed Naomi prior to the service but she started getting fussy so I tried to give her a bottle with formula, but she just played with the nipple. She was getting antsy while we were sitting down, so Richie took her to the back of the room to stand up and sway. After a couple of loud yelps, I went back there and gave her a pacifier. I brought it "just in case" since we usually only use the binky in the car... glad that I did, because it worked like magic. Overall, it was a great experience. We're waiting for Naomi to get her second set of immunizations before dropping her off at the nursery to play so Mommy and Daddy can enjoy Cornerstone together again.

"Coo" it again!

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. (Deuteronomy 32:1)

Naomi has been cooing a lot more lately. She's so much more expressive with her face... combined with the smiles and the coos, it's just too adorable! Last weekend at Alexis' birthday party, Richie was carrying her in the garage when he enthusiastically says to me, "She just said HI!" I didn't hear it, so I said, "Oh, she's just cooing, it might have sounded like she said 'Hi' but she's just making baby noises." Then lo and behold a few days later, Mimi and I were at home and I was saying hello to her and she cooed it again! "Hiiiiii" :) Now that my own ears were hearing it come out of her mouth, I could totally understand why Richie was so excited! It sounded like she was saying hello back :)

From Santa Cruz

This past weekend we took Naomi on a mini-vacation to Santa Cruz since Richie had to visit a job site in Aptos. While Daddy was working, I took Mimi to Capitola to stroll around the shops and see the beach. After one of her feedings, I sat her in my lap and began baby-talking to her.

Me: Haa Haa Haa

Naomi: *smiles*

Me: Hee Hee Hee

Naomi: *eyes open wider*

Me: Hoo Hoo Hoo

Naomi: Haaa Haaa Haaa

Me: WOW! Did you just say "Ha ha ha?" GOOD GIRL! DO IT AGAIN!
Haa Haa Haa? Haa Haa Haa?

Naomi: *smiles even bigger*

When she said "ha ha ha" it was very slow and drawn out compared to how fast I was saying it. The way she cooed it was like she knew she had to make the sound three times in a row to make it count. I kept doing it over and over, but of course it was a one-shot deal with her. I told Richie all about it, but it was one of those "you just had to be there" moments.

Naomi often falls asleep in her carrier when we go for a walk to a restaurant for dinner. She's still tiny enough that she fits on top of the table and sleeps while we enjoy our meal. She's been asleep on the tables of Rubio's and Fuddrucker's and on a chair at Olive Garden :) While we were at the boardwalk, I took this funny photo of Naomi. We usually take her out of the carrier before putting her down, but this time we kept her in it for extra warmth. You can see the Santa Cruz wharf in the background. Mimi eventually woke up while on the table, but waited patiently while we finished up.


The following day at the hotel, I hopped in the huge tub with her for a warm bath. She loved it! It was probably a nice change from the swimming pool since the water was warm and she didn't have to wear a diaper. Since I didn't want her to turn into a little wrinkly raisin, I passed her to Richie to dry her up while I finished enjoying the bath. She was pretty upset about her bath ending so soon. She really liked it in there :) Overall, we had a great time and it was nice to get away from home even for just a night.

A Splashing Good Time

As a face is reflected in water, so a person is reflected by his heart. (Proverbs 27:19)

What a wonderful weekend that Naomi had to celebrate her 2 months/9 weeks birthday. The celebration began early on Thursday morning when Auntie Melissa Francisco came to visit us at home in Emeryville. She brought over some tasty bagels and cream cheese for Mommy and a couple of cute outfits for Mimi. Melissa and I have been friends since Junior High when we went to Washington D.C. together. Her daughter Cathleya is my God-daughter and her blog was my inspiration to start this one. Then Grandma Lily brought over some salmon chowder, chicken salad, a pannini sandwich and quesadillas for lunch/dinner. She also gave Naomi a toy cow that "moos." Mimi must really love her new present... check out the SMILE on this happy little baby:


On the 10th, Richie and I watched Transformers at Solano Drive In. Naomi fell asleep on the way there and didn't wake up until we got back home. She missed the movie but all for the best.. what a sweetheart!

The real fun began on Saturday when we carpooled with Jasmine and the girls on our way to Sacramento for cousin Alexis' first birthday. With three car seats loaded in the van, we made the hour and a half long journey. Baby Meleia wasn't used to being in another vehicle and it turns out she wet herself on the way there. Like Mimi, little Mia doesn't like being moisty down below and let us know it! We were all smiling though when we got to Tita Agnes' beautiful house in Roseville...especially when we saw the feast that was prepared and the inviting swimming pool to cool us of from the heat. I asked Dr. Tracy if it was okay for Naomi to take a dip and she gave us the go ahead. Mimi was a little shocked at how cold the water was at first, but once her body adjusted to the temperature, she enjoyed herself quite a bit!

From Splish Splash

Aileen had a lot of fun games for the kids including making mini aquariums out of glass jars. Stickers, pretty rocks and toys? I'm all over it! I couldn't help myself and made one... for Mimi, of course :) She also had pin the tail on the fish and a cool cut out of a shark. As you can see, Naomi likes goldfish, but she's not too fond of being eaten by a shark! I suppose, I wouldn't either!

"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue"... or Gray?

Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith, let it be done for you!" (Matthew 9:29)

Naomi got her first set of immunizations this past Monday and I almost cried! :( She of course shed a few tears, but not nearly as many as I had anticipated. She was asleep when the nurse came and gave her the first medication to drink. She woke up because of the taste in her mouth. Then I was instructed to hold her upper body as she lay down while the nurse proceeded to prick her twice in her left leg and then a third time in her right leg. Naomi let out the loudest cry I have ever heard come out of her! My poor baby! Just as my eyes were watering because I was feeling her pain, she stopped crying and closed her eyes and went back to sleep. AMAZING! No short sobbing or whimpering or muted cries... it was like she said, "OW! THAT REALLY HURTS! Okay, I'm over it, now can I go back to bed?" I was warned that she might be cranky at night if the pain persists. Not Mimi. She cried out a few times upon waking up during the day, but as soon as I picked her up, she was fine. Then at night instead of not being able to sleep, she actually slept the longest she's ever had - from 7PM until 3:30AM - a whole 8 hours! What a trooper :)
Other highlights of her doctor appointment: she now weighs 10 lbs 5 oz (45th percentile) and is 23 inches long (75th percentile). (Side note: Richie caught a fish that was longer than her!) Basically, she's slightly more slender than average and well on her way to being quite tall :) Dr. Tracy said that she has great skin - no baby acne, no cradle cap and no rashes (diaper or otherwise). Also, Dr. Tracy isn't the first to notice, but she was admiring the color and the shape of Mimi's eyes. They are slate gray and almond shaped. I kinda went picture crazy again and took a bunch of close ups trying to capture the color of her eyes. My sister told me that it's quite likely that they will get darker and turn brown, but I think it would be so cool if they stayed just as they are.

This past weekend some other people were adoring her eyes as well when we were at a 4th of July party with some friends from college. It was the first time many of them were meeting her, including her birthday twin Auntie Elisha who was also born on May 10th. Here's Naomi in her cute Gap denim skirt :)



We've been told that Naomi has a nice combination of features from both Richie and myself. Most people say that for the most part she looks like Daddy but has Mommy's eyes. Although her eyes are an almond shape, they are definitely bigger than mine were at her age. Here is a collage of photos that I took of her the day she got her shots... all in less than three minutes. Who do you think she looks like? Smile!