A Day at the Beach: San Diego (Part 2)

When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. (Acts 21:5)

Naomi's firs official day at the beach was on Sunday in San Diego... La Jolla shores to be exact. This is the same beach that I used to hang out at while attending college and being there brought back lots of good memories.


We made our way towards the side of the beach where the surfers catch waves because Uncle Anthony wanted to ride the tide. We found a nice shaded area underneath a few trees and spread out the blankets for the babies to play on. Arabella was showing us how discovered her ability to roll =) Naomi was gazing up at the leaves blowing in the sea breeze.

From San Diego

The sun was shining and it was perfect SD beach weather =) At one point, I borrowed Leia's Bjorn and took Naomi for a stroll. Naomi was excited to partake in one of her favorite activities while seeing all of the many people who gathered at the beach to soak up the warm rays of sunshine. (I realized how much more comfortable the Bjorn felt compared to the Snugli carrier that we've been using. Now that Mimi is getting heavier, we'll probably make the change to either a Bjorn or an Ergo, since I've been getting recommendations for that one lately.)

After Naomi took a nap in Bella's carrier, Grandma Edna and Grandma Vicky took turns carrying her while Mommy and Daddy had some lunch. Before we were to make the long trip back home, Richie changed her diaper one last time. WHOA! Was he in for a big surprise! Let me start off by telling you that Naomi's butt-butt must have been shy while on vacation; I've heard some babies are only comfortable going poop in their own homes. She hadn't pooped all weekend so the load she dropped on Sunday was definitely 3 days worth! EEEWWW! The following descriptions may not be for those with a weak stomach! The poop had exploded out of her diaper and ran down her legs and also came out from the top, too... onto her tummy and back! YUCKO! She hadn't made a peep to let us know that she needed to be changed, so it was a shocker! Leia made an excellent observation that we were definitely lucky that she let it all out before we hit the road; it could have been worse! Mimi gets a pat on the back for that one =) At first, she was fine while we wiped her up but then she heard everyone else wigging out and she whimpered a little bit; she knew we were kinda making fun of her =(

We finally left SD at 4pm and hit the road back to the Bay Area. It should have only been an 8- or 9-hour trip, but we didn't get to Emeryville until 4 in the morning! I won't get into the details regarding the two delays, but I will say that Naomi slept through most of it. She did really well and I'm so proud of her =) I'm really glad that San Diego was Naomi's first vacation away from home...since it's where Richie and I first met, it brings everything around full-circle. It was especially nice to be there with so many of our beloved family members. Mimi won't remember this trip, but it's definitely a place where we will bring her back to create more fond memories in the future.

My First Road Trip: San Diego! (Part I)

I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. (Romans 15:24)

I can't think of a better place for Naomi to go on her first road trip/vacation than to good ol' San Diego: the place where it all started for her Mommy and Daddy. Richie and I first met while we were in college and now, here we are bringing our daughter to visit the land of our alma maters.

The special occasion which brought forth this journey is cousin Arabella Seraphina's baptism. But before we get to that exciting day, let's talk about how we got there. We left on Thursday afternoon at 4pm and Naomi probably woulda slept all the way out to the I-5, but we got stuck in some commuter traffic. The stop and slow and go was disturbing her beauty sleep. Eventually she got hungry and fussy, so let's just say "whatever happens on the freeway, stays on the freeway!" All I can ask is this: if you were a baby, would you rather sit strapped into a seat facing a blank canvas or be cradled in your mother's loving arms or sitting in Grandma's lap? Hmmmmm... Let's just say we did whatever we had to do to keep the 8 hour drive as cry-free as possible. Mimi digs her carseat, but she also digs her freedom a wee bit more!

Auntie Leia was awesome in getting a 5-bedroom rental house in Mira Mesa for everyone to stay, and I mean everyone! At one point there were 17 people spending the night, including 4 young boys and 2 little babies =) My parents shared a room with Naomi and myself and on Friday morning, they were surprised that she didn't cry. My mom even told me that she heard Mimi awake and talking to herself. I was so knocked out that I didn't even hear Naomi as she put herself back to sleep. It took FOREVER for the whole family to decide what the plan was for the day and actually get us all out the door. Once decided, the agenda was to get something to eat and head out to Balboa Park.

You can't go to San Diego and not have Mexican food... especially Carne Asada Fries! Weren't we so lucky that Santana's was so close by =) Even though I fed Mimi before we left the house, she decided that she wanted to eat more since everyone else was eating. So after I nursed her in the restaurant, Richie tried to hold her but she started squirming. We thought her diaper might be wet, so he laid her down on a table and get this: Naomi starts smiling and playing with her hands. Babygirl must be so used to laying out while Mommy and Daddy eat, that she already knows the routine! It wasn't so funny to us, but everyone else was getting a kick out of seeing little Mimi on the tabletop =)



Our first official tourist stop was Balboa Park. Grandpa Titong brought along an umbrella stroller and it was Mimi's first time sitting in a "big girl" stroller =)She was able to hold herself up but she still looked so tiny it. I'm pretty sure she was having a good time riding in it, but she also had such a serious look on her face, too! She must have been thinking "Hey, this is a new view!"

From San Diego

The only time she really cried while we were at Balboa Park was when we rode the trolley from the parking lot to the Model Train Museum. Richie and I tried passing her back and forth to see if she was more comfortable with one or the other and tried different ways of carrying her, but she was clearly upset. Perhaps she was getting hot since it was crowded, that plus the funky weather; it was humid but overcast.


The sun eventually came out and it was really starting to feel like San Diego, so I took Mimi's sweater off and let her catch some sun. She can't wear sunscreen yet since her skin is still sensative, but she wore a cute little hat to block the bright rays from her eyes. We spent the afternoon walking around and enjoying the scenery. We thought about going to the beach later, but we were pretty pooped out and went back to the house.


When it was Naomi's bedtime, around 8pm, she went to sleep rather quickly. Richie and I, along with Craig, Cathy and Genina, contemplated going out to check out the nightlife, but ended up staying in while Richard and Paulina hung out with us at the house. We were watching music videos and lounging on the couch, when at 1AM, we had a tiny visitor. Naomi had woke up and patiently sat on Auntie Paulina's lap for a good half hour, soaking in the strange environment. She slept well the rest of the night and when she woke up, she was super talkative. She was cooing to herself fairly quietly until she heard Grandpa and Grandma talking. Then she started cooing loudly to make sure that they knew she was there, too. I was lying right next to her, but I knew she wasn't talking to me because she glanced over, looked at me and smiled, then turned back toward the ceiling and started calling out again, as if to say, "Hey, I'm over here! Good Morning!"

Grandma Lily gave Mimi a bath to get her day started and she didn't mind being passed around while Richie and I got ready. At the baptism, Naomi didn't want to stand still, so Richie walked her around for a good portion of the ceremony. It was really HOT both outdoors and inside as well, so she was kinda sweaty. For the most part, at the reception, she enjoyed the loving arms of all the family who wanted to hold her.

I had been the one driving my parents Prius around town, but after the party, I sat in the backseat with Naomi and Lola. It was a long day for all of us, so I assumed that Mimi would fall asleep on the drive. Instead, she began socializing with me. I guess, this was the first time that we were able to share a conversation without too much distraction, so she was smiling and cooing so happily. Well, she eventually figured out that she didn't want to be in the carseat anymore and began wiggling and twisting her body while letting out small cries. We were so close to our destination and I kept telling her that we were almost there, but that just made her more mad. The crying intensified so much that she was gasping for air and turning so red! As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I picked her up and got out of the car. The crying immediately stopped and she even smiled =) Grandma and Grandpa said that they had never heard her cry so loud! I told them that she didn't even cry that loud or that much when she got her shots or her ears pierced!

That night the Mommies and Daddies decided to take advantage of the grandparents and we left the kids to party the night away. I didn't want to wake Naomi up before we left since she was fast asleep, so I crossed my fingers that she wouldn't wake up while we were out. As I was walking out the door, I told my parents to call my cell phone if they needed me. Since I was the designated driver, Grandpa Rally said something like, "Yeah right, you can't come home without everyone else; we'll be fine." That said, we headed to the Gaslamp District; I left my cellphone in the car and we had a blast at the Eden Rooftop and Club Envy at the Ivy Hotel. Once we left the party, my momma instinct kicked in and I started missing my babygirl. We had the option of going to an afterparty, but Leia and I both declared that our bodies were telling us it's time to go home and nurse our daughters!

When we got back to the house, we noticed the light on in the room where Naomi and my parents were supposed to be sleeping. Upstairs, my mom and dad were sitting on the bed and Naomi was sound asleep. "Did you get our message?" OOPS. Grandpa said he felt like a new dad again because he was dancing and singing trying to entertain the baby and keep her from looking for me and her milk. They tried giving her some of Weslee's formula in a bottle, but that didn't cut it. Eventually my dad was able to rock her back to sleep. I asked them what time she woke up and realized that it was right around the time we left the hotel. That sixth sense is no joke; my gut had told me that she was awake and missing me, too.

****Well, Sunday is a whole other episode of the vacation, so I'll have to save that for later. I'm realizing that I have less time to blog now that Mimi doesn't nap as long as she used to! Part II to follow shortly =) Stay tuned...

Poetry to my Ears

And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou?... and I put the earrings upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. (Genesis 24:47)

There are a lot of people out there that probably don't like the sound of a baby crying... especially in restaurants or in airplanes or at church... you get the picture. But I do know that there are also a lot of people, most likely mothers themselves, who like me, think that the sound of a tiny baby crying is so precious. I don't want to hear my baby in pain, but sometimes hearing her voice when she needs to eat or when she wants a diaper change is poetry to my ears.

Sometimes though, tears are due to pain... like when she gets her shots... or when she gets her ears pierced! Yes, we did it =) Or should I say, she did it?! To celebrate and commemorate Naomi's 3 month birthday, Richie and I brought her to the mall and pierced her ears!

I decided to get her ears pierced at an early age, when she's still too young to remember getting it done and not old enough to play with her ears and yank them out. Also, although Naomi definitely looks like a babygirl, every now and then someone will still ask if she's a boy or a girl... even if she's wearing pink. Plus, my mom pierced my ears at the tender age of 3 months, so I wanted to pass the tradition down to Naomi as well.



We went for a walk from Watergate to Bay Street and Naomi fell asleep on the way there. When we arrived at the Claire's Boutique, we tried to wake her up so that she wouldn't be in complete shock and be too afraid to sleep again! We chose a small 14K gold ball, which are the same style that I also had when I was a baby. Richie held onto Naomi while the manager (who also happened to be named Mimi) marked her ears with a pen. Mimi was half asleep when the first ear was pierced and she screamed and cried so loud! Then after the other ear was pierced, I used a cotton ball to apply some cleaner and quickly grabbed Naomi to rock her in my arms.

Once I held her close to me, she almost immediately calmed down and the loud cry became soft sobs. By the time we walked out of the store, she was wide awake and smiling, too =) I think Richie was in more shock than she was, he was sweating and told me his heart was racing. When we got home and took a better look at Naomi, we both came to the conclusion that our little girl is growing so fast before our very eyes. Mimi was already a beautiful baby but the cute little gold earrings give her an extra girly charm =)

Discovery Channel

"Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to find an explanation" (Ecclesiastes 7:27)

UH OH! Naomi has discovered the television! Well, I suppose she's known for a while that it existed, but it's only really now that she actually ENJOYS watching it. She was fortunate enough to inherit Weslee's Bumbo seat and it fits perfectly on top of this round table where we keep her CD player... and the remote =)

From Discovery Channel

Richie and I place her in the seat when we attempt to have a meal together at the same time. She used to sit in it very briefly and then start squirming and crying. I guess maybe it had to do with us trying to watch our programs. We found out the key to the Bumbo is letting her watch her shows =) So far the shows that we've tuned into are "Clifford, the Big Red Dog," "Sesame Street," "Barney," and for a little Spanish flare she watches "Dora, the Explorer," and "Handy Manny." When she starts to tune out, we just change the channel to another cartoon to peak her interest again.


She stares quite intently at the screen and seems to giggle at the right places. Sometimes she looks so deep in thought and we wonder what we've gotten ourselves into! It definitely helps as an instant babysitter when we need to take care of things around the house, but we make sure that she gets most of her stimulation from playing with her toys, spending time outdoors and of course, having conversations with Mommy and Daddy =)


OH MY! DID YOU SEE THAT?!

Happy Feet :)

"Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. (Luke 24:39)

Naomi is discovering more about the way the world works... especially regarding her hands and feet. When she plays on her mat, her arms and legs are flapping super fast, knocking her toys around and laughing while they sway above her. She gets tired and takes a short break then does it all over again. She can entertain herself like this for up to half an hour :)

My sister Jasmine told me that sometimes when a baby reaches a new milestone, their sleep habits change. A few nights ago, Naomi woke up in the middle of the night around 2:30am. I could hear her little baby noises, but she wasn't crying or really even fussing. When I looked into her bassinet, I saw Mimi kicking her pink hippo which hangs above her. She was smiling and entertaining herself, so I went back to sleep expecting to hear her cry out at any minute. She kept playing and eventually fell back asleep, too. The next time I woke up it was 5AM and she was flailing her legs around again, but she looked frustrated. Naomi had managed to wiggle her body in a way that her feet could no longer reach the hippo. I repositioned her and she kicked away until she had worked up an appetite and let out a loud yelp to let me know it was time to for breakfast. By this time, it was already a whole 7 hours since she last ate so I knew she was hungry!


Her favorite toy to kick on her play mat is an octopus that has a rattle and a hoop attached to him. I decided to hang it on her car seat on our way to Dean's house to celebrate his 8th birthday. Shortly after we hit the road, she grabbed the hoop and held on super tight. Mimi just stared up at the octopus, but wasn't moving her arm. I shook her arm to let her hear the rattle, but she didn't shake it on her own. I thought that she might have just got stuck and didn't know how to let go, so I pried her fingers off the ring. BIG MISTAKE! She screamed at me and let me know she wasn't done yet. I put the ring back in her hand and she just kept staring and holding it for at least another 5 minutes. The second she let go of it, she closed her eyes and dozed off.

When we got Hercules, we let her play in Weslee's aquarium bouncer. It wasn't too long ago that she would just sit in it quietly while watching the bubbles. This time she kicked the fish and the seahorse with her feet. This activity seemed to bring her a new found joy in sitting in the bouncer :)

Gotta love those HAPPY FEET!

Shorty wanna bounce with me?

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)

Naomi has been one bouncy baby lately! Her legs are getting a lot stronger and she tries to stand when Richie and I hold her up on our legs or chest. Richie is a lot better about bouncing her up and down for lengthy amounts of time, but perhaps his arms needed a rest because he asked me when we could buy a bouncer for Mimi. She's still kinda bobble-head so I wasn't sure, but we ventured off to Babies R Us to test some out.

From 12 weeks

I took these pics with my BlackBerry. There were 10 or so different types to choose from, but this Precious Planets jumperoo was the cutest! Mimi was having a good time... just hanging out! She's a long baby, but at almost 3 months old her little legs are still too short to reach the ground :) Her tiny feet were dangling about 3 inches from the floor! The minimum age recommendation for most of the Excersaucers is 4 months, so we'll just have to come back later. Until then, Richie and I will continue bouncing our li'l shorty while exercising our arms... 'cuz just like Tigger - "bouncing's what babies do best!"