April at Adela's

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:9-10)



April was Naomi's third month at Adela's World of the Children Daycare and she is growing by leaps and bounds! Our princess baby is now a super cruiser. She just picks herself up and grabs a hold of whatever can keep her steady and inches along on her little feet. There have been a few times that I've seen her stand and balance without any support. At those times, Mimi hasn't stepped forward, but maybe she has at school. She sure seems brave enough to stand on top of this chair:



One of the funnest features that I would enjoy if I was a kid going to school at Adela's is the tub of bouncing balls =) I remember Naomi and I went to Adela's to let her know that we had chosen her home to bring Mimi. She was apprehensive about letting me put her down even though I wasn't going anywhere. She would start to cry and hold onto my neck. But then Adela put Max in the tub of balls and Mimi, looked intrigued. I placed her in there and she didn't cry. I wouldn't say she was excited or even happy, but she was silent. That was in January... Now look at her!

From April at Adela's

Richie is the one who always picks her up and he tells me that Friday is "Party Day!" That's usually when most (if not all) of the kids are there at Adela's. When he gets her at the end of the day, there are more toys... and more noise! Up until a few days ago, there were only 5 kids total, but there's a new boy named Troy who joined the club. I think Mimi is still the only full-timer.



I've been told that when Adela or her daughter/helper Leslie speaks to Naomi in Spanish, she responds accordingly. She probably knows a lot at school, but at home, we ask her to aplaude/clap and give a besito/little kiss. Now when Richie or I say goodbye, she waves and gives a flying kiss =) Also, if I'm on the phone and then say bye, she'll say "bye", too when I hang up.

Here's another funny story to show Ganda's smart and playful personality. Adela told me that one day, Naomi went up to Max and gestured to kiss him..this usually means opening her mouth and leaning forward. So Max moves his head closer to Mimi's. As Naomi leans in to kiss Max on the forehead, she also sneakily grabs the toy that Max is holding in his hand. SWOOPED!! Both Adela and Leslie looked at each other, "Did you see that?!" and started laughing! Then Naomi just smiles, too and crawls away... with her steal in hand! Max didn't know what hit him.... poor boy didn't have a chance against Ganda's slick move!



After that story, Richie suggested that I have a little talk with our daughter. With Daddy nearby, I told Naomi, quite seriously I might add, that she was NOT allowed to kiss boys. Even if he was just her friend. And especially NOT to get her way. She might be young, but she is very sharp and appeared to understand. As I held her in my lap, at first she wouldn't look me in the eye and tried to squirm away. I'm not in the mood for a lecture, Ma! As I gently persisted, she finally looked at me bashfully and then buried her head in my neck. She didn't shed a tear, but her actions spoke louder than words. Mommy, I didn't mean any harm, but now I know and I'm sorry. Oh my, what a Precious child!

Well, it won't be for a while, but when Naomi does become a big sister, she's going to be just a wonderful little helper and a second mommy to her sibling. Adela said that everyday, Mimi goes to this one section of the shelves and plays with the dolls. It's like her own little space where she gently touches the parts of their faces and even feeds them a bottle. TOO CUTE and SO SWEET!



I still can't believe that she's going to be one in a matter of days. If I could freeze her at this stage for a little while, I would. Alas, I just have to cherish each moment and tuck away the memories of each passing day. Luckily I have this blog to look back on and I know when Naomi is old enough to appreciate it, she'll be amazed at how much she's grown!

Comic Relief

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. (Psalm 47:1)

Naomi is quite the comedian. In the middle of last night, she wakes up and decides that she's not sleepy anymore. It probably had a lot to do with the almost 4-hour nap she took during the day. I had considered waking her up after 2.5 hours since I didn't want to mess with her sleep cycle, but Richie assured me that she would be fine. HA! Alas, I digress...

So it's 2:15AM and Mimi is talking to herself while laying down on the bed, in between Richie and me. We both tell her to go back to sleep and she just babbles on. So Richie turns over and let's one rip... He "cut the cheese" LOUD and proud!

Without missing a beat, Naomi says, "Papa, poo-poo"... And makes a loud bubbly fart noise with her lips and tongue! LOL! Richie and I just started busting up! Even though it was dark, I could still see Naomi smiling at her own joke =P

Then she gets up and wants to clap her hands... For the next 30 minutes! This is her latest accomplishment and she seemed excited to show off. Absolutely adorable... But at 3AM!? C'mon Mimster! Mommy and Daddy have work tomorrow!

So there she was bouncing up and down on the bed, clapping for joy. You gotta love that type of innocence =) Naomi is truly sweet. And quite funny, too!

I just had to share but now it's time for me to wake up and get that cup of coffee...

first tooth

Oh yeah!

Mimi's first tooth popped out

a couple of weeks ago.

How could I forget to share?

Silly me.

SEE!?

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

HAPPY GEN-EASTER!

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)



Naomi's First Easter.... WOO HOO!! Christ is risen!! On Saturday, we watched a musical drama presentation at Cornerstone called "All Who Hunger" with our new friends the Gonzales Family. Baby Malaya wasn't able to come out to play, but Naomi stayed at the nursery while we enjoyed the show. Afterwards, Grandma Lily and Titas Eva and Angeline came over for a pizza party =) They gave her a basket of goodies, including some adorable bunny ears!



On Easter Sunday, we went to a party, not only to celebrate our Savior's resurrection, but also to wish Genina a Happy 30th birthday. Lots of people were decked out in their 80s gear, but Naomi took home the "Best Dressed Baby" prize.... she well-deserved it!



There was a "Star Search" talent show/dance-off. Richie sang the theme from Growing Pains and I did my version of "It's Tricky" by Run DMC. Lots of fun and laughs all around! Here's what Richie and I would have dressed like if we met in junior high =P



Everyone also shared stories or words of advice for our lovely Genina. Even though it was raining cats and dogs all day, that didn't damper our spirits. The Lord's presence was among us and we all had a TOTALLY RAD time!

From Easter 80s

Children's Fairyland

You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for ever more. (Psalm 16:11)

From Fairyland

A few weeks ago, we had a playdate at Children's Fairyland near Lake Merritt in Oakland. We went with our dear friends the Francisco's. Melissa and Chris are parents to Cathleya, a super intelligent 2 and a half year old, and they are expecting a son in July =)



Richie and I wanted to check out Fairyland as a possible birthday location for Naomi and I also wanted to take my god-daughter somewhere specifically for her to have fun since Melissa and I usually meet up for lunch at a restaurant. Fairyland has been around for 60 years and, supposedly, was Walt Disney's inspiration to create a children's amusement park. It's no Disneyland, but it's quite charming. Very young children will think this place is huge and it's totally catered to them.



Naomi was all smiles and was enjoying the sites and sounds. She's probably have more fun when she's 2 years old and can roam around and explore on her own two feet. Somewhere on Yelp! a reviewer said that "you should bring your kids to Fairyland before bringing them to Disneyland." Well... consider it done! Fairyland was fun, but it's no Disneyland. We probably won't go back to Fairyland until she's old enough to say she'd like to go when asked, but.... next month, Disneyland, here we come!!

Gone Fishin'

Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" (Mark 1:17)

Richie and I bought a boat while Naomi was still baking in my womb. We had started fishing together as a hobby the year before and came across a great deal for a Porta-bote at a Sportsman Expo and couldn't pass it up.

From Gone Fishin'

Richie has gone out on the boat several times, both by himself and with other male companions, but I hadn't gone with him yet until last weekend. My original plan was to go on the boat without Naomi first, to "test the waters," but we ended up having our first boating experience together afterall.



We bought her a baby life-vest when she wasn't born yet, too. I thought that she might squirm when I put it on her, but she was in fisherbaby's heaven! She was so amazed and in awe of her new surroundings. With the fresh breeze blowing and the warm sun shining, we headed to the other side of the lake to have a picnic and enjoy the day.



While riding the boat, was telling Naomi, "You're our lucky charm. Daddy's gonna catch a fish today, because you are here with us!" When we got to our destination and hopped out of the boat, Richie cast his fishing line while I got the food ready. Moments after we sat down to eat, his line took off! First bite of the day!



Naomi was so appropriate in her reaction. =) First awe while he reeled it in. Then curiosity as he held up a wonderful trout and took the hook out of its mouth. But the best was when Richie goes, "Wanna touch it?" and brought the fish closer to her. Mimi moved her head back and made a scrunchy face like "Gross!" Hahah! It was the cutest thing!



Richie has caught fish on the boat at other locations, but this was the first fish that Richie had caught on the lake... actually, it was the first fish he caught this year! God must have wanted Naomi to have the full experience and see what this fishing thing is all about =) We ate our lunch, happy as can be and after the picnic we just cruised the lake. Naptime was coming soon, so when she started getting antsy, we headed back to shore.

It was a great time for us to enjoy the lovely weather and our fun hobby... and of course, precious family time on the weekend =) Now that I know Naomi enjoys the boat, Papa will definitely have more company while he's "GONE FISHING!"