Jun
17
Stroller Update
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After a long battle of “should we / should we not” mental and wallet consideration, we finally purchased the Bugaboo Bee. It is pricier than most but I can’t get myself to like anything else out there. I ordered it online, so I’ll receive in a few days. I’m so excited to finally use it. I went to the store a few times just to look at this thing. I hope it meets my expectation.
Feb
27
Changes
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Little Sam is now a little over 5 months old now, how time flies. There were a couple of relatively big changes that occurred just today. Samantha is now sleeping in her own crib in the nursery (yes, she’s been in a co-sleeper with us up until now, and sometimes even on our bed when taking naps). She’s transitioned surprisingly well, hopefully it’ll be as smooth during night sleep as well. And second, she ate some bottled baby formula today! She’d been breastfed or having bottled breastmilk 100% of the time until today (good job, Mommy). I knew she’d have a little protest when first tasting formula (last night), but she finally ate about 1 oz just a little while ago after her bath. Cool. At least I know now she has alternative foods when stuck without her favorite.
Feb
12
Samantha in HD!
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Any video footage of little Samantha you ask? Good question. Especially since I do some video work as part of my living, you’d think I’d have a lot. I guess there’s been a couple of reasons why the delay. Video, especially home video, sometimes has a reputation (and rightfully so) as being painful to watch. I fear developing a library of boring, unwatchable footage of our daughter. I didn’t want to amass a collection of material that Samantha would want nothing to do with when she gets older.
I needed a creative workaround. Let’s treat video just like photography and show snippets/captures of time! A first xmas, a funny expression, any memorable instance. No time for full features or storyboards either. Keep it short. And its all about fun with the gear and technology too!
Then one day as I was deconstructing an animation piece of a motion designer I admire (it helps me learn software and thought processes), it turned out to be a perfect template for some fun with Samantha video (so I can’t take credit for the design, but the actual content is mine own of course). Lets create a small series of short vids, with a fun opener.
Well, here are the initial results. Sorry Windows/IE users, they’re quicktime .movs for now (with my parental and work responsibilities, its the quickest workflow if I’m to do this at all). Either download QT/iTunes or toss them onto your ipod to watch on your way to work (cause I know you want to watch Sam all day long 
). Maybe if I have time to figure out the whole Facebook youTube Vimeo Podcast thingy one day, it’ll be more accessible. Any suggestions, do share!
Dec
8
No Pink
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Christmas is coming soon. Samantha is not expecting gifts from anyone other than Santa. However, if there happens to be a very kind and gracious individual planning to find her some clothes or something this year and are reading this, please… NO MORE PINK! I know she’s a girl and all, but just don’t…don’t do it..
She looks so nice in black and brown too… or what about gray? Tan?
Dec
7
Samantha Update 12/08
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With the economy in shambles and winter hibernation upon us, I guess you could say I’ve been keeping busy. In addition to caring for Sam, I’ve been trying to make good use of any down time by self teaching myself some new marketable skills sets for the coming new year (something I’ve been wanting to do the entire year but procrastinated).
Samantha has generally been making good progress. Having been a “textbook baby” all this time (according to the author of one baby book I’ve read) she’s been mostly predictable in her ways. Peak fussiness did take over around 6-8 weeks then started to decline, and becoming more socially aware and smiling around this time as well. We keep her on a strict schedule for the most part, feeding every 3 hours, not letting her stay awake for more than 1-2 hours at a time (feeding the brain), and giving her daily activities like tummy time/massage/music. She hasn’t fed from a bottle since around 5 weeks and in fact, outright rejects it when I try to give it to her (tip for soon-to-be parents: try not to skip any days of giving a relief bottle while breastfeeding.. some babies do not take change very well at all and will become too comfortable on mom’s breast). So it’ll be interesting how I handle the days when Joanne is out for more than a few hours. Its quite a vulnerable feeling for a baby to stare at you and know that you have no food options that they’ll accept. She currently seems to have transitioned from a “textbook baby” to somewhat what of a “touchy baby” hybrid, as she is quite sensitive noises while sleeping and the slightest changes in routine sometimes. Maybe we need to get her out more, which we plan.
Coming up on 3 months soon, and I’m looking forward to playing with her as she’ll be much more socially active during her wakeful periods. Learning toys, reading, massage and music come to mind initially. Looking forward to spring time too when we’ll be able to spend more stimulation time outside. I can start wearing her backpack style too with my Ergo carrier (as opposed to on my chest) while she checks out all the trees and birds. All in all, we’ve been very happy with her progress, and we’ll continue to wing it and pretend we know what we’re doing, as most new parents are I’m sure
By the way, apparently Joanne’s parents have settled on a chinese name for Sam. Its “Wong Yik Fay” in cantonese (sounds a little like saying “flying chicken wing”), and we have to clarify the exact meaning of it with them. We requested to stay away from any meanings based on superficial qualities like cuteness or being stunningly pretty or adorable. Way too cliche and without substance in my opinion, this world already has enough of that. I was hoping more along the lines of “adaptability”. I’d like her to be creative and mold her way though any situations encountered. After all, wasn’t it the wisest philosopher of all time who said to be adaptable, like water, my friend..
I hope you all don’t let the economic blues get you down this season, and find the time to be productive and creative without the need to spend a lot of dough. Happy holidays everyone.
Dec
7
Like Father Like Daughter, Part 2
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What do you think?
Nov
21
It’s been a busy week for Samantha. 2 months bday party for her on Saturday, shots on Tuesday and a visit to my office on Wednesday. I don’t know if it’s all the commotion or what, but Samantha has been extremely fussy whenever its time for her to sleep. She just wouldn’t go to sleep. She’s fine when she is awake but once we tried to put her to sleep that is when she gets really fussy. I don’t know what to do with her at this point. Brian has been working onsite all this week, so I am all by myself with her. Having this child made me realize that I really don’t have as much patience as I thought I have. So what then…how am I surviving this??? I’ve been wearing her around the house all day long. As comfortable as my carrier is there’s still lots of pressure on my back. Carrying her allows me to do only a few things such as bathroom, computer, tv, read…but I can not cook or eat or clean. This week being alone gave me another realization. Maybe I am not the stay at home type of mom that I always wanted to be. Maybe I am better off working. In any case, this week of experience kicked my ass and I have updated my resume and porfolio and it is ready to be send off. We need a nanny now. *sigh*
Nov
4
What do you think?
Nov
4
Seaweed head
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A nice afternoon lunch at our favorite sushi place, Sea Ranch in Evanston. This is what happens when you don’t cover your baby’s head while eating seaweed salad. 
Oct
15
Primo Eurobath tub
Infant Bath Seat
We been using the Primo Eurobath tub on Sam but she’s so small that she slides all over the place in this tub. So we searched online and brought the Primo Infant Bath Seat. We tried it out tonight and Sam did not cry or fuss. I finally gave her a decent bath. Yeah!