hooray!!!

here's our little cutie, celebrating at his one year birthday party.  we've been through a lot in the last few months - a funeral in hong kong, a wedding in denver, skiing in the mountains, and now we're finally settling back into routine.  gabe's been doing quite a bit himself too - walking, talking (kind of), and even sleeping 12+ hours a night.  everybody's happy!!!

and he had quite the entourage at his party:

miss bella

his old friend caleb!!

his girlfriend ellie...

...and baby alyssa!!

Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas to all our friends & family!!

9 months today

Happy 9 months to our little guy!

He's reached many milestones since our last post... he's now a proficient crawler, a furniture cruiser, happily eating chicken, loves peekaboo, pulls toys in and out of his toy bin, can choose his favorite books out of the stack, babbling lots of random dadas and goygoys and squawks amidst his laughter, steadily sleeping 10 hours a night and two "regular" naps during the day, and his first tooth appeared two days ago! Here's some other "growing" stuff:

He was seriously obsessed with "the wheels on the bus" - his favorite book. i had to reattach the wheels and some other moving parts multiple times. Josh had to finally hide it away... but he always find another book to satisfy him (and then wants me to read it again and again). He loves his books - especially anything with animals.

He's been watching "baby's first signs" and always smiles real big at his favorite parts - loves the cats and dogs, toy bears, moving cars, and kids drinking out of straws and sippy cups. and the little girl at the water fountain. He hasn't started signing yet, although he randomly does the "milk" sign, and we're seeing him start to wave hello a little...

He has a girlfriend. A few, in fact. Ellie (the butterfly) is a couple months older and she's always a few steps ahead - which is good for him. He likes to follow her everywhere, and they're starting to grab things from each other. Then there's Alyssa (3 months old), who we get to spend time w/ every week at our house. He's obsessed with her graco carseat and has recently stolen one of her toys. And we can't forget Bella (the grumpy penguin) who he doesn't get to see very often, but I sure wish he would eat as well as her...

So onto feeding. Ugh. This has been a big pain in the you know what. Every day, three times a day, it can be pretty painful. I am SO happy when feeding takes 10-15 minutes, when he opens his mouth - but that's pretty darn rare. You'd think he'd be a good eater, weighing in at 21 lbs. Sometimes I'm so determined to sit there until he eats the food i lovingly made, and forget that I'm not supposed to force him. It's my will vs. his will. So we resort to all sorts of shannanigans - playing with plastic cups and straws, cheerios, music, making him laugh (to open his mouth), and I bend down to pick up all the stuff he drops like 20x per meal. It gets really annoying. Lately, we started chicken, and he opens right up for my hand to go in... so we're going with the flow. The really weird thing is... he almost never has a problem eating when we're out - restaurants, friend's houses - I think it's the distractions. I discovered that it's not really about the food - he doesn't seem to really discriminate tastes or textures that much (except for the chicken?) So as long as he's happy and entertained, he does well. Like when we go out to eat, it's wonderful. Weird, right? ok, enough about food. oh what fun it has been, though. a MAJOR test of patience for mom.

But every night, after a long tiring day, he falls asleep like a wet noodle, and my heart melts all over again. We sing Jesus Loves Me, and while he's in my arms, I pray for his salvation, safety, and sleep. And then I can't wait to peek in his crib when he wakes up the next morning. It's hard and long, and I can't see the end... but man, I love this job.

-gabriel's mommy.

One Very Happy Camper.

He finally got his jumper, and loves it (yay for craig's list!). I know I post a lot of pictures of Gabriel smiling... but really, he does smile a lot. He's a pretty happy kid. You can watch a video of him in his new jumper here.

I can't believe he's growing up so fast! He's eating better... peas, sweet potatoes, green beans, peaches, apricots, bananas, pears, zucchini, yellow & butternut squash... and all homemade and spoon-fed by mommy - what a life. But best of all, he's sleeping well through the night - it's a new mom's dream come true. Really a huge sigh of relief. So, from all that eating and sleeping, he's a pretty consistent guy so far in his growth. Since we're keeping tabs, here were his 6 month checkup stats:

Weight: 20 lbs., 3 oz. (90th%... still!)
Height: 28.25 inches (95th%)
Head circ: 44.5 cm. (75th%)

What a chub!! He does look like he's thinning out, though... we can see it in his face. And getting longer, I suppose. Growing to be nice and tall =) And did I mention that he's already starting to crawl!!??

Lots of new pictures & vids - come check 'em out!! www.picasaweb.google.com/tao.sarah

I'm Six Months Old Today!

Hi everyone! My name is Gabriel, I'm now officially six months old, and I think I've got stuff pretty much figured out. You better keep an eye on me... 'cause I can roll around, knock expensive things off tables, stick pretty much anything in my mouth (even my toes), and watch TV when you're not looking. I love making weird squawking noises and then laughing at myself... I can blow raspberries and make fishfaces, and I LOVE being surprised and being thrown up in the air. I flash my toothless, goofy grin at strangers at the grocery store, and I figured out that my winning smile can pretty much get me whatever I want. Either that, or if I cry long and hard enough, mommy and daddy will pick me up. They say I'm spoiled, since I can somehow end up in bed with them by the morning. It's the best.

I'm still getting used to eating from a spoon - sometimes I eat a lot, sometimes I just don't feel like it. But bananas and apricots are pretty yummy... although Mommy's milk is ALWAYS my favorite. I am most unhappy during car rides (hear me scream!!), but at least I've gotten to see lots of fun places already - like the zoo (twice!), the botannical gardens, the children's museum, lots of restaurants, outdoor concerts, the swimming pool, and lots of coffee shops and bookstores. I love facing out in my Bjorn and seeing the world around me, and I especially love watching other babies. It sure is fun! Will I always get to be the center of attention everywhere I go?

My favorite toy... is definitely my exersaucer. Did you see how I can stand up and jump in it like a big boy?? Mommy and Daddy are happy with it too, since they finally get to eat meals together. I tried out a Fisher Price jumper in Babies R Us and squealed with delight when I found out how high I could jump in that one!! I'm still waiting for Mommy to buy it for me.

Best of all, I have soooo many people who love me. At least, they sure do kiss my cheeks a whole lot... and call me all kinds of cute nicknames (mostly having to do with my chubbiness). I have lots of aunties and uncles who have come to visit, my po-po just came again for 2 whole weeks, and I'm taking my second airplane ride to Houston in a couple weekends to see my nai-nai and yeh-yeh. Hooray, I can't wait!

getting cuter everyday...

Priceless

Gabe's expressions are priceless!! My good friends Esther & Lydia came to visit the little guy, and esther took some pretty sweet family photos for us out in Forest Park. We'd like to invite you to see more here! Thanks again, es! Gabe misses you both already.

weigh-in #2

specs at 4 months:

weight 18lbs, 2oz. (95th%)
length 26.75 inches (95th%)


looks just like daddy except with mommy's pretty eyes. =)

the weigh-in

specs at 2 months:

weight: 15lbs, 12oz (>97th%)
length: 24.25 inches (95th%)

big boy!!!

if you haven't checked lately, we've also posted videos on our picasa site:

www.picasaweb.google.com/tao.sarah

our little chubsicle

tummy time!

gabe has started opening his eyes more everyday, but we have to catch him in the act... before he falls back asleep. even rarer still is when we catch a smile on camera. still not sleeping in his bassinet at night... he sleeps curled up like a little ball on his tummy on mommy or daddy's chest. so much for avoiding that co-sleeping!

Gabe's first week home

Here's some of our favorite snapshots from this week:

... and for (lots) more pictures, goto www.picasaweb.google.com/tao.sarah

check back frequently for updates! enjoy!

gabriel song-en tao

Born: 2/14/08 at 11:55pm

Weight: 8lbs 12oz Length: 21.7 inches

Thanks for everyone's prayers!!!

40 weeks

The day's almost here!! Please pray for us :)

Baby, will you come out soon?

Come out to play!! We've been waiting almost 9 long months now, and we can finally count the days left on our fingers. We're hoping for an extra special Valentine's Day present this year. or earlier. Any day now would be just grand...

So, no ultrasound since what, last September? Mommy and Daddy are obviously eager to see what this little guy looks like, sounds like, smells like... I know, every parent out there is telling me to be patient and keep him in there as long as possible. But now that he's almost here, we can hardly contain our excitement. Is it strange that I'm sitting here, hoping that I'll feel a contraction soon? don't laugh.


Questions, questions, questions. So.. the doc said to me at my 36 week checkup, "Uh, Sarah... this is definitely not a small baby." In his estimate, if this guy comes out past his due date, like closer to 41+ weeks, it's looking closer to 9 lbs. Although, he says (with a wink) that he's allowed to be off a pound or two. That... is a bit intimidating to a first-time mom. Although, it's hard to believe the baby is that big. I don't feel that big (well, most of the time). And I haven't gained much weight, really. 20 pounds? Ever since my belly started growing, my stomach started shrinking, so IF my baby is really that big, well... it really must be all baby down there.


So, we've been discussing the option of an induction, just in case he doesn't pop out this next week. Not really jumping at the idea, but our doc says since he's a big one, he wants to mitigate any birth complications, and according to him there's no downside... since i'm ready to go, baby's positioned well, only getting bigger, and i'm already 3cm dialated. maybe more than you wanted to know, but there you have it. Any words of wisdom out there?


Question number 2: to have an epidural or to not? I'd like to try without. but i'm open to it. haha. doesn't say much about my stance, huh. I guess I'm just going to go with the flow and figure things out along the way. I know that any pain I have to endure will be far outweighed by bringing this new love into the world. Plus, this pregnancy has been smooth as butter so far (lucky me!!!) so hopefully it'll be a pleasant experience all around.


I'm 39 and 1 today. And I think we're both as ready as we can be. :)

Pregnant me.

Ok, so everyone's asking for belly pics. Now that I'm in my 38th week, I figured I better post some pictures before the little guy arrives.

It's nice to have friends who are so excited for you. :)

here we are at sam & ellen's wedding out in california.
i'm a nice, round 6 months.

7 months and counting.

there's definitely someone moving around in there...

babies seem to be drawn to the tummy... maybe they have an instinctive knowledge of that familiar place. or maybe it was the polkadots...

here's a more recent picture from the beginning of 2008.

8 months pregnant, and getting bigger!!

two very pregnant ladies... awaiting their precious little ones in February...

see more pics at www.picasaweb.google.com/tao.sarah

goofing off - still in CA

now THIS is what i call an action shot:
mike and i attempted this next pose outside the getty museum. he's obviously much better than i am, but we're both missing the boobs.

more pics from our trip(s) soon to be uploaded to picasa web...

salmonella's wedding

say "sam and ellen" ten times fast and you start getting "salmonella", according to best man and little bro stephen wu. =) we were also in southern california for this wedding - more fun with old friends...congrats guys!!!
apparently jocie has no shame. this pic will be infamous during her own wedding slideshow in 20+ years. way to go lees!!

i love this pic - lots of man love.

celebrations

we spent the first half of our vacation in southern california...i think we've been here three times in the last two years!! just can't get enough of good food, family, and friends...

there's always a reason to celebrate, isn't there? this time we congratulated sarah's cousin elaine on her engagement to xuong - they're getting married in hawaii, of course. and we got to surprise sarah's uncle on his 60th birthday. if you were at our wedding you might remember these special people...

bun in the oven!!

ok, so these are very late pics...but seeing as we will be seeing some of you very soon, i've decided to post these of sarah from 2 weeks ago. we got this idea from some pics online and decided to jointly make a costume from scratch - and a cheap one, too!! if you look closely, those are the dials from our stovetop and the handle from one of our drawers.

we're flying to southern california tomorrow and we'll be in houston next week for thanksgiving. see you soon!!