The announcement

For those of you who didn't know, I found out the sex of the baby at my last doctor's appointment the last week of November. Trung wanted to wait and find out with his family on Christmas Day, so I had to be careful not to slip for almost a month. It sure was tough keeping such a secret from Trung, but it was well worth the wait witnessing his and his family's reactions to the news.

Back in Texas

Our flight was at 6:55 AM this morning, so we woke up at 4:15 AM to finish packing and to load our luggage into the car. We ate a quick breakfast and then woke up Lydia at the last minute, so as to expedite the departure with to interruptions. Sing & Maggie took the same flight as we did, but they didn't have enough room in their rental car for our luggage (4 check-ins and 3 carry-ons), so Toan drove us to the airport. As luck would have it (again), the flight was not full, so Lydia got to have her own seat. She fell asleep soon after take-off and woke up about fifteen minutes before we landed. *Note to self: Lydia is more likely to sleep if we take an earlier flight.*

Jimmy picked us up from Hobby Airport and dropped us off at my parents' house, where we had a bite to eat and then took a nap. Sasha looked quite fat when we saw her; I don't know if it's because we were playing with little kittens these past two weeks or if Sasha has been veging out. I guess I'll have to start portioning out her food again. Later we went to Mike's townhouse to help with some odds and end, and then off to Jimmy's house to visit with some younger church kids. Lydia missed her afternoon nap, so hopefully she will sleep well tonight despite the time change. Tomorrow we head home and our vacation is pretty much unofficially over. It has been great fun, but we sure do miss our home oh, and sleep.

Beach Day

Today we went to Ft. Desoto Beach with whoever was left of the family. I had intended to make pancakes for breakfast that morning, but Lydia woke up at 5 AM and then at 6 AM, the earliest that she had the entire vacation. So, I took a nap while she took hers and woke up just in time to get ready to hit the beach. We had a great time eating Vietnamese sandwiches and frolicking in the sand. Lydia especially loved splashing in the water with Daddy; she's such a water baby! :)

Several people got together to build a sand castle, and then decided to destroy it.
Before...and after...

Lydia took a nap on the way home from the beach and we had Mai's homemade pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) for dinner; the pho was a delicious way to end our vacation. Then we said our good-byes and headed back to Toan's house to put Lydia to sleep and to finish packing. We also played a couple rounds of Pictionary before heading off to bed.

Latest news from Tampa

The Ly family members are slowly going their separate ways now that the wedding and Christmas are over. The first to go were Tai and Paula on the 26th; and today, An, Angie, Jacob, and Angie's mother headed back to Maryland. They dropped by on their way to the airport to say "goodbye". Fortunately, Lydia woke up from her nap just in time to blow them kisses. Sing & Maggie and our family are leaving Sunday morning; it will be nice to get back into a routine and get a good night's sleep, but we'll miss everyone.

Trung lifting 40 pounds, the most he's lifted in awhile :P

Other news...I finished reading the last Harry Potter book, which I thought was pretty good. I haven't read a book in so long, so it was nice to finally find time to read something. Also, as of today, I have 100 days to go until the baby's due date. I was relieved when I hit the 25 week mark because the chances of a baby surviving if born prematurely after that time is much higher. These next few months will seem long, but will probably end up flying by just like these past 15 1/2 months with Lydia. Upon my return to Austin, I plan on joining a gym to swim (which I believe helped shorten my labor the first time around) and I have the gestational diabetes doctor's appointment. I sure do hope that comes out negative since I've been eating too many sweets since I've been here. :/

Lydia catching a lift

Today has been a pretty slow, relaxing day thus far. Trung has gone to the mall with four others , while Lydia is napping and I'm finishing up the last quarter of Harry Potter book #7. It's been nice having older nieces and nephews around to watch and play with Lydia . She had a great time getting pushed around in a cardboard box last night by her cousin Kaitlyn.

Family Christmas

Trung, Grace, & Lydia

The Ly Family Clan (plus some special guests & sans Sing & Maggie)

Lydia opens her first Christmas gift

Merry Christmas!

We're having a ...
That's right, Lydia is having a little sister! :) Christmas photos to be posted very soon and a clip of Trung's reaction to the announcement of the gender to be posted upon editing after our return home.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Oh Happy Day is the eve of Christmas...

Sing and Maggie arrived last night, rounding up the Ly family headcount to 21! Today they got married at Clearwater Beach; it was a very unique and special event. Here's Trung, Lydia, and I before the tea ceremony at Ma & Ba's house; Lydia took a nap soon after as to prepare for the long day ahead. The whole Ly family clan next to the heart of flowers in which Sing and Maggie were wed....
Lydia contributing a flower to the heart of flowers...
The newlyweds...
Congratulations, Sing and Maggie! Welcome to the Ly family, Maggie!

Relaxing with the relatives

Last night's rib dinner turned out pretty good. Trung and I were able to prepare everything by 6:45 PM as Lydia frolicked in the jacuzzi with Uncle Tai and Cousin Daniel. She had a grand ole time drinking the water and jumping/walking into Tai's arms; she's gotten quite brave these last few days.So, Trung bought spare ribs instead of baby back ribs, so I was not quite sure it would taste the same, but it was close enough. We also had guacamole, salad, grilled red bell peppers, sauteed green beans, potato salad, bread, and petite cheesecakes for dessert. Everyone seemed satisfied and stuffed when they left, so we were happy. :) Whew, our turn to cook was over; now we can just eat eat eat. Also, Tai's wife Paula came into town late that night to make the head count to 19; all we need is the bride and groom to arrive Sunday night and we're all here!

Today Trung and five other family members went to Universal Studios; they are still not home so I bet they are enjoying themselves. Lydia and I stayed home and chilled with Teresa, Amanda, and about five of Amanda's closest friends. Lydia got to dip in the pool with them; she enjoyed hanging out with the big girls.

Food and more food

Yesterday morning Ma, Angie's mother (An's mother-in-law), and I went to a produce market. I bought 4 bags of fresh fruits and vegetables for $12! Of course I also picked up Plant City's famous strawberry shortcakes to go. Ma dropped me off at Toan's house where we had sandwiches for lunch. Then the guys went to watch "I Am Legend" while Amanda and I watched "Enchanted"; Teresa kindly watched Lydia for us. The movie was entertaining and I'm glad I finally got a chance to watch it.

After dinner at Ma & Ba's house, the guys came over to Toan's house to play Warcraft 3, an addicting computer game. I continued reading Amanda's Harry Potter book 7 and soon retired for the night. Mai (Trung's only sister, kid #2 between Toan and An) and her family arrived around midnight, making the headcount to 18!

We haven't done much today, though Lydia and I got to watch the kittens at play.

Lydia also learned to climb down the stairs sometimes with and without assistance, but with constant supervision. After her nap, we're having hot pot at Ma & Ba's house and tonight Trung and I are making baby back ribs for all 18 people. We decided to take turns cooking this year to give Ma and Toan's family a break every now and then.

And then there was 13

Here's what Lydia did this morning...

Every day we stay at Toan & Teresa's house until after Lydia gets up from her morning nap. Afterwards, we go to Ba & Ma's house for lunch. Then back again to Toan's so Lydia can take her afternoon nap, and then back to the in-law's for dinner. Today I just went back with Lydia after lunch so that Trung and Tai could put up Ma's brand new 32" Samsung LCD TV in the kitchen; supposedly a Christmas present to herself, but the kids will probably all end up pitching in for it since she rarely ever wants anything.

After Lydia's afternoon nap, we headed back to Ma & Ba's house and waited for An's family to arrive; An is brother #2. We all got to meet baby Jacob for the first time since his birth in March! The Ly family headcount is now up to 13 with plenty more people to come. Here's a picture of Trung & Lydia and An & Jacob.

Lydia's present for Ma & Ba

After having lunch today at Ma & Ba's house, Lydia had a very dirty diaper. I'm talking all the way up her back and in her hair. So, Ma gave Lydia a mini bath and we changed her into a shirt that we somehow were able to find amongst all of Ba's things. The yellow shirt was about two sizes too big and had "Batman" written on it. Lydia really did look like a little boy and seemed to enjoy it.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

Yippee!!! We've made it to Florida, but not after a loooooong plane ride yesterday. The flight itself was less than two hours long and direct; it was Lydia that made this flight feel like the longest one we've ever taken. After our experiences with our last trip, I thought Lydia would surely behave just as well if not better since she was older. I did everything the same as before, but for some reason, Lydia was just not up to sleeping that day. Several other children were aboard the plane, but I think Lydia was the only one crying practically the entire time. Sorry, peeps, at least it was a short ride. :/ Trung and I had to switch seats about 3/4 of the way because I needed a break. We think Lydia was upset about having to be back in her infant carseat again (it's much more portable than her current one) and because she was strapped in again after a 45 minute ride to the airport beforehand. The flight was half full and we got an extra seat for Lydia's carseat, but it almost defeated the purpose when she didn't even want to be in it.

Anyhow...we're here and that's what matters. Trung's oldest brother Toan picked us up from the airport in his brand new Acura. On the ride to his house, Lydia fell asleep for about 20 minutes, which would be the only nap she got all day. We waited for our nephew and niece, Daniel and Amanda, to come home from school and then headed off to the in-laws' house for dinner. We put Lydia to bed at 7:45 PM (EST) and she feel asleep almost immediately because she was so tired; I went to sleep soon after.

This morning we had an early wake up call because the host family got up at 6:30ish. We are currently sleeping upstairs in a loft-like area where there are no doors, so we could hear every cling and clang coming from the kitchen. Wow, what a difference a door makes! :P It's all good; we can always take a nap if needed. Oh, I had some company during my blogging session today. Meet Esay (short for Esmeralda) and Wooly, the newest members to Toan's family.

No real plans for today, just maybe lunch at Ma & Ba's house, and chilling the rest of the day with Toan's family. Tai, brother #3, flies in late tonight, which will bring the Ly family head count to 10.

Houston for a day

We left for Houston this morning around 10:45 AM, though we had intended to leave around 10.  So, we arrived around 1 PM and met Mike and Jimmy & Jason at Fuddrucker's.  I didn't think I was in the mood for a hamburger, but boy, was it good!  Then again, anything is good when you're starving.  Afterwards, Trung, Lydia, and I went to Mike's new townhome; he just moved in a couple of weeks ago.  It was very nice and very "bachelor-like" with the fridge filled with only an assortment of beverages and a to-go box.  :)

When we got to my parents' house, Trung and Lydia took naps while I went to Jimmy's house to help decorate their Christmas tree and to deliver the kids first Christmas gifts (and a birthday gift for the Christmas baby, Jason).  Then back to my parents' house I went to have hot pot with the entire family and Tiff & Christian. Tiff knows everyone in my family pretty well, so we all had a good time. Too bad we didn't get to spend that much time with my family for Christmas since our flight is tomorrow morning, but we'll be back in a couple of weeks for a couple of days; plus they got to have us all week for Thanksgiving!  There just isn't enough of us to go around!  :)

 

Sing & Maggie Day

The men took Sing, Trung's younger brother and the youngest of the Ly family, out all day to celebrate "his last days of freedom"; he is tying the knot on Christmas Eve in Florida. As far as I am aware of, they had BBQ for lunch, went race car driving, played some Wii, ate dinner, and then played poker. I guess these are activities considered "fun" to a guy. *shrug*

The ladies, on the other hand, had a short, but sweet gathering for Maggie. We met for some snacks and presented Maggie with hopefully Sing-pleasing lingerie. A few ladies went to dinner afterwards at Jeffrey's while the mommies when home to tend to the kids. Congratulations Sing and Maggie, we are "finally" looking forward to your big day (after over eight years)! :P

One more day and counting...

Trung has to work one more day tomorrow and then he's done for the rest of the year...YIPPEE!! In the meantime, I've begun packing for Lydia and myself for a whooping 15 days! The weather can change so much during that length of time, especially in Tampa, so I've really got to plan it out well. For example, last year Lydia and I took a dip in the pool on Christmas Eve, but then it was chilly and rained on Christmas Day. The 10 day weather forecast for Florida seems to be in the 70s and 80s, which is good since I only have a few warm articles of maternity clothing. I figure that I can always layer or slip on an unzipped jacket rather than purchase any more clothes.

Anyhow, the plan is to leave for Houston Sunday morning, meet up with Tiff sometime during the afternoon, and have hot pot with my family that evening. Our flight leaves Monday morning from Hobby Airport and we return on the 30th. This Christmas we've got a new nephew to meet, a beach wedding to attend, and an elfster gift exchange to do. 'Tis the season of family and fun! :)

Yet another phase

This past week, Lydia has been going through her long naps, less food stage. She used to take two 1.5 to 2 hour naps, but then a couple of weeks ago, she started getting dirty diapers during her morning naps and would wake up after about thirty minutes. Sometimes Lydia would go back to sleep after her diaper was changed, but usually not. Plus, her afternoon naps would last for no more than an hour at a time.

Okay, so back to this past week...Lydia has been sleeping about 2.5 hours during her morning nap and about 1-1.5 hours for her afternoon nap. Thankfully, she has her poopy diapers after she wakes up, so she sleeps without any interruptions. Also, Lydia eats only about half as much as she used to. Trung and I have noticed her round and profound tummy going down a little, but she still sleeps almost twelve hours at night. Fussiness comes frequently; Lydia will throw her head back and sometimes refuse to eat anything. Hopefully this is yet another phase that will soon pass, at least the eating part.

The next Mia Hamm

Trung discovered yesterday that Lydia could dribble a ball with her feet. To my amazement, the little squirt showed me today that she really could. Now, all I need is a minivan and then I'll be a bonafide soccer mom. :)

Congrats!

Congratulations to my cousin Grace and her husband Edward on graduating today with their doctorates. Wow, what an accomplishment! We got to celebrate with them during dinner at Shanghai Restaurant, which was actually not too bad since we've only eaten there for dim-sum. My church friend Rebekah's little brother TJ also graduated today, so she was in town from Boston to attend the graduation. She got a chance to drop by the house after dinner to meet Lydia and for us to catch up on the last year and a half. Interesting stuff...a waitress at Shanghai Restaurant struck up a conversation with me and told me that she knows someone that is trying to potty train her four month old. And I thought training Lydia now was too early! Also, Rebekah told me that a friend of hers just delivered her baby at 23 weeks...and I'm 23 weeks to the day today! Hopefully since Lydia was full-term, this baby will be too, but everything is in God's hands from the moment the baby was conceived. It's crazy how so many things can go wrong during a pregnancy; babies are truly miracles.

Hot pot

Last night we had hot pot with a bunch of people at our friend Jason's house. We hadn't seen most of them for awhile, so it was fun catching up over yummy food. Lydia got to see her friend Parker again; he is exactly eight months younger than her. Here's Parker with his mommy, Joy, and Lydia...We caught a shot of Parker and Lydia trying to sneak a kiss. :P

Massive destruction

Ever since Lydia started solid foods, she has rarely had any major diaper blow-outs. So, it was quite a surprise for me when I came home from running a couple errands and was informed by Trung that he had just given Lydia a bath because she had pooped everywhere while taking her afternoon nap. He wasn't kidding either...it was on her clothes, all over her body (even her feet), on the sheet, on the crib rails...EVERYWHERE! And here I was thinking that I'd spend a nice Saturday afternoon hanging out with my family, but now I had an abundance of stains to get out. Well, I guess this prepares me again for the really bad stains that baby #2 will provide. Oh, and something for new parents Dennis and Daisy to look forward to with their new son, Lucas Dylan, born yesterday morning. :) Congrats, guys; it's really not that bad...it's worse! j/k

Toy chest mess

We have been using a natural-colored woven basket to put all of Lydia's toys, but lately, her toys seem to be everywhere. So, Trung and I researched a little bit on toy chests/boxes and decided on the Lift & Hide Bookcase Storage Chest with Pink Lid by Step 2. <--- It got really good reviews and Trung liked the look of it better than most other plastic toy boxes. (He preferred the red lid one, but Lydia has to have pink! hee hee) Plus, we wanted something really durable, yet safe for the kids; hopefully something that would stand up to crayon markings later too. Eventually we'll get something nicer for the kids' bedrooms, but for now, we need a toy chest that can handle crazy little kids and look fine in the living room.

Mike wanted to get Lydia the toy chest for Christmas, so I passed on the information to him. He went to Toys "R" Us today to pick it up and first, they said that they didn't have the pink lid one, only the red one. Then they found a pink one and after Mike purchased it, they discovered that it wouldn't fit in his car, so he had to return it. Sorry, Mike, but thanks though; after all, it's the thought that counts! :) Well, after a mess of calling Jimmy to see if my parents could borrow his minivan on Sunday to bring me the toy chest when they attend my cousin's UT graduation, Trung and I decided to see if it really was worth all that trouble. Oh, Mike mentioned that it didn't look that great either, so we wanted to physically see it. The south Austin Toys "R" Us location had the red one with no pink ones in stock, so we went there to at least check it out. As it turned out, they did have a pink one in stock, it looked just fine to us, and it fit in my car. Problem solved!

Stats and Santa

Lydia had her fifteen month old doctor's appointment today. According to the doc, she is doing great! Lydia weighs just over 20 pounds (15%) and is 30 inches tall (45%). I honestly don't know why I'm so concerned about her weight because she eats so much; maybe it's because I know so many big baby boys. Her head circumference is in the 75%tile, maybe that's why she's so smart...hee hee.

I'm surprised we got a decent pic with Santa...man, Ray is good!

Fifteen months old

It really is amazing how a child's mind works. This past month Lydia has accomplished so much, I really ought to write it all down. Here are some of the highlights that I can remember off the top of my head...
- We bought her a pink Disney princess ball, which she loves "fetching" for us, but not before exclaiming, "ball"! She'll try rolling it back, but gets it to go only a few feet at a time.
- Lydia discovered the "PRESS" sound button on her Soft Sounds cloth books. She'll find the button and immediately press it, sometimes before you can even finish reading the sentence on the page. Lydia also understands "turn the page", though she likes to turn the opposite page when the book is done or just for kicks.
- Though she can only say a few words, Lydia understands so much more. "Close the door", "get your shoes", "take a bath", "are you hungry?/do you want some food?", and "finish your food and you can have the fruit" are only a few of the phrases that she knows. One word that we are still unsure if she really knows is "no". Sometimes she totally listens, but often times, she'll continue to go at it. *sigh* Is there such a thing as the terrible ones?
- Lydia loves waving at random people and saying "hi", at least it sounds like it. It can be a person walking by us at the grocery store or a car driving by on our street, regardless, they will almost always be presented with a wave. Oh, and her waves are side-to-side now, unlike the up-and-down ones she used to do when she was just a baby. :)

Boys will be boys

The majority of my friends expecting boys had their babies this past week. Meet Landjuvan...
William...
and Nathanael.
Congratulations to all my friends that are new and second time parents!

Lydia meets Santa

My photographer friend, Ray, of Everafter Images invited us to his community clubhouse where he was taking pictures of Santa and the neighborhood kids. Trung and I had a feeling that Lydia's stranger anxiety would kick in, but we hoped for the best. Here's what happened...

Okay, so Mommy to the rescue! If only I had known I was going to be in the picture, I would have dress nicer. Plus, I should have just stuck any ole diaper cover on Lydia too since this dress didn't come with one; anything would have looked better than her diaper. :P