Already

Just two days at Mother's Day Out this week and Lydia has already caught something; it probably didn't help that one of the teachers had laryngitis. When I went for the trial run on Monday, I noticed that there were a couple kids with runny noses, but I didn't think much of it because the teachers were constantly Germ-Xing their hands. Well, Lydia's nose has been running all day, just a small trickle, but continuous; and her eye has been bothering her. She was also a bit more defiant than usual and extremely cry-y; and she is having trouble breathing while laying in her crib. Lydia normally heals up within a day or two, so I'm hoping she's be fine for her mini birthday party on Sunday.

Other than Lydia getting sick today, this week has been pretty good. Lydia is loving Mother's Day Out and I'm getting enough time to keep on top of the eBay store. Business is picking up, and I hope to gain Powerseller status ($3,000 in three months) in no time. Sophie is beginning to sit up by herself and grunts like a little piggy sometimes. She likes being held, but can entertain herself for longer stretches at a time on her play mat. Sophie still sleeps twelve plus hours a night, though we had a really rough night on Monday when she woke up hungry three times. That's what happens when you have five minute feeding throughout the day, sweetie! Trung is still enjoying work, though sitting in one spot all day is causing him aches and pains. His lunch buddy is on vacation for another week after being gone for a week already, so lunch has been a bit boring, but work has been productive. So, that's the latest on the Ly Family. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Letting go is hard to do

Today Lydia started Mother's Day Out and according to Tania, she had a great time and is a natural born leader. She is also quite chatty...surprise surprise; she takes after her mother. :P I cried a little last night; I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast. Before I know it, she's be getting married! Okay, well, maybe in a few more years considering she's not even two yet...hee hee.

So, we said our "goodbyes" this morning and I told Lydia that I would be back. We arrived during snack time, so of course, she was happy to stay. Tania said Lydia only cried once during nap time, but she gave her her pacifier and she was fine. We recently took her pacifier away at home, so she only gets it twice a week at MDO now; hopefully soon she won't need it at all anymore. Lydia didn't sleep a wink during nap time, but played quietly on her mat. (That's okay, that means she'll sleep really well tonight).

Lydia had her usual fake cry when I picked her up this afternoon, but seemed happy to see Sophie and I. I am very happy that this MDO program was pediatrician recommended and I can totally see Lydia thriving there. Oh, there is this one child in her class that is pretty aggressive; she was pushing a boy around yesterday during our 30 minute test run and trying to wake up another boy during nap time today when I picked Lydia up. I hope that Lydia does not become a bully too. :/

Lydia's Firsts

Lydia got her bangs professionally trimmed today in preparation for Mother's Day Out starting Tuesday. My mother had been cutting them a bit too straight, so we decided to take Lydia to my hairstylist. She did a great job sitting still so that Angel could snip away.
Later we attended Open House at the church of Lydia's MDO; she's going on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9:00 - 2:30. She had a great time in her classroom playing with all the toys, and Miss Tania seemed really nice. Trung and I are really excited for her and are looking forward to see how she reacts to the change. I'm taking Lydia for a 30 minute adjustment session on Monday, but I think she's be just fine come Tuesday.

Little white hat

Lydia enjoys grabbing whatever inventory I might have laying around and trying them on. In an earlier post, I had a video clip of her in some navy tulip rain boots, and now here she is posing with a Janie and Jack bucket hat that's a wee bit too small for her 95%tile head circumference. Why the nakedness? Lydia sweats like crazy during her naps...I'm talking a huge wet spot of sweat on her crib sheet where her head lays. So, today I decided to see if undressing her would cool her down a bit...it didn't.

Granted, the hat is for a 6-12 month old, so Lydia stuck it on Sophie for a more loose fitting look.

I like it!

Sophie must be going through another growth spurt because some days she doesn't wake up until 10:30! She goes down at 7 PM for the night, then has a dream feed between 11-11:30 PM and usually doesn't wake up until 7:30-8 AM. Lydia goes down at 8 PM and wakes up between 8-9 AM, with an afternoon nap of about two hours. I never wake up the kids unless I have to, which will probably be the case next week when Lydia starts Mother's Day Out.

Bert and Judy Weekend

This weekend we hung out with our friends Bert and Judy, both of whom we hadn't seen in almost two years; Judy hadn't even met Lydia yet. We had a great time just catching up. We even got a break from the kids Sunday night when our neighbor Bonnie came over to "watch" them for a couple hours as they slept.

Height comparisons of three babies born within two and a half weeks of each other. Judy with the girls at Henry's house

Bert and a snoozing Sophie at 620 Cafe

What Big Sisters Are For

We put Sophie in a doorway jumper last night since she has been holding up her head pretty well lately. She and Lydia were testing it out...


Since we wouldn't let Lydia get in the jumper, though she wanted to quite badly, she found other ways to amuse herself.

I have been more tired than usual lately due to staying up and watching the Olympics. I know the gymnastics is a live broadcast and I can't miss it, but it sure is late. *yawn*

Inspiration

Sophie must be inspired by the US Men's gymnastics team and their medal win last night (even though she wasn't awake to watch it) because she has been rolling around like crazy. Though it took her awhile to flip from tummy to back, she is already going from back to tummy. Here's a gold medal for you, baby!

Speaking of the Olympics, the intensity is nuts! I was literally jumping out of my chair last night after every "stuck" dismount. I LOVE IT!!!

Olympics and more

Before I forget, I want to mention how I have enjoyed watching this season's So You Think You Can Dance. I didn't realize it was on for quite awhile, but at least I caught it in time to watch the top ten. I liked Joshua and Katee from the beginning, so I was glad that at least one of them won (though I personally wanted Katee would win). I'm considering watching the show when they go on tour.

Trung and I love watching the Olympics. How about that opening ceremony, eh? Gee, Yao Ming is tall! Before we had the kids, we used to watch the Olympics every day on primetime. Now with kids and with Trung sometimes coming home late from work, we try to catch what we can. If anything, I hope to watch the gymnastics, swimming, and track & field events.

I suppose Sophie is still a bit too young to watch the Olympics.We had a play date this afternoon at Dave & Joy's house. The two older kids, Lydia and Parker, had a great time playing together, while the adults chatted and watched more Olympics.

Lydia showed Parker her famous "flashdance" move. Parker liked it so much, he joined along.

Grand Opening

These last six months, aside from having a baby, I have been busy getting everything ready for our eBay store, LeeLy's Closet, which we opened for business on Sunday. Here are a few Q & A's that I can think of off the top of my head...

1) What are we selling? Children's clothes mainly from Gymboree, but some Janie and Jack; Robeez Tredz and crib shoes; and a handful of odds and ends
2) How did I come up with this idea? I noticed that there was a huge market for children's clothing while bidding on a "lot" auction for some spring/summer clothes for Lydia back in late January. After doing some major research, I found that with the great deals that Gymboree had to offer, I could actually make a profit in doing something that I love...shopping! Plus, as a stay at home mom, I do have some extra time on my hands when the girls are napping, so I figured this could keep me busy, um, busier.
3) How did we come up with the store name? It seems pretty self explanatory for those who know my maiden name "Lee", but it goes a little bit beyond that. I pitched the eBay store idea to my brother Mike, who thought it would be interesting to invest in my endeavor, so the store name is comprised of his last name and my last name. As for "closet", well, just LeeLy's seemed pretty plain, so we thought of various nouns and felt that "closet" was the most appropriate and sounded the best.

Here are some pictures of the backbone of our store...lots and lots of clothes!

Our inventory after my first week of shopping.

Here I was taking a break (catching up on some Dancing with the Stars) after finally getting organized; Sophie was born four days later.

Evidence of my organized chaos taken just this morning.

Let the shopping begin!

What's going on?

Lydia enjoys dancing. Here she is performing in "Flashdance" style; it would have been better had the little toy not fallen over, causing Lydia to lose focus. :P (Sorry for the blurry footage; we were using our neighbors' camera.)

Today we had Sophie's 4 month appointment. She now weighs 13 lbs, 6 ounces and is 24 5/8 inches tall. She's already trying to sit up on her own and has a touch of stranger anxiety that usually doesn't appear until 6-8 months of age. What an over-achiever!Trung has been working at his new job for almost two months now. He truly enjoys it and I like the fact that he always leaves his work, well, at work. No more early morning phone calls from Hong Kong! I do miss him working from home, but surprisingly, I have managed, though I sure don't mind dumping the kids on him the moment he walks through that front door. :P If you see the following picture, consider yourself lucky, for I fear my hubby may delete it once he (if ever) reads this post. What a handsome young feller I've married!And as for me, well, you'll just have to read my next post to find out. Ta-ta!

Happy birthday, Ah-ma!

Today is my mother's birthday! We were not able to make it back to Houston this weekend, but still wish her a very happy birthday! We love you!

Big girl Sophie

At four months old, Sophie is playing by herself quite well. She's still a little bobble head at times, but holds her head steady for the most part. Sophie doesn't roll over much from tummy to back, but already seems to want to flip the other way around. I can't believe my little baby is growing up so fast. She's such a joy!

Let me get that for you, Daddy.

I don't know why my girls seem to have such wild hair; Lydia had a funky do when she was a baby too. So I've finally decided who's hairstyle Sophie's hair reminds me of...think Seinfeld.