32 days until Christmas!

Happy Shopping :)

What can I say, we're new parents!

Caleb "talking"...

evolution of a smile...

Fall Slideshow... who needs cablevision when you can have Calebvision?!

scary halloween...

The scariest part of our halloween was that most of our trick-or-treaters were under 3' tall! We only got about a dozen kids (we live on kind of a dark corner with no houses across from us... not exactly the "jackpot" area of our neighbourhood as far as trick-or-treaters would be concerned); most of the kids were preschoolers. That surprises me... is that normal?

Anyway, here's Dumbo...
We also had a super cute little dragon, "Bat-girl", Eeore, a fairy, and more.

And now... what to do with the left over candy... hmmmmmm...

all in a day's weather...

Caleb's first time at the zoo! Over 20 degrees and sunny(baby Malti)

Caleb's first snowfall... same night!

My hubby's a genius!

Mmmmmmmm... Nutella Crepes! Karl made these tonight for us when Caleb went to bed (for bedtime #1); thanks honey! YUM-O as Rachael Ray would say ;)

How to tell you're not mom's favourite...

Okay, so Grandparents' Day is officially in September (or something??) but Caleb's Grandparents' Day was officially last Saturday! Here are pictures from the day, as all of Caleb's Grandparents were lining up at the door to squeeze his cute little (chubby!) cheeks. They weren't all here at the same time (we had to give his cheeks a rest, after all...) But they did indeed all come on the same day!

and the winner is...

I won!

Lately I have been watching some "Breakfast Television" in the mornings when I am feeding Caleb. They have an "email question of the day" with prizes based on their theme for the day or guests they have on. The other day, it was "get cracking" with an eggs theme, a cook doing an omelette demo, etc. The question of the day was, "How do you like your eggs?" So I sent in a response with a little blurb about our red eggs and the Chinese tradition behind it; I even attached a little picture... and I won! (Thanks Melissa, for trekking downtown with my i.d. to pick up the prize for me!):Joel & Alisha inherited some of the items (pencils, pencil case, highlighter star thingy, etc); the best item by far in the prize pack is a Kitchen Aid non-stick frying pan. I tried it out already and made pizza egg omelette wraps from the cook book; they got a thumbs up from Karl:

Caleb the Soothersaurus...

Two Months!

Yes folks, it's true! Time flies like the wind (but fruit flies like bananas)... Caleb is two months old today! He weighed in a couple days ago at 10lbs. Here are some pics:

Caleb at 2 weeks old and 2 months old:


Today:

Yesterday:
September 16:
September 24 with Auntie Melissa:
some of Caleb's Dedication Service this past Sunday:

How YOU doin'?

Conversation of the week

Introducing our new cast member: Caleb Chu as "C"!!!

(D giving C a bath, exploring different crevices)
D to C: You got any spare change there for mommy? (lifting C's arm and cleaning his arm pit)
K to D: It's more like a small fortune in there.
D to C: You got more gookies there (examining his belly button)
K to D: See! He's got some fortune gookies for you!

it's not that there's nothing to update on...

Whew, this being a mom business keeps one busy eh?! Blog schmog, as you can see from the picture, it's all I can do to keep the barf off of me ;o) This one even splashed onto the floor (I was downstairs on the hardwood...)
Pics coming soon from Caleb's traditional Chinese "One Month Celebration"... here's his outfit:

And one of the fam: (Karl's brother, Alan, is holding Caleb, and those are his two daughters)

More to come...

official due date...

August 29 was the due date given to us by the doctors... Here's my little man on the day he was "supposed" to be born, weighing in at 8lbs even (he was 5lbs 6oz when he was born, July 26) ...

my wish...

A prayer for Caleb (I am putting this in his baby book, but wanted to post it too...)

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you wanna go,
and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
if it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile.
But more than anything, more than anything...

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but you never forget,
all the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
and you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
and always give more than you take.
But More than anything, yeah, more than anything...

My wish, for you…

rascal flatts

man 2 "man" chat...

Just chattin' with Dad!

One Month!

Caleb’s Mama and Yeye (Karl’s folks) brought over a lysee (red envelope), some red dyed eggs, roasted pig, and fruit today in celebration of Caleb’s official One Month birthday. Below is an explanation of this tradition, in which we, the parents, are to give out red eggs to friends and family. We will, in fact, be doing this in a couple of weeks when we host the One Month Celebration party at a local restaurant. There is quite an elaborate menu, much like a wedding celebration, that I will blog about next time!

"In Chinese culture, a baby's first month birthday calls for a celebration. Proud parents introduce their latest addition to friends and relatives by holding a red egg and ginger party. Traditionally, the baby's name is also announced at this time.

"Guests attending red egg and ginger parties bring gifts. Lysee or "lucky money" in red envelopes is often given to baby boys, while girls may receive expensive jewelry. The guests don't leave empty handed, either. The parents hand out red-dyed eggs, symbolizing happiness and the renewal of life. [Red eggs are chosen as gifts because they are the symbol of fertility, the changing process of life, and their round shape is the symbol of harmonious and happy life. They are made red because red color is a sign of happiness in Chinese culture (reference).]

"Red egg and ginger parties have their origins in ancient Chinese culture. As in other countries, infant mortality rates in China were quite high prior to the medical advances of the twentieth century. A baby who reached one month of age was likely to survive, and so the event was celebrated.

"In the past, due to the traditional importance of male children in Chinese culture, red egg and ginger parties were sometimes given for boys only, or the celebration for boys was more elaborate. Today, parties are given for babies of both sexes.

"In recent years, some of the traditions surrounding red egg and ginger parties have been modified. Parents may choose to hold the celebration at a fancy restaurant, complete with costumed Chinese performers or even a children's magician. Also, the baby may be anywhere from one to three months old by the time the party is held. But the custom of passing out red-dyed eggs continues. Parents may also use the brightly colored eggs to announce the birth; an even number of eggs are sent out for a boy, and an odd number to announce a baby girl." REFERENCE

thankful!

I am super thankful for my aunt and cousin for hosting an awesome shower for Caleb last week. Thank you for coming everyone, and thank you so much for your generosity! Photos here.

I am also so thankful for my generous and creative friends, Melissa D. and Diane E., for hosting the most amazing, creative and fun baby shower for Caleb today!

I've done quite the baby shower circuit, so I was pleasantly surprised when there were games I hadn't played or heard of... have you ever played the one with the little tiny (sterilized) plastic baby frozen into an ice cube? Everyone has them in their drinks, and the first one to see that their's has melted out has to yell, "my water broke!" and wins a prize (only, be sure to give the rule that you can't suck/crunch it out... this is basically "inducing labour" as one of the guests today put it, and should be considered cheating). Also, Melissa made an awesome crossword puzzle solely using trivia about Caleb from this blog (how on earth did you create that, Melissa?!).

It was all a "Jungle" theme because that is Caleb's nursery theme. I was the jungle mama and had a grass skirt and vine/leaf bra and pineapple drinking cup and everything. It was awesome. Check out the diaper jungle animals (complete with washcloth banana and sock ears/tails) and diaper jungle theme "cake" (both made by Melissa). I am thankful that the diapers won't fit Caleb for a while, so the creations can stay in the nursery for a while!

The mister muncher is getting ready to eat (again!) so I will post more details later... here's some pictures to speak a thousand words for me (click for larger image).

Thank you to all who came to meet and bless Caleb!