Pumpkin Outings

We ended up taking two trips to the pumpkin farms this year.

First, since we had no school or day care on Columbus Day, Mommy tried to take me and Colin to Pastorino Farms in Half Moon Bay. But the trip was cut short when Colin got sick and threw up all over himself and the car seat. Yuck. It was a stinky mess and we had to pull over to the side of the highway to clean everything off. Then, we spent a good half hour trying to get Colin back into his car seat. Poor guy kept screaming and arching his back. I mean, would you want to get back into a stinky car seat that you just threw up in? Afterward Mommy and Colin were just eager to go home but since I wasn't, we ended up stopping at the first pumpkin patch we passed. It wasn't the original plan, but it had a petting zoo and pony ride, so I was satisfied.

Colin's shirt dried off a little, but he was still super stinky! He still wasn't feeling so great, but the pumpkins distracted him a bit.

To make up for that disastrous trip, the following weekend we took a second outing to Arata Farm. There was a giant hay maze which we didn't do, but we did do all the typical pumpkin farm activities. At least Colin was in much better spirits this time.

Back to Happy Hollow

It's been awhile since we've visited Happy Hollow. The last time we went, I was either too short or too scared to go on any of the rides. This time I wanted to do everything, especially the roller coaster. It was also Colin's first visit, but he was a little under the weather that day and clingier than usual. He loved the goats at the petting zoo though.

LOVED the roller coaster ride!

Walk-a-Thon

One of the first major school events of the year was a Walk-a-Thon held on the field. At first I wasn't too excited ("walking is boring!") but it turned out to be a really fun event. There was good music as we walked and various stations set up around the field with tattoos, a photo booth, water and oranges. Mommy came to watch and even though parents were invited to walk with their kids, I kept ditching her for my friends. :(

Not sure why they only gave the kindergarten class size medium t-shirts.

At the beginning of the year, they pair all the kindergarteners with a fifth grade buddy. This is mine - she held my hand and walked around the field with me a few times.

Enjoying popsicles after an hour of walking.

19 Month Update

I'm nineteen months and as bouncy and energetic as ever! I continue to keep Mommy on her toes every waking moment. She wonders if I'll ever slow down. I hate to break it to her but she's probably got seventeen more years of this.

Development:
I continue to pick up new words right and left. My latest words include: open, up, trash, nap, cheese, apple (referring to any fruit), bite, poo poo. For some reason I still refer to my blankets - my favorite things in the world - as "meh." For anything else I don't know the name of, I'll point and repeat over and over "dis? dis?" until Mommy finally figures it out and says "ohhh, did you want this?"

I'm so used to Mommy making me smile for the camera. Sometimes I'll point to her camera on the fireplace mantle and start saying "cheese." I've gotten familiar with taking selfies, and know to say "cheese" when someone points their iPhone at me.

Activities:
We are loving the fall! We finally have a good weekly routine going now that Kaitlyn is in school. I attend day care three times a week, and have started some new classes. I'm taking Music Together, Little Wonders, and soccer class. Out of the three, my favorite is probably Music Together. Although we're free to roam about the classroom (and movement is actually encouraged), I always just plop myself on Mommy's lap and watch and listen. I can imitate some of the movements and love playing with the different instruments that the instructor hands out. I also take cleaning up very seriously and when the instructor collects all the toys and instruments at the end of each song, I always make sure to return everything to the bin.

I'm still getting used our class at Little Wonders. Compared to the baby class we took in the spring, the toddler class is about twice as large with twenty plus kids, and I get a little overwhelmed with all the people. Again, we have free roam of the entire classroom but I tend to stick close to Mommy. It's also a two hour class so I'm always tired and clingy by the end of it.

Finally, I started taking soccer classes on Saturday mornings as an activity with Daddy. The class is for 18-36 month olds, so I'm definitely on the lower end of the age range. While most of the kids are able to follow directions and kick the ball around, I just run around aimlessly, picking up the ball and kicking it once in awhile. I've got a lot to learn, but at least it's something to tire me out!

The one thing that's consistent with all of these is that there's always a stamp at the end of class. All I have to do is hear the word "stamp" and I'll go running toward the instructor with my hands out. I usually lift my shirt too because lots of kids like to get stamps on their tummies. It's nice to finally be old enough to appreciate all these activities!

Screen time:
Mommy has started to let me watch more TV in the hopes that I'll just sit and stay out of trouble for a little bit. However I don't show much interest in television shows, other than the beginning theme songs for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Bubble Guppies, and some short segments of the Baby First channel. I think I'd rather just climb something. :-\ Sometimes I'll sit with Kaitlyn and watch whatever she's watching, but nothing holds my attention for long. I also like to see whatever Kaitlyn is watching on iPad, but then I usually end up trying to touch/swipe the screen which annoys her.

Apple and Berry Picking

A few weekends ago we drove up to Santa Cruz to go apple picking at Swanton Pacific Ranch. The apple orchard is run by Cal Poly and is totally no-frills - you pick as many apples as you want, weigh them, and then leave the money in the cash box. They had lots of varieties and there were signs at the end of each aisle indicating the type of apple and its ripeness. We had fun tasting the different apples and comparing how they tasted. As usual, our favorites were the fujis.

Colin got the hang of picking apples off the tree pretty quickly. Then he realized that it was much easier to just pick them up off the ground. He kept finding the bruised and rotten ones so we had to keep making sure that he didn't try to eat them.

As we were leaving the apple farm, we drove past a U-pick strawberry field and figured what the heck, we might as well go pick some strawberries too. There were so many strawberries! Mommy told me to just pick the biggest, reddest ones I could find, hoping to slow me down a little. Colin just ran up and down the aisles, happily munching on his berries.

17 & 18 Month Update

I'm growing up so fast! It seems like yesterday I was just figuring out how to walk and now, I'm running at full force and climbing everything I can. I'm a little sponge that soaks up everything around me, repeating things I see and hear.

Stats:

At my 18 month checkup, I weighed 22 lbs (17th percentile) and measured 31.7 inches (26th percentile). And although my head looks huge compared to the rest of my body, it's only in the 5th percentile! 

Teeth:

My upper molars came in so I'm now up to ten teeth. My bottom molars and upper canines are starting to make an appearance as well - they're all coming in quickly and before long I'll have almost a full mouthful of teeth!

Developments:

It's no surprise that I'm a very active toddler that loves to run, climb, and dance. I can run really fast and am even starting to jump. I continue to climb everything - my favorites are climbing up the couch and then onto the sofa table behind it and then actually standing on the table, and also climbing onto Kaitlyn's bed and playing with all the things on her nightstand. I love listening to music and dancing along. Watching the Shake it Off video is still one of my favorites, but I'll dance to anything that has a good beat.

Lately I've been imitating everyone around me, especially at home. I'm obsessed with washing my hands, and insist on using my toy vacuum whenever Mommy is using the real one. I also love to Swiffer the floors, throw things in the trash, and give Brady treats. 

I still babble like a baby most of the time but have over a dozen words in my vocabulary. Currently the words I use the most are: mine, no, 'nack (as in snacky cup), muh (milk), cup, shoes, Bray-bee (Brady), Poh-poh, Cao-cao, apple (to refer to all fruit) and booby (more on that below). I've been trying to say Kaitlyn's name but am nowhere close - it usually ends up sounding like "jay-jee." I know most of my body parts and will point to them when asked.

I also switched to forward facing in the car seat! It's so much more exciting now, I can see Kaitlyn sitting next to me and look out the window if I want to. We went on a long drive recently and I discovered the video screen that pops down from the ceiling and plays cartoons. I just watched in amazement. So that's what I've been missing out on all this time!

Playtime:

I still need to work on my ability to play independently. Although I have a ton of toys, the only things I'm interested in are whatever Kaitlyn is playing with. It wouldn't be so bad if we could just play together, but most of the time she's busy with her markers, scissors, and glue sticks - all of which are off limits to me. I've been caught many times with markers in my hands, ink all over my hands, mouth, table and chairs. Mommy gave me some crayons and paper to play with, but they just weren't as fun, and I ended up trying them out on the wall and chairs.

Daycare:

The biggest news is that I started an in-home daycare in August. After a long summer of juggling two kids, Mommy decided that she needed a break, and that I needed more socialization. I started going two days a week, and it didn't take me long to adjust. We play outside (my favorite thing to do) most of the day, and I always come home so dirty! I used to drag my security blanket around everywhere and it would be so filthy by the end of the day, now I have to "check it in" in the mornings and only get it for naps. When Mommy comes to pick me up, I'll take one look at her and without any acknowledgment or greeting, I'll run toward the cubbies and point to the top where my blanket is. Aside from the blanket issue, I seem to be having lots of fun at day care and have made lots of friends. Everyday as I'm leaving I wave happily to everyone while saying "bye bye!"

Eating:
I continue to be a picky eater and now even reject foods I used to like, for example, fruit. Noodles, especially udon noodles, have become a new favorite. I've become pretty independent and now insist on having my bowl right in front of me and feeding myself. While I try to use utensils, I usually end up shoving food into my mouth with my hands. Sometimes I'll take fistfuls of food and just throw it onto the floor. Needless to say mealtimes have become a very frustrating process!

Mommy has been trying to wean me with little success. If she's not around, I'm fine, but otherwise I still insist on nursing every morning, before naps/bedtime (if she's the one putting me down), and when I get home from day care. Sometimes I will finish a whole cup of milk and still want to nurse, so it seems to be more of a comfort issue. She made the mistake of teaching me the wrong word so I'm always tugging at her shirt repeating "booby, booby!" whenever I want it.

First Haircut!

A few weeks ago I got my first official haircut in a salon. Daddy had been giving me haircuts but I just don't sit still enough for him anymore. Everything was going well until the lady brought the clippers to my ears. Then I freaked out a little. Luckily she worked quickly and was done soon enough.

Before

Likes: reading books with sound effects, dance parties, snacking

Dislikes: haircuts, getting things taken out of my hands

In Loving Memory

Eric Ha (Dec. 7, 1941 - Aug. 28, 2015)

My dad lost his battle with cancer at the age of 73. He was the kindest, most generous man that anyone could know. He was always genuinely happy, put others before himself, and was always willing to lend a hand. If you ever needed a ride or pickup from the airport, no matter how early in the morning, he was ready to give one. He always insisted on treating friends out to meals. He enjoyed doing things for people, small tasks like copying music and photos onto CD’s, and would then put in the extra effort to create a custom label and a cover.

He was a selfless man who always put his family first. Growing up, if we ever needed anything – a ride, advice, money – he was there ready to give it. He worked hard, but family was always his top priority. My brother and I heard stories about when we were kids, he would have his usual poker games with his friends, but would leave at the drop of a hat to pick us up from a friend’s house and take us home. He supported us in everything we did. He loved to give us advice, especially career advice for my brother, and real estate advice for me.

He had a passion for classical music, especially Beethoven and Mozart. He was an audiophile and loved researching for and setting up the best sound systems for the house. Among his other interests, he enjoyed opera, reading, and photography. Whenever I went to visit, I usually found him watching the news, a show on KQED, 60 Minutes, or Jeopardy! He also really enjoyed playing poker with his friends. Many of my childhood memories are of his friends coming over on Friday nights to play poker. They would talk and laugh until the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to my mom, he played lots of mah-jong too. He loved to travel, and was proud to say that he had visited almost every European country. When I asked him if he had anything left on his bucket list, he answered no, that he had seen and done everything he ever wanted. He was content with his life. He worked hard, provided for his family, pursued all his interests, and lived with no regrets.

He was a dedicated son, husband, father, and grandfather. Kaitlyn loved it when he picked her up and swung her in his arms. During the last few visits, Colin was just starting to call him Goong-goong. We are so thankful for the memories he left, and will always remember him.

Anita Shin Yuen Ha (Dec. 26, 1915 - Sep. 1, 2015)

She lived to be 99 years old. During her last years, my dad would drive up every week without fail to visit and have dinner with her, and he would often bring her over to our house for a visit. She rarely came without a small gift for Kaitlyn, as she loved to spoil her. She lived a long life and leaves behind her youngest son, six grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.