Chi Lin Nunnery

        Over Spring Break, we went to an old nunnery in Diamond Hill.  It's this huge garden with temples, pagodas, and beautiful trees.  Let me tell you one thing, cheetos and cokes are not welcome in this nunnery.  We almost got attacked while trying to enter the park with our snacks.  We had two police officers or maybe security guards stop us and make us back away from the entrance until we were done eating.  Carter liked walking around the temple and attracting people to take his photo.  It was nice to do something cultural, for a change. 

Carter's 1st Trip to Disneyland

          I always told myself I would never bring my kids to Disney before they were old enough to remember it.  As a parent, you quickly learn how to eat your words.  Since we have a Disneyland so close, we couldn't resist the urge to take Carter.  I remember going to Disneyland in California when I was little.  I told Blair I had to get a hat for Carter, with his name monogrammed on the back, because I got one when I was a kid.  We went with Tom, Kathie, and Baby Oakley.  Ahead of time, I researched which rides were appropriate for babies, so that I would be prepared.  Carter rode the River Boat Cruise, Orbitron, It's a Small World, saw the parade and The Golden Mickeys Show, and met Mickey himself.  The adults rode Space Mountain and the new Toy Story ride called the RC Racer.  I had my heart set on letting Carter ride Dumbo, but the line was always so long, therefore we just took a pic with Dumbo.  His favorite ride was It's a Small World.  He loved to look at the different characters and listen to the music.  He only had one meltdown, when mom and dad went on a ride and left him with Kathie.  I think he thought we abandoned him.  Even though he won't remember his first trip to Disney, we've got lots of pics to show him how much fun he had.

Walking Around the City

Carter has been walking for 2 weeks now and he's surprisingly stable.  He's walking all over Hong Kong these days.  We've taken him to the harbor front in Tsim Sha Tsui, a temple, and to many playgrounds.

   

Carter's Birthday

     For Carter's birthday, we woke him up by singing Happy Birthday.  Then we opened some gifts and skyped the grandparents.  We took Carter to McDonald's for breakfast and then went to the park by our old apartment.  It was a beautiful, sunny day.  Carter had so much fun walking and playing on the playground.  He even made a new friend, named Oscar.  Oscar would speak Chinese to him and then Carter would talk back in gibberish.  It was really cute.  I had to go to parent conferences after we left the park.  Later on I met Carter and Blair at Genki Sushi for dinner, which you know is our favorite.  After dinner we let Carter try his first ice cream cone ever.  It was a really perfect day!

 After just one year, you have changed so much!

12 months old

        Happy Birthday Carter!  It's official, my sweet baby is ONE!  I tried to take his picture each month, but missed 3 months along the way.  This has been the best year of my life.  Carter has made every moment more meaningful.  Watching him grow and learn each day has been incredible.  He literally changes every day.  This past year has flown by and I knew it would.  I've done my best to document every little thing Carter has done.  I'm just so proud to be his mommy.
        This month, he learned to walk and what a difference that makes.  Blair and I are running around like crazy to keep up with this boy.  He is really fast, but he doesn't know how to run yet.  He's pretty good at falling safely and doesn't even seem to notice.  We're having so much fun letting him walk in the malls, parks, and on the waterfront.  Everyone stops to watch because he holds his hands in the air and babbles the whole time.  Sometimes he just screams with excitement because he LOVES to walk.
        Carter knows 4 words now, daddy, dog "da", hey, and uh-oh.  He uses them in context, too.  The only thing is "daddy" applies to all humans.  If I drop something in the kitchen, then I will hear an "uh-oh" coming from the living room.  His favorite game is throwing his stuffed animals out of his crib and yelling "uh-oh" each time.  When he picks up the phone, he'll say "hey" just like I do.  Whenever he hears a dog bark, he will say "da".  One time I wasn't looking but I heard him say "da" and when I turned around, a dog was walking towards me.
        I knew it was time to get rid of the paci and I was a little nervous how he'd respond.  He only took it when we would go to sleep.  We stopped giving him the paci at bedtime first and that was not even an issue.  Next we stopped at naptime and he was totally fine.  Carter's officially off the paci!  
        He loves when I sing to him.  He will even clap and sing along.  He likes "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "I Love You Lord", "Jesus Loves Me", "Twinkle, Twinkle", "Rain, Rain, Go Away", and "If Your Happy and You Know It".  He loves to watch daddy play guitar.  He likes to touch the strings and the knobs.  He loves to play hide and go seek (he will really come find you) and peek-a-boo.
        He weighs 22 lbs. and I'm not sure how long he is.  I'm a little concerned because he hasn't really gained any weight in 4 months.  I stopped nursing the day after his birthday, he didn't even miss a beat.  He loves cow's milk and adult food.  He wants to eat everything I do, but Salt and Vinegar chips just aren't a good choice for Carter!  He will beg, scream, and whine until he has something to eat, too.  Since he's so independent, he prefers feeding himself and kind of uses a spoon correctly.  Thank God for our dog being on vacuum duty.
      I love you Carter, Happy 1st Year.  What an amazing adventure!! 

Love,
Mommy and Daddy
   

Carterpillar's 1st Birthday Party

     One of my favorite children's books of all time is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  We decided to use the book as our theme for Carter's 1st Birthday because he loves the book, too.  As Blair was making the invitations we realized that we could add an "R" and make it Carterpillar, which was just perfect.  We had the party a week before his real birthday because I have parent conferences next weekend.  After 2 months of dreary weather, the sun finally came out for Carter's special day.  All our friends showed up to help us celebrate.  Carter took a nap before the party and when I brought him in the living room, he started to cry because he was so confused why there were so many people there.  The rest of the day was full of smiles and excitement.  I was surprised to see Carter continually weave through the crowd to find me.  Our little house was packed.  Later that evening, right on cue, Carter walked the length of our living room and back without stopping.  He was so overstimulated that he walked all around the room, back and forth, until he was falling over from exhaustion.  It was amazing watching him walk for real!  What a perfect day!

11 months old

   My little infant will soon be a toddler, well he's already toddling around.  He has taken 10 steps by himself without falling.  He very stable, but still prefers to crawl.  I love the look on his face when he walks.  He's so proud of himself.  I would love for him to walk by his first birthday, I don't know why, I just think it would be cute.  We're having a party March 17th, the weekend before his birthday.  On his real birthday I have parent conferences, that I can't miss.  BOO! 
   Carter is babbling more than ever.  He also tries to mimic sounds and actions.  If I sigh, he will try to copy me.  If I fake burp, he will try to make that same sound.  The other day I combed his hair and then I gave it to him and he brushed his hair.  The next day I gave him a spoon and he brushed his hair with that, too.  He also signed the word "more".  I was so excited that my attempt to teach signing seems to be working.  Well actually he just did it one day and then stopped.  Anyone else teach their baby to sign?  When did they start doing it?  Carter waves "Bye-Bye" consistently and that's about it, so far.  Thank you Hannah for the DVD set, that has helped me to learn the signs, so I can teach Carter. 
  In other 11 months news, I can really see Carter's personality coming through.  I used to categorize his behavior as just things all babies do, but lately I've realized that it's more an indicator of who he is.  He is not shy at all; he loves to smile and engage people of all ages.  On the playground, he likes to approach other kids and try to play with them.  Carter is easy going, ready for any situation.  He'd eat a frog if I offered it to him.  Just as a test, we offered him raw onions and he ate them without making a face or anything.  I hope that wasn't too cruel.  He'll eat ethnic food and spicy food.  I hope you are always this open-minded, Carter.  You are just a fun, sweet boy!
    So far I've dropped one feeding and he has taken to cow's milk like a champ.  Today I'm dropping another one, so he'll be down to two feedings with me.  I have to say, it's been a little hard.  He seems to be a little sad, or maybe that's just me.  Letting go is tough.  Hello, independence!  Next thing you know, he'll be driving.  I'm just so happy that we've almost reached our goal of one year.  I'd like to thank all those folks who made it possible, like Mila, who brought Carter to work everyday.  And Blair, who always encouraged me, well almost always.  It's not always easy to sit with the lady wearing the hooter hider :).
  I love you Carter.  You make everyday wonderful.
Love,
Mommy 
  

Genki Sushi

 

         Genki Sushi is our favorite restaurant in Hong Kong.  I've heard they have Genki in the states now, too.  After church we take Carter there and entertain him with chopsticks and shiny menus.  He entertains us by throwing chopsticks and attempting to knock over scalding hot green tea on us while we eat.

Carter ate the corn sushi.  Everyone here is crazy over corn, they even put corn on pizza unless you request otherwise.

Genki has a conveyor belt that rotates the sushi around the restaurant for everyone to grab whatever they like.