Part 1 of Catch Up

Today has been a long day full of irritation that I will write about when I am less perturbed. That's putting it mildly. Anyhow, this is a nice way to decompress.

Time surely flies when you have a toddler on your hands. Each time I had a great anecdote to write about I just never got around to it. So here's Part 1 of all the things I can remember wanting to share. It's probably just a sliver of what was in my head.

Mia's Birthday Party-Planning it was akin to orchestraing a small wedding. We made invitations, favors, ordered a cake and bought decorations for her party at O'Asian Kitchen, a dim sum restaurant in Seattle. There were about 80 people present including kids and it was a whirlwind. My family flew up from California and Grandpa Song came from Michigan. Mia seemed to have fun on her special day, she took a extra long nap afterwards from all the excitement. The paper grass I so worried about inside the favor bags wound up all over the floor of the area the kids were hanging out in. So much for making multiple trips to multiple places to find just the right color paper grass. It was a memorable time and Mia had three wardrobe changes. For the traditional pick your future event (not sure what to call it) she picked a chop. For the Chinese it symbolizes a lifetime of government service. I hope it does not mean a career in the military especially if the country continues in the direction it is heading.

Below is a picture of Mia with her birthday present. We amassed enough Yahoo Points to get a German tricycle for Mia. It's top of the line baby! She loves riding or us pushing her on it and has mastered the bell.


Wa-Wa (doll in Mandarin)-Mia latched on to a Hawaiian doll as her lovey. Wa-Wa is made of cloth and has yarn for hair. She sports a muu-muu. Our friend Sarah Kim sent Mia the doll for her birthday and Mia, who has never shown any liking or affection for anything stuffed or any type of object, took a liking to Wa-Wa almost immediately. She hugs it, asks for it, spoons it, and all the loving shows or should I say smells. Wa-Wa needs a serious new hair do and hair wash. Her yarn pig tails are going to be dreadlocks soon. I try to finger comb Wa-Wa's hair at least once a day, but who am I kidding, I'm busy. The "experts" say the thing about a lovey is the way it smells, but how much does it have to stink before I take action? I did give Wa-Wa a wash after Mia vomited on her that first week, but that was back in April.

Below is a picture of Mia asleep and spooning Wa-Wa. Elmo came into the picture at the end of May. I'll write about him another time.

North Seattle Infant Co-op-We began attending in April after I stopped working and it was a blast. There Mia thrived and never batted an eye when I wasn't around. She loved the water station and would stay there during the entire activity period. She can now follow along in her own way when singing Twinkle Twinkle and the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Scouting Trip to CA-We took a short trip to the Bay Area to meet agents and look around the Peninsula at neighborhoods and cities. Mia was a handful on the plane and did not sleep much both ways. Thankfully she slept well while at the hotel. Tip for parents: Embassy Suites or any suite hotel is the way to go when traveling. I really liked the mid-Peninsula after this trip and went with Susan Chong as our agent.

For Sale-We put our home up for sale (sniff sniff) via Redfin and it sold in eight days. I was very glad that it was purchased by a young couple with a toddler just a bit older than Mia. I didn't want the home to become a rental. I was hoping the new owners would be able to use Mia's puppy themed room, but that was not meant to be as they have a boy. When I get sad about leaving, I mostly get sad about Mia's room and what it represents to me. I become a mother here in Seattle and that room was a labor of love. Well it was mainly Ken's labor, but I did all the research and planning around "the look". I will miss nursing Mia in our glider and singing her to sleep. We read books there in the morning and clean up afterwards. I remember the night-wakings when she was little and one particular night when she woke up more than usual--I told her I would always remember that moment because I knew she would be grown up in a wink of the eye. And here she is at 14 months now, walking, talking, exerting her independence, and truly becoming her own little person.

When we were selling our house it was a rough week. We had to keep the place looking immaculate at all times and that is not an easy feat for parents of a toddler. We kept all Mia's toys in a clear tub and would put them in the garage each day, we tried to stay out of the house at much as possible, we kept Kona in the car thinking that most people are deterred by a home with a pet, we did not cook at home to make sure it did not smell, and on and on. But it paid off in the long run. The house showed really well.

Okay back to the packing.