The Party Girl!

Iris turned two years old....all week! It started with a party with a playgroup of children whose birthdays are within these winter months-November, December and January.
So what happened?

First, Iris wore her special Chinese dress to church in the AM. I was tempted to put the red squeaky shoes on, but Dada vetoed that. I was also pleased that she wasn't drooling so much that I had to put a bib on her the whole morning.

Then, we went to a birthday party for about 8 or 10 toddlers whom Iris has seen a couple of times in the past few months. At this incredible potluck lunch, the children had a right-sized house to decorate, toys galore, a trampoline, a rocking horse, riding vehicles, and a play kitchen to enjoy for a couple of hours. Iris had an indoor picnic with her new friends. The food was very yummy, and almost all vegetarian. Unfortunately, Iris had to leave early before the delicious pastry was served with two candles because everyone is turning two years old. However, she actually was able to take a nap, which Mama and Dada were so happy about!

In the afternoon, a couple of Iris's friends (Michael and Alina) and their parents (Angela & Chris, and Daniela) arrived for some more play time, pizza dinner and carrot cake. The adults mostly talked about the kids, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching them interact and try to pronounce Iris's name. For some reason, they liked to go down the hall into Iris's room, sometimes led by Iris. They are all active toddlers, for sure!

When the candles on the cake were finally lit (wet matches!), Iris tried blowing, but Mama helped a little. Presents came at the end, and Iris liked everything that she received. The caution was that there were many parts to some of them, such as plastic food sets and Mr. Potatohead. :)

It was a fun-filled day and Iris, per usual, was in good spirits (except for one crying spell right after naptime). It reminds us that all the time, God is good; God is good all the time!

Next: Birthday/Thanksgiving celebrations at the grandparents' homes on Wednesday and Thursday. Watch for more pictures.

What a cutie!

November is here and Iris is almost two years old! She is really a cutie because there are so many things she has been repeating. Here's a partial list:

* loves putting on her shoes herself; often on the opposite foot. See her saying "shoe" in the photo! She can put on socks, too.
* practices opening and closing the doors (sometimes even locking it...uh-oh!)
* calls for her bear and wants it near her almost all the time at home (same goes for her yellow blanket)
* taps her head when she wants to wear her favorite white hat, even though her coat or sweater has a hood
* likes to shake her head "no" and says "no" even when she doesn't really mean it
* confuses "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" after she goes on the potty
* says "down" when she wants mama to sit down or put her down on the ground.
* says "uhh" for "up" when she wants to be picked up
* says "ju" for "juice" or "orange"(in Mandarin) and "shway", which is "water" in Mandarin Chinese.
* "may" for "strawberry" (Chinese is "tsao mei")
* says "pea" with a hand gesture around her chest to mean "please" because she wants more food or what someone is eating.
* likes walking in the neighborhood looking for cats
* says "da" for "dog"
* plays an "ah-choo" game that Dada invented, involving her stuff animals flying all over her room.

After a cold, seasonal flu and H1N1 flu shots, Iris is doing well. Soon, it's time to celebrate her 2nd birthday and the anniversary of her baptism. We thank God for her every day. I'm still wondering why she won't come towards me when I call to her. I'm afraid that when there's a safety issue, it could be disastrous. Dada would say to me, "Stop being a mom!"

Now that she's a toddler, she doesn't always nap as well as she used to. As the holiday season is quickly upon us, I pray that we'll not be too busy or distracted to notice how Iris is changing or needing us. Teaching a toddler is a really tough job (!) as other parents of older children know. I'm thankful for other moms, our families and friends to help care for her. It truly takes a village!

Joy and sorrow

Happy Halloween! It's been a weird couple of weeks, but Iris has experienced her first "trick-or-treat"-ing experience. Once she had a bag and was placed on her way up the steps of friends' porches, she knew what to do and wasn't too shy about going to the door. She was a cute angel with a somewhat loose halo. See for yourself.

Earlier today, Dad and Iris spent time carving a pumpkin. Here's a photo of the one Mama did a few weeks ago that didn't last with our warm weather. The pumpkin is saying Iris's clear utterance, "Uh-oh!"

After a downpouring of rain one Tuesday, we weren't able to go through the corn maze on our annual pumpkin picking date with cousins Noah and Matthew and Aunt Ruth. However, Iris got a pony ride that she wasn't too sure of.
We enjoyed lunch back at home with her first viewing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Unlike Charlie Brown, Iris didn't get a rock for Halloween. She did manage to lose her shoe as we strolled down a lively street in town that hundreds of people meandered without cars for several blocks. Iris is a great joy to watch and love!

The sorrow part is that our dear dog, H.G., had to be put down. She was over 13 years old and lived up to her namesake; a good dog. We have her ashes now and memories of her kind, fun and quiet companionship. For those who knew her, I've set up a link to a photo gallery.

On the other brighter note, Mama had a birthday that was celebrated with a couple of friends for lunch, parents for the afternoon, and a delicious mocha cake that lasted all weekend. It's middle age we're talking about, as Mama (and Dada) have realized that we need to watch our diet and exercise more. We're definitely not getting any younger, despite the silliness we exhibit playing with our daughter. Dada truly cherishes the Saturdays (while Mom is working) for bike rides, visits to the park and even grocery shopping. Last week, Dad made an impulsive buy of some sunglasses for Iris. Isn't she cool?

Finally, here is an update of "words" Iris says:
bear, bee (which might mean baby), pee (or pea? or please?), bedtime, cracker, goldfish(as in cracker), banana, mama, dada, up, down, playdough, juice, thank you (in Mandarin), kitty (she sees neighborhood cats), cheers when toasting with drinks, and still the all-purpose uh-oh.

Potty training continues, of course, as well as occasionally dropping food off the high chair. Pray for us regarding that!

Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival!

Iris is on the move! Here she is meandering around the park at the recent FCA Moon Festival potluck. There were a few dozen children, but Iris was one of the younger ones. The weather was windy, but the food was delicious, and Iris liked the pineapple mooncakes,

There was a grassy area with some balls, a colorful parachute, a gong, a taiko drum and drum sticks, and a traditional parade lion head. Dada and I helped Iris color and create a lantern. She was happy to hold it as the children paraded behind the lion at the end of the evening.

See for yourself in this video:

As summer turns to fall, we spent a day at the beach. It was a sunny and warm enough day as days are along the coast. Iris found the water too cold and a bit scary, but she loved the sand and walking barefoot. Oh yeah, she loved drinking and eating, too.

That was a thanks to dad's delicious sandwiches. The cheese-flavored baked goldfish crackers were the best!