The one with the two-day party (and more cake)

I know – it’s been over a month and I still haven’t finished Allie’s 2-year birthday blogs. She’s already 25 months old and I’m late posting that blog entry too! At any rate, here is the next installation of the birthday celebrations. This one takes us to Indiana where Vin’s cousin Becky had what was basically a two-day party for both Allie and Vin, and to celebrate Jo being here, as well. We drove to Indiana the day after Allie’s birthday (Friday July 23rd). This is pretty much what Allie did with her cousins for the next two days: [[image:allie753a.jpg:Dancing Machines:center:0]]  * Mouse over the pictures for additional captions We arrived at Becky’s and Allie immediately went to her pile of presents: [[image:allie725a.jpg:Mary, Gabby and Grace help Yaya with her presents:center:0]] Then we swam in the lake: [[image:allie726a.jpg:Gabby and Yaya are ready in their lifejackets:center:0]]  [[image:allie727a.jpg:Let’s go swimming!:center:0]]  [[image:allie728a.jpg:Yaya swims […]

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The one with more birthday cakes

Finally, on August 1, we had what is becoming our annual backyard cookout and Allie birthday bash right here at home. We timed it so like last year, Vin’s baseball team played at the local high school so they were able to come and eat and hang out for a while. Our wonderful neighbors and some friends also came to liven up the party. Unfortunately, Yaya’s Auntie Jo had to go back home to Leeds. But we had a wonderful time with Auntie Jo and miss her terribly! [[image:allie756a.jpg:Let them eat yet another cake!:center:0]]  * Mouse over the pictures for captions Vin rushed back from his game and fired up the coals. In the meantime the guests have arrived and Allie mingles: [[image:allie754a.jpg:Talking baseball:center:0]]   [[image:allie755a.jpg:Allie mingles like a good host:center:0]]   Then it was time for cake! Again! [[image:allie757a.jpg:Smiling while everyone sings Happy Birthday:center:0]]  [[image:allie758a.jpg:Yaya blows out the candle!:center:0]]  [[image:allie759a.jpg:And proceeds […]

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Allie’s 25 Month Birthday

And since I was so late with the last two 2-year birthday blogs, here we are, on August 29th. Allie is now 25 months and 1 week old! July and August have just flown by! Ramadhan Mubarak to everyone! Courtney had been in town for a conference and so spent the weekend with us (yayyyyyy!!!). [[image:allie765a.jpg:I’m pink and rowdy!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Before we get started, I have to apologize. You can see in the first picture above that there is a pinkish tinge to it? Well, the reason why is because we had to resurrect our older camera, the one that we had to replace because it was taking pink pictures – remember that one? Well, the reason we had to use the old camera is because “somebody” “dropped” the camera and it no longer works. The fatal “lens error” appeared and the camera will […]

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Allie’s 24 Month (aka Second) Birthday

It happened! Allie’s big day arrived – she turned 2 (years!!) on July 22nd! We were home from Maryland by then. Here she is, the birthday girl! [[image:allie690a.jpg:Hello! It’s my birthday today!:center:0]]  * Mouse over the pictures for captions Another month and more developments! She now has eleven teeth (about as many teeth as a one year old!) but this is apparently normal for kids in Vin’s family (slow to teeth). Cousin Max (from the Maryland party) is 13 months old and does not have any teeth yet. Everyone’s been saying that she looks tall for her age but since we haven’t yet had her 24-month appointment, we don’t know yet. She went around saying “Hi Baby” for a while but has recently stopped saying that. She is definitely telling us long and convoluted stories (not using any words) and mostly getting her message across. She understands fairly complex sentences […]

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The one with the surprise birthday cake

We had a crazy busy month of July! I know it is way into August now, and I haven’t even done any entries on Allie’s big day. That’s because we have been running around like crazy people! First we had an active 4th of July weekend in La Porte (Vin’s hometown) and then to Becky’s at Elkhart. And then off to New Jersey for work for a week. Then back home, and Vin’s sister Jo came to visit! Yaya got to meet her Auntie Jo for the first time! It was the funnest time! So we hung out at home for a few days before driving everyone out to the Baltimore area for a family gathering. Unbeknownst to us, Vin’s Aunt Joan and his cousins had organized a surprise early birthday party for Allie. So on Sunday July 18th, we went to cousin Kathy’s place for a cookout and had […]

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Allie’s 23 Month Birthday

And Allie is now another month older. She was 23 months old last Tuesday, and now is not even a month away from her second birthday! How crazy is that? It feels just like yesterday when Allie was born and now, look at her: [[image:allie668a.jpg:Wearing her trademark barrette:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions It does seem like this year is flying by really quickly. Can you believe that we are almost done with June? Half the year is done already! Allie has been growing like a weed, and absorbing everything around her. In this past month, we had our usual trip to New Jersey for work, but we also got to meet up with Amy and Jef in Philly, and Allie had a lovely playdate with their son Reza. We also met up with Min and Aida, and Allie had a playdate, with Aida’s son Casey yesterday. It’s […]

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Happy Father’s Day! (Backdated)

This is a backdated entry in honor of Father’s Day. I managed to pick out some gifts for Vin (seen below) and Allie and Lily got together and sent Vin an e-card. In keeping with last year’s theme, Allie models Vin’s presents: [[image:allie638a.jpg:Take me out to the ballgame!:center:0]] Vin got to play in his Father’s Day baseball game, but Allie, Lily and I stayed home since Allie had slept in. Can you guess what Vin’s favorite baseball team is? [[image:allie633a.jpg:Toddler hat:center:0]] [[image:allie634a.jpg:Cubs dress:center:0]]  [[image:allie635a.jpg:T-shirt with bear logo:center:0]]  The bear logo is important as Allie loves all the shirts and hats that Vin and I have that have the actual cubs bear on it (and not just the “C”). She growls at it. So now she has some clothes that she can growl at when she goes to Vin’s games or goes to Chicago Cubs games with her Papa! And here […]

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Allie’s 22 Month Birthday

So Allie turned 22 months old on the 22nd (yesterday)! Since it fell on a Saturday and I didn’t have to work, Vin and I had a fun day planned out for the girl. And I apologize way in advance for the sheer number of pictures in this entry. [[image:allie626a.jpg:Hey look, I’m in my entertainment center!:center:0]] (Allie wanted to try her old entertainment center again – she was much too tall for it but she had fun pretending to be half her age!) * Mouse over the pictures for captions So in the past month, Allie seems to have gone through a bit of a growth spurt. She’s outgrown her shoes and a bunch of her clothes so Vin and I have outfitted her for the summer with 24-month clothes. She definitely is very chatty and says a lot of things (none of them actual words), and her animal noise […]

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Allie’s 21 Month Birthday

Yet another month has passed. Allie turned 21 months old on Earth Day (April 22nd). She had an action-packed day, and we all enjoyed it. [[image:allie580a.jpg:Roarrrrrrr:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions The days just pass by so quickly, that for the most part, Vin and I can barely keep track of them. This month seems to have just flown by in a blurry of work-travel, playing with Allie, trying to keep the house clean in the wake of Tornado Allie, and keeping the girl from attacking Lily too much. It’s just unbelievable how much dirt and laundry such a little thing can produce! She keeps growing (and growing out of her clothes and shoes) and learning more and more. She’s making up her own signs for many different things (like sleep, yawn, dance, etc.) and she’s imitating a lot of the catch-phrases from TV (she gets the tone […]

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Makan-makan with Jen

So before Jen and Mike set off for their awesome vacation (one of the legs included dinner with Hisham’s family), we had a warm up makan session at the newly discovered Penang restaurant in Edison, NJ. We ordered so much food that they had to move us from a table suited to seat 3-4 people, to a table for 8. Jen got to try a bunch of Malaysian dishes including assam laksa, pasembur, mee kari, kangkung belacan, roti canai, and all kinds more. The person who took our order was trying to warn me that perhaps some of my choices were not something that would be enjoyed by Jen and Vin but oh, he didn’t know them as well as I did. 🙂 We all had an excellent meal. Sila makan, everyone. Here is a picture from our first makan-makan at Penang: [[image:jen01.jpg:After we were stuffed to the gills:center:0]] Tonight, […]

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Allie’s 20 Month Birthday

It happened! On March 22nd (last Monday) Allie became a 20-month-old! We have no idea where the time went and suddenly she’s such a lively and independent little thing! She had a terrific day, even though Mama had to work. Papa manned the camera and took a ton of pictures. Here she is, smiling with her mouth full of blueberry & oatmeal breakfast: [[image:allie543a.jpg:Good morning!:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for captions Luckily March has been much tamer weather-wise. Allie has gotten to go outside and play more, and take walks. It’s really been fun. I know I promised you pictures of the crazy snow, and one day I’ll get around to it. Another month of awesome developments. Allie can go up and down the stage steps completely upright (she had been crawling up and down the steps prior to this), and she is climbing on furniture. The sofa and […]

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Allie’s 19 Month Birthday

Yet another month has gone by! Allie was 19 months old last Monday, February 22nd. It’s quite amazing how quickly time flies! [[image:allie529a.jpg:Yaya and Mama:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for added captions  This has been quite the exciting month! For one thing, we have had a lot of snow, both here at home and on our road trips to New Jersey. It’s craziness! (Stay tuned for some snow pictures). And on top of that, Allie just keeps growing and developing. She is eating a lot of table foods and uses the food I make for her more like a base. It’s supplemented with all kinds of different things that Vin and I are eating. Plus she’s drinking a ton of whole milk out of her sippy cup. Linguistically, she may be on the verge of saying “Mama” (fingers crossed). She seems to be experimenting more now and possibly hopefully […]

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Allie’s 18 Month Birthday

It’s true! Allie is 18 months old now! She is one and a half years old! (Well at the time that this was written she is 18 months and 10 days old).It happened on January 22nd, also known as Yong’s birthday (Happy belated birthday Yong!). [[image:allie504a.jpg:The angel:center:0]]  Sorry for the delay, but here it is finally, how Allie spent her half-birthday. Allie is all better now, no more strep throat, no health issues there. She’s eating well, and enjoying all kinds of different foods. She’s even back to liking bananas (after months of refusal). She has a grand total of four teeth and puts them to good use – her blue cup has been nibbled on quite a bit. She also went through a phase where she spilled everything she was drinking. I think she was just getting used to her new teeth. She’s getting better at the drinking and […]

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Blizzard! And Allie Plays in the Snow

First big snowfall of 2010 today. We had some snow in December but since Allie had strep and all we decided not to expose her to the cold. But now she is better and we had four inches of snow on the ground and more falling from the sky, we decided to go out and have some fun! We bundled her up in her snowsuit: [[image:allie484a.jpg:Happy little eskimo:center:0]] She couldn’t see very well with the hood up and preferred it down: [[image:allie473a.jpg:Let’s go outside!:center:0]]  And off we went, for Allie’s first encounter with snow. [[image:allie474a.jpg:Breaking a path through unshovelled snow:center:0]]  [[image:allie475a.jpg:Concentrating on her feet:center:0]]  [[image:allie476a.jpg:What is this weird stuff?:center:0]]  [[image:allie477a.jpg:Sitting in the snow:center:0]]  [[image:allie478a.jpg:Fuyooo! Atok, I’m touching snow too!:center:0]]  [[image:allie479a.jpg:Mama help me! My hands are cold:center:0]]  Some crazy hat pictures: [[image:allie480a.jpg:This is fun!:center:0]]  [[image:allie481a.jpg:Hatted profile:center:0]]  [[image:allie482a.jpg:I have a sticker:center:0]]  [[image:allie483a.jpg:Is it coming down from the sky?:center:0]]  It was fun. Allie […]

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Allie’s 17 Month Birthday

Last Tuesday, December 22nd, Allie was 17 months old! Unfortunately, the poor little girl was recovering from strep and possibly the flu. You can see how uncharacteristically unenergetic she is here: [[image:allie453a.jpg:Poor sick baby:center:0]] She had been fever free for a day, but was still weak and listless. She was diagnosed with strep throat and the doctor suspected the flu (although she did not test positive for flu) and had been on tamiflu and amoxicillin since Friday (the 18th). She had high fever and was just a ball of heat, the poor baby. She stopped eating, surviving on shrimp crackers (keropok udang), water, fruits and milk and rarely had a smile, and was super clingy, needing to be held all the time. She even refused her beloved bread, that’s how ill she was. She was showing signs of recovery in the morning, managing to eat half a roll at breakfast. […]

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Allie’s 16 Month Birthday

So last Sunday, Allie was 16 months old! She’s one and 1/3 years old. It seems like just yesterday she was just a tiny little thing and now she’s running around, starting to talk, and becoming a real person! [[image:allie450a.jpg:Hello! Like my barrette?:center:0]] * Mouse over the pictures for added captions Allie now walks and runs confidently, trying to climb everything, touch everything, point to everything, talk about everything. She dances to music, whether it be the stereo or songs in advertisements, or songs we sing. She loves looking at herself in the mirror and in pictures. She can go from lying down to sitting to a standing (and walking and running) without pulling up on anything, by just pushing up off the floor. When she falls down, she stands back up and continues on her merry way (unless it was a hard spill and she hits her head or […]

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