Hawaii 3.0, part I

We said our goodbyes to our babies the night before, knowing that our flight will depart before they wake the next morning.  I volunteered to tuck both of them to bed, when our usual division of labor is he for him and I for her.  This constant rhythm gets our family going and admittedly I felt a bit guilty for stirring the pot by leaving for 7 days without them.  But the day that we have been waiting for has arrived, and I lingered just a tad longer my goodnight kisses on their foreheads.

Paradise awaited us after a long five hour flight but at least we gained 3 hours to enjoy it.

What beauty Maui is.  The waters, the palm trees, the people, all seem to move in synchronize rhythmic waves and it calls to us to do the same.  We obliged.

^Our resort - Grand Wailea in Wailea, Maui.^

^Right outside our balcony^

^Our hotel lobby^

^The beach right outside of our hotel^

We shed our layers of clothes, we slowed down and we joined them.

And we ate.  Boy did we eat.  I must have gained 5 pounds from all the eating that we did.

^This is a restaurant in our hotel, the Grand Wailea. I think they name this restaurant to taunt the tourists.^

^Shaved ice, apparently a must when you visit Hawaii.  I was not impressed.^

My only complaint is it is so expensive in Hawaii.  We have been warned and so expected it but admittedly still had sticker shock.

Mavi @ 9 months

Dear Mavi,

The days of you approaching the one year mark are flying by.  Day by day, you are growing by leaps and bounds, and these passing months can still concretely be measured in inches and pounds.  It's important to me to document this stage of your life with pictures and measurements, because soon enough your growth will be much less evident.  This time only happens once, and I cherish the documentation I now have with your sister at this age, and I undoubtedly will cherish yours in a year's time.

It seems like every month, I recall in my mind as I prioritize what I will write and the same initial thought always pop into my head "so many things happen this month."  That is the nature of raising an infant, the ability to see growth in such a concrete way.

Right after you turn 8 months, we had a little play date with a family who have a son born a little over than a month after you.  I suppose that in these meetings, it's hard not to compare two boys who are so similar in age.  He was crawling, you are not. You both were the same in weight.  You both had two teeth.  The list goes on and on and it's evident that he didn't let his later arrival stop him from catching up to you.  I hope that the comparison spawned off more from curiosity than competition, and I know on my part it was, because I know for a fact that I can claim very little credit for what you are capable of and what you are not capable of at this stage of life.

Despite the fact that you didn't do even so much as inching yourself at the beginning of the month, you ended up crawling at top speed by the end of the month.  I love that as soon as you see my face walking through the door after a day's work, you immediately inching your way to me.  I always joked about how hard those moment can be when both kids demand my attention at once, but it is also one of the greatest source of joy in my day, every day. 

I left you for the first time since you were born for a girl weekend get away.  You were left in your father's care.  You survived.  I missed you.  It's healthy to do these sort of things.  That is all.

Some time while I was away, you decided that you wanted to stand, and so you did.  I didn't see it until the day I returned, so that became the first time you stood to me.  I got it on video.  I forgotten how these abilities develop so fast.  Within a week, you went from standing for about 3 seconds to a good 15 seconds by yourself.  You want to take a step so bad, I can see it, but right now your legs are feeling like lead and you just can't quite make that leap yet.  No worries, soon enough baby.

You are drooling by the bucket.  Everywhere you go, there's a trail behind you.  Your four upper teeth are coming through, for a total of 6 altogether.  You don't even so much as make a bit of a fuss about it.  This is something I'm quite grateful for as both my kids do so well with teething, I hardly notice it.

This month really is a happening for you development wise.  Last night I decided to go through all 9 months pictures at once, and boy what progress you made.  Slow down baby boy, let Mama catch up with you, physically and mentally.

I love you so much.
Mama

Mavi went to the beach

Our spring days over the weekend resembled those of summer.  And it a glimpse into how miserable it can get in the near future, but for now we enjoy it while it lasts and the cool spring days return.

We headed to the beach and introduced Mavi to it for the first time.  Both of my kids just love water so much although Mavi was unsure of the cold water that is typical of Santa Cruz, CA.  Northern California waters suck, though the weather and the beaches don't.  And though we stayed for no more than two hours, and lugging too many things to worth the trouble, we did it anyways because it really does make memories that last a lifetime.

This was where Mavi touched his feet to the ocean waters for the first time.

This is where my girl feels the excitement of chasing, and being chased, by waves.

This is where our family of four laughed our hearts out.

And good time begets good times.  We brought the laughter home by keeping the party continue in our driveway, where we turned on the water hose and have a blast of a time.

Truly this is what weekends are made for.

We have a garden

I don't think I will ever have sufficient words, nor the ability to string together eloquent sentences that would capture the spirits of my kids when they are 1, when they are 2, when they are 3.  But I certainly try because for some unknown reason I have this desire to write and write until the emotions contained in this mother's heart are partially transferred into concrete words. 

My little girl is often outwardly shy and sometimes timid, to a point that some friends and family questioned why she behaved this way.  I always brush it off because there is another side of her that they don't get to witness, and I want to believe that it is a special gift that is preserved only for her father and I, and those who are close enough to her.

She is funky and spunky and un-apologetically 100% girl.  She loves babies, she loves pink, she loves dresses and she loves to play princess.  I don't encourage a specific path for my girl, and I don't discourage any interest either.  One of the greatest lessons I learned as a parent is that it is best to follow their leads.

So when my girl began to express interest in the earth and growth, I decided that this was the year we were going to start a garden.  I have never been one to take much interest in this department and I have learn through the years of attempting to raise some household plants that my residence is probably where plants go to die.  But despite all of my past history, I am going to keep at it and give it another try.

So, I ordered a vegetable garden container from Amazon.  While waiting for it to arrive within a week's time, we picked up soil at Home Depot, seeds from various sources and gardening tools from a recent Target trip.  Last Saturday, while Mavi took his morning nap, I took the opportunity to take my girl out and plant something, thanks to Dad who had gotten the hardest part of creating the garden bed done the previous night.

She loved the process of poking holes into the soil, putting little seeds in the holes and closing them up like they were little treasures in pirate shows.  In fact, she referred to them as if they were treasures several times.  Since then, she diligently water the garden a couple times a day while I work.  We are patiently checking on them every day waiting and willing for the first sprout to shoot through the earth.  I am hopeful that out of the hundreds of seeds that we put into the ground that a few would be successful.  We are hopeful.

 

Now that the weather had warmed up significantly, we are spending a lot more time outdoor.  In the process are we welcoming visitors to come into our yard, including this little guy that we decided need a name and agreed on Hummer.  I'm still uncertain if it's the same one that keep coming back or different hummingbirds who like our yard.  It makes no difference.  I chased him around one night to get a couple of shots of him.

I really do love this part of parenting, getting to discover the world around me through a completely different set of lens and perspective and in the process realigning my life for the better.  A few years ago, I could never imagine myself growing anything.  But now we have a garden.