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It's been a couple of months since we last updated this blog. We just got back from Indiana for Thanksgiving holiday, and we all had a great time. Christmas is approaching quickly, and I am sure we will update more pictures later. Here are the November pictures.
Posted by Winnie 11:01 AM

Sorry for the delay. Here are the new pictures.
Posted by Winnie 4:03 PM

We know that we've been slacking off on updating this site. See, they are finally walking, and it's just impossible to get any free time to update this blog. Even when we got time at night, we've been catching up with movies that we've missed for the last year. I still would like to watch some of the movies on big screen though, especially Lord of the rings. What a great movie!!! Well, not much going on these days, just keeping the kids safe from falling or eating things on the floor. They are talking a bit too. They have been baby talking a tiny bit of Cantonese, English, and something we couldn't quite understand. Max can make some animal sounds like Oink (Pig) and Quack (Duck). They love Cheerios, potatoes, rice, banana, and anything they aren't supposed to have like chocolate, nuts, etc.

The Labor Day weekend was great. Angela and Josephine came and stayed with us for a day. The kids always get excited to meet new people, so they get to play with their cell phones, shoes, handbags, and anything they can get into. We couldn't really take them out and show them around town, but we did take them to places near our home. We had a great time talking and hanging out with them. Hope you all had a good long weekend.

Posted by Winnie 1:26 PM

It's been so hot lately that we've been wanting to take the kids to the pool. We finally got our chance last Sunday at Jenny's house. We got 2 floating devices a day before and even tried them in our big tub. The kids were fearless, and so excited to be in the water. Arie attempted to put her little face in the water, actually she just wanted to drink the water (Yucks!!). Max was so happy when we let him out of his floating device. He even tried to swim - moving his legs and arms uncoordinatedly. Our cousin, John, was there too to play with the kids. We had such a blast, and I couldn't wait to do it again. It was hard to go to work the next day, Monday, because all I was thinking about was their little faces that filled with excitement and happiness when they were in the water. I have already asked my mom to ask Jenny if we can go again this weekend. I can't wait..... This time I will have pictures to prove.
Posted by Winnie 12:40 PM

Sorry, I know it's been a long while since our last update. Here are some of the pictures from July. It includes pictures from their birthday party. Enjoy!!!
Posted by Winnie 2:34 PM

Yes, they turned 1 year old today. We had a big birthday party last Sunday, and it was so much fun.
Posted by Winnie 10:43 AM

So, the kids birthdays are coming up! The big question that may be one some of your minds is what is the Blog going to be called after that? Since it is currently called "The First Year." Hmm...I guess we will have to refer that question to our esteemed editor, Winnie. How about it Winnie...what are we going to do? New Blog? New Name? No Blog? Don't keep us all in suspense!
Posted by Max 11:47 AM

Well, I think the kids are getting closer to walking. This weekend they started taking their first steps without our help. They have been walking with our help for quite some time, but now their balance is much better and they need less support from us. *Sniff...sniff* our babies are growing up! I can't imagine how many more head wounds Max is going to get after he starts running. Yeah that's right running...I fully expect Max to go straight from crawling to running. Who needs to walk anyway :) He is going to be type A all the way. Arie on the other hand doesn't have too many knots on her noodle right now, but she seems to like to run also...I guess we are going to have to be on guard even more than now.
Posted by Max 11:40 AM

We had a great time in Indiana, and the weather was great. We will give you more update on our trip later, but here are some of the pictures.
Posted by Winnie 9:21 AM

Jim’s cousin, Shelley, invited us to her farmhouse for lunch today. Shelley has 2 boys, 2 and 3 years old. They were adorable, and the kids were playing with them. They even showed us their chickens and roasters at the farm, and they were just so cute. We also met two sweet and wonderful teenage girls (13 and 16), the daughters of Jim’s cousin Shane. Sicily and Beth were so little when we last met them, and now they are taller than me. They love Max and Arie, and they were really sweet to them. Max and Arie felt so comfortable with them that they didn’t even cry when Jim and I weren’t near them. Everyone was so warm and loving; we really had a great time there. We can’t wait till our next family get together. Maybe, thanksgiving…
Posted by Winnie 11:00 PM

Yeah, we got to stay home and relaxed today. I caught my first fish at the pond by the house this afternoon. Jim and I spent a lot of time outside with the kids watching us fishing. Max and Arie had a lot of fun playing and crawling on the grass. I have been feeling a little better, but I could not stop coughing at night time. Mom gave me some kind of magic coughing syrup (Jim inserts: the magic was codeine!), and I took that before going to bed. It worked like wonder, and it prevented me from waking the kids at night.
Posted by Winnie 1:43 PM

Tonight, it was grandpa Castor who invited us, his step-kids, and his step-grand children, for dinner. It was pizza again, two nights in a row. The kids had so much fun playing with their little cousins, and relatives.
Posted by Winnie 7:14 PM

Aunt Carol invited us to her house for pizza this evening with other family members. It was the first time Max and Arie met with their cousins from Dorcia’s side of the family. The kids behaved quite well, not shy at all. Arie smiled to everyone who said hi to her, she was so friendly. Max was crawling everywhere to places where he shouldn’t be, like the wine rack on the floor. Overall, it was a wonderful night with family and friends.

Posted by Winnie 9:00 PM

We took the kids out into the city today, and we went to Keystone Fashion mall. The last time I went to this mall was probably before Jim and I got married, so a long time. We dined at Cheesecake Factory for lunch, and the food was great. However, Max had an accident where his big toe was caught in between my booth’s chair and mat. Poor guy, it took us sometime before we figured out why he was crying so loud. Even the manager of the restaurant came over and made sure he was ok. He promised that they would get the booth’s mat fixed, but no discount was offered because of the accident : (. On the bright side, Max’s toe is okay.
We found some great deals at ‘Gap kids’, and we got tons of new clothes for them. Grandma Dorcia got a lot for them too. Thank you!!!

Posted by Winnie 8:40 PM

The kids slept much better last night, and so did I. The medicine helped a lot, and I felt much better today. We all got more rest, and we slept past 6am. Jim had a great idea to make the bedroom really, really dark. By using aluminum foil to cover the windows in our bedroom, the kids didn’t get waken up by the sunlight through the window. So, they slept much longer than yesterday.

We visited grandpa Castor’s house in the afternoon. The weather was so nice, so we all sat and chatted outside under their big tree in the backyard. Max had so much fun crawling and picking the grass. Arie was having great fun riding on Jim’s shoulder, and she didn’t want to get off. The kids were a little shy and afraid of grandpa and grandma Castor, but they warmed up quite a bit after they played with them in the backyard for a while.

Dinner was already prepared and ready by the time we got home. Grandpa Chuck is such a good cook, and we were fed well here.

Posted by Winnie 12:38 PM

Jim and I slept separately with one of the babies in the bedroom. I slept with Arie, and he slept with Max. I thought the flight yesterday would make them so tired that they wouldn’t be fussing much. To our surprise, they got a little uneasy with this new arrangement – both babies in the same room. One baby would cry and it would make the other cry. They were doing it all night. Max would cry when the pacifier fell out of his mouth, and then Arie would cry immediately and vice versa. The first half of the evening was tough, and then Max had to get up at 6am, and it woke Arie up as well. So, we all got up at 6am, but I got too tired to stay up, so I took a nap after grandma got up to help us in the morning. We didn’t go anywhere, except walking around the house, yard, and the pond. It’s been nice to be here, so relaxing. We just need to get more rest tonight, and hopefully we will feel better soon. But, my throat started to bother me later this evening, and I had to take Nyquil before going to bed.
Posted by Winnie 5:00 PM

We’ve been packing for a week, so we made sure that all the kids’ stuffs are brought with us for our trip to Indiana. We got up at 4:30am to get ready for our 7:30am flight. The kids were still sleeping when we woke up and ready to go, and we didn’t have to struggle too much to change their clothes, as they were both half asleep. We picked up Auntie Jenny on our way to the airport, so she could accompany my mom to drive our van home safely. Actually, there wasn’t much traffic at all for her to worry. On our way to the airport, the kids were a little confused and probably curious to find out where their final destination would be. The ride to the airport wasn’t long, and we got there over an hour before the flight. The airport wasn’t too crowded, so we got our tickets without having to wait too long. I think the hardest thing about bringing the kids to the airport is carrying them through security with our luggage and strollers. It was required that all strollers must be folded, and we got 2 strollers and 2 small carry-on bags. We ran out of hands to hold the kids, fold the strollers, unfold the strollers, carry the bags, and show our tickets to the security agent. We were glad to get passed the security and be at the gate. The flight to Indiana was 3.5 hours, and the kids took an hour nap once we got on the plane. They didn’t complain or cry much as long as we kept them occupied. We fed the kids solids and bottles, then some of our snacks on the plane. There were enough distractions or entertainment during the flight to fill up the entire 3.5 hours.

The flight landed at 1pm, and the grandparents were already waiting for us outside the gate. We were all happy and excited to see them. The kids took a long nap in Aunt Carol’s van throughout the drive to grandparents’ home in Elwood. A big thank you to Carol for letting us borrowing her van for the week we were there. Yeah…we made it, and we are finally here.

Posted by Winnie 12:33 AM

Finally, here are the pictures.
Posted by Winnie 8:31 PM

Well, it's only couple of short (very short) days left before we leave for Indiana. I am making a list of all the kids stuff we need to bring. Winnie is checking the list twice. We already know that Max is naughty and Arie is nice. So, I guess we are about ready to zoom out into the wild blue yonder and down into that lush green garden called Indiana. It will be nice to be back home for a while. Hopefully we can keep Max off the floor of the airplane and from banging his head around too much. I think as long as we have some snacks Arie should be fine...but we'll see...

Kids are doing great. Arie is crawling more now and Max is able to stand up a little. They are eating pretty good and getting bigger.
Posted by Max 9:45 AM

Posted by Winnie 10:04 AM

Well, it turns out that Max's fever was actually part of a whole series of symptoms. Apparently he just got his first official virus. The virus is called Roseola. It starts with fever somewhere between 100 and 106. That lasts for about 2 to 4 days. Then when the fever goes away, you get this red bumpy rash all over your tummy and back. Fortunately for us it wasn't an itchy rash. As a matter of fact, it didn't seem to bother him all that much except he was a little extra fussy. It is contagious, but Arie hasn't shown any symptoms yet. However, Roseola has a 9 to 10 day incubation period. So it may come up later. Hopefully not before or during our trip to Indiana though. We are planning to leave this Saturday. I am getting excited since I haven't been home for almost 3 years. It should be quite an experience traveling with the kids. I am sure you will find all about it.
Posted by Max 10:06 PM

Jim is right about the 405, and I have to take that everyday to work. We had fun on Saturday really except the traffic, and it felt good to be able to go out without having to worry too much about the kids. They got to nap in the car the whole way there and back home, but maybe the weekend was too hectic for them. Last night, Max got a little fussy, and that's according to Jim. You know me, I usually sleep through anything, and I found that out from Jim this morning. Not until later this afternoon when Jim got home, he took Max's temperature and found out that he had a fever of 101. Jim immediately gave him some Tylenol and called the doctor. We followed the doctor's order by giving him more Tylenol before his bedtime. He is sleeping now, and hopefully he will feel better by tomorrow morning.
Posted by Winnie 9:56 PM

Well, it was a great weekend with the kids...except for that part where we were stuck in traffic. Yeah the 405 screwed us again. We have been so good the 405. Always courteous not to speed (too much) down her long straight, wide thoroughfare. Careful not to scratch her hardened cement lane dividers, or plunge headlong into those yellow garbage pales filled with something that is supposed to cushion your blow if you hit them. Going somewhere on the 405 is like having a craving for twinkies, but only finding Little Debbies poor imitation of a twinkie. You eat it to satisfy that craving, but you feel sick afterwards. Unless you want to go wildly out of your way, you just have to take the 405 when you live in LA. I guess some of the blame can be put on our friends, Jeff and Lyndie, that just moved to Sherman Oaks. They are the real reason we were on the 405 on a Saturday :) The kids handled it bravely though. The slept most of the way up there, with only minor fussing. We met Lyndie, Jeff's wife, on Saturday to welcome them to LA, and to introduce them to the horrifying traffic that is LA. Well...I guess it isn't that bad, but I have been working only 8 miles from home for the last 6 months so I am a little spoiled. Anyway, back to the kids. We all went to our old favorite restaurant, Blue Marlin in Santa Monica. It was great and the kids liked it too. Max, who is a notorious flirter, had a great time making eyes at all of the waitresses. Arie had fun checking out the baby at the next table. Lyndie was a big hit with the kids too. Max even let her hold him, which is pretty unusual. That is of course unless you factor in the fact that she is young, blond and extremely friendly...remember Max...yeah...well he is a notorious flirter...in case I didn't already mention that. After lunch we took Lyndie to the 3rd street Promenade for a walk and some window shopping. It was fun, and the kids certainly saw some interesting people. After that, we spent about 45 minutes driving Lyndie about 7 miles back to her apartment, and another hour driving home. The kids slept most of the way back home...lucky for us. All-in-all it was a great Saturday...fun, family, friends, and the 405.
Posted by Max 10:00 AM

Grandma and grandpa took off early this morning and started the second part of their trip back to Indiana. Jim and I got up early to have breakfast with them before their long journey home. They are heading to Bakersfield, then Utah, and Colorado. We can't wait to see all the pictures when we go to Indiana late June. Tickets are booked for the last week of June, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone there. It's been a long time, at least 4 years since I've been back to Indiana. fpr Jim is it has been almost 3. The trip will definitely be interesting and very challenging for us - first time flying with the kids. Any tips or suggestions on what we need to bring (besides everything and the kitchen sink) or do would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by Winnie 9:26 PM

Sometimes, when we have time, Jim and I like to make baby food for the kids. So far, we tried to make carrots, sweet potatoes, and green beans using the streamer and the food mill. I also tried to make pork rice congee or porridge - rice cereal like, but the kids didn't like it. The other day, my mom made a pot of congee for the kids, and they seemed to like it. The trick was that my mom took the pork and carrots out, and grounded them with the food mill, and she then mixed them with the congee. It really makes it easy for them to eat, plus they can feel the texture of the pork and carrot. So, my mom has been cooking her famous congee for the kids, and it's been a hit. We have been using this food mill a lot, especially for fruit like bananas and pears. It also works well with cooked meat, but it needs a lot of muscle.
Posted by Winnie 10:06 PM

Right after Tina and Alan left on Wednesday morning, our relatives (Dorcia, Chuck, Carol, and Bob) from Indiana arrived in the afternoon. They came by motorcycle via route 66, historic road to the West. They visited the surrounding cities along the route, and it took them 10 days to get to our place. Many pictures were taken during their journey to California. Mom, Dorcia, rode in the side car with Chuck's motorcycle most of the time, and she said it was definitely one of the best and most fun trips they've ever taken. Max was nervous and a little scared when they first walked in the house, but he finally warmed up a lot the next day. Arie was lucky enough to have a chance to ride in the side car with Jim for a short distance in our drive way. Judging by the big smile on her face, she really liked it. Maybe Arie will turn out to be the daredevil of the family instead of Max...only time will tell.
Posted by Winnie 9:41 AM

Alan, Tina, and Janet came and visited us for the long weekend, and we were able to hang out with them on Monday since we had the day off. Martha came back early to help out, so Jim and I got to sleep in a little later than usual. We then all went out to try a new restaurant in our neighborhood. The food was just okay, but we got to sit outside in the nice weather, and the kids had fun. Max got very fussy after we got home from the restaurant though - he didn't have a nap all morning. Jim tried putting him to sleep, but he wouldn't stop crying. Martha had to walk him and held him in her arms for a long time before putting him in his crib. While they were both napping in the afternoon, Jim and I got a chance to get out of the house for a bit. With my mom and Martha's help at home, we were able to get a lot of shopping done. The biggest purchase of the day was a vacuum cleaner. We didn't have a BBQ or anything, but it was nice having Alan, Tina, and Janet around for the holiday.
Posted by Winnie 9:53 PM

My older brother, Ricky, just turned another year older, and we celebrated his birthday at Cheese Cake Factory on Sunday afternoon. We decided to eat at somewhere outside our usual choice of restaurant for Sunday brunch, which is always Chinese dim sum. We picked CCF because both Ricky and Kimmy (Max and Arie too) have never eaten there before. We got there a little after 12pm, and surprisingly it wasn't crowded. They gave us a long booth for a party of 5 adults and 2 little ones. For Max and Arie, it was their first time to sit in highchairs at a restaurant; we usually just left them in their strollers. Their little faces lighted up with excitement and curiosity once they were seated in the highchair. They couldn't stop slapping their hands on the table, and then they raced immediately to get anything in front of them - napkins, knifes forks, and menus. I lost count the number of times Jim and I had to call out 'No, Max..don't put it in your month', 'No, Arie..that's dirty', and 'No..No..No, please'. Since, they were both seated at the end of the table, they drew so much attention from people who sat next to our table, and people who walked by. They were so busy looking at all the strangers and at one point Max wouldn't stop staring at an old lady sitting behind him. Shortly after we ordered our food, I realized that I forgot to bring their baby food. Poor Jim¡KHe had to walk to the nearest grocery store to fetch food for the kids. Luckily, it was only 5 blocks away, so he got back just in time for his food. To help keep them happy in their seats, we gave them a little bit of our food throughout our lunch. It seemed to work fine, especially
for Arie. After all, we had a great time at the restaurant, and we wouldn't mind going back again, but I will make sure to remember their baby food next time.
Posted by Winnie 10:55 PM

They just got these new bottles from Auntie Jenny for drinking water. It has built-in child proof straw, so they can't pull it from the bottle. They each got their own water bottle now, and they are loving it.
Posted by Winnie 9:20 PM

As they are getting bigger and more active, their teeth keep on coming in, especially Arie. She now got six upper front teeth coming in at the same time..poor Arie. No wonder she has been much crankier than usual. She looks funny when she smiles with all those front teeth. For Max, his bottom two front teeth are fully visible and the two top front teeth are coming in as well. He has been so fussy later because of his teeth and the runny nose. Also, with his new crawling skill, we are no longer able to keep him in the ultra-saucer for very long time or stand listening to him screaming in the saucer. On the bright side, they seem to be feeling a lot better than last week - no more stuffy nose. Jim and I look forward to spending more time with the kids this coming long weekend.
Posted by Winnie 9:09 PM

Ok, check them out.
Posted by Winnie 8:19 PM

It's all started from Jim - the carrier. He came home last week with a sore throat, and then runny nose all week. Max got it on Friday night, and he's been fussy because of that. Max then passed it on to Arie, and her little nose got all watery. Today, it's my turn, and my throat has been hurting since this morning. So, it looks like I am going to have runny nose tomorrow. Hopefully, neither my mom or Martha would catch this.
Posted by Winnie 8:17 PM

Alan and Tina came to visit us this week, but they only stayed 2 days and just left yesterday. It has been a long time since they saw the kids last time, probably over 2 months. They were surprised to see how big the kids have grown compared to their last visit. Oops..I forgot to take some pictures of them with the kids. We don't know when they are coming back again; hopefully they can come back for the kids' birthday in July. By then, Max would probably be walking...
Posted by Winnie 9:13 AM

On behalf of the kids, Jim took all the red-pocket money from Chinese New Year and got me a gift. Just kidding¡K.but, Jim did buy me a couple of music CDs when he went to Best Buy for my mom¡¦s gift. Well, he said my other gift will be coming in mail soon, sometime this week. A couple of my friends got me a very nice card on Friday for my first Mother¡¦s day. It was very nice and sweet of them. Thank you, guys.

On Sunday, we celebrated Mother¡¦s day with my mom, Ricky, and Kimmy at a Japanese restaurant in Monterey Park. We got a pretty good table, enough room to really put all our stuff. The kids did quite well, and they sat in their strollers pretty much the whole time we were there. Since, I haven¡¦t had sushi for so long, I ate way too much. Plus, the food was so good.

Posted by Winnie 9:02 PM

Arie has been drinking water with a straw for quite sometime. My mom started giving her water using a straw, instead of a sippy cup or a bottle. If not, she won¡¦t drink water. And, this is the only way she would drink water. The other day, I even fed her the formula with a straw, so that she would finish the bottle. But, it didn¡¦t quite work that well. For Max, he just caught up with this new skill, and he is getting pretty good at it.
Posted by Winnie 8:35 PM

Ok, so we have been a little slow at updating the blog lately. Winnie has been doing a great job trying to keep up with this, but I have kind of fallen down on the job. So here's a quick wrap on the week. Arie is just as cute as ever, although she has a way of looking right through you sometimes that scares me a little :). When she is in her own world either talking to the remote or eating a book, it is hard to get her attention. However the one sure fire way to get her attention is to have some food in your hand. I thought Arie has been waving bye, bye to me in the mornings, but come to find out she was trying to grab my sandwich. Oh well, I'll take what I can get. She has yet to develop an crawling skills. Instead, she barrel rolls her way to get what she wants. She loves to stand and walk (with our help mind you...ouch my back), but I guess she just doesn't have the patients for learning to crawl. Max has pretty much mastered the art of crawling. He is still a little wobbly, but he gets around. This new skill has enabled him to sample every leg in the house...whether it be human or furniture. Now, he doesn't like to sit in any of his saucers, Mega or Ultra. He just has to be on the move, and if he isn't...cover your ears. He has a very motivating whine. In most cases I would rather follow him around the house while he samples anything he can get his mouth on than listen to that whine. As for other new skills, he has become the master of the funny smile. He has a million funny/weird faces. He has the "ear to ear gum grin" with and without eyes closed, the "looks like a frown smile", the "nose scrunch, eye squint I am trying to read something from across the room smile", and the list goes on and on. I will try to include some pictures later. Well, that is about it for this update. Everyone have a great weekend and work on your funny faces...maybe we can have a contest.
Posted by Max 8:57 AM

I posted some more pictures.
Posted by Winnie 10:19 PM

Out of all the toys we got them, I can¡¦t believe remote control is their favorite toy. Whenever they see it, they would reach for it immediately. Jim had to look up one of our old one and give it to them, so that neither one of them would be disappointed or crying over it. It works almost like a pacifier, which calms them instantaneously. Arie likes to study it, and sometimes she would talk to it too. Max just loves to get his mouth all over the remote. So, it looks like the flight over the remote control has started early. Oh no...
Posted by Winnie 10:14 PM

Jim was feeling a lot better today. We were even able to catch a movie this afternoon. My mom left early with Jenny for their normal weekend shopping routine at Ontario mall. Martha had agreed to come back early to help out with the kids. Before Martha got here, we took the kids out for a stroll by the beach, and it was such beautiful day ¡V no wind and clear skies. I put Arie to bed before heading off for the movie. We saw ¡¥Bend it like Beckham¡¦, and it was a great movie. I think it is funny and inspiring for young girls. Jim and I gave two thumbs up for this movie. We got home about 4:30pm, and the kids were playing on the floor with Martha. Martha said that Arie slept for over 2 hours, and she just got up shortly before we got home. Thank you, Arie. However, Max only slept like 30 minutes or so. We ran out of diapers and desitin, so we had to make a trip to BabiesRus in the late afternoon. Max was getting sleepy, so we only brought Arie with us to the store. She did really well in the car, no crying or screaming. When we got home, I even got enough time to cook dinner for everyone. It¡¦s been a busy day, but it was fun.
Posted by Winnie 10:04 PM

On Friday, Jim went to work, but he had to come home early. His stomach started bothering him with really bad diarrhea. He just couldn¡¦t hold down any food or liquid. He was feeling a little better after dinner, but he still had a really week stomach. At 2am this morning, it had gotten so bad that he almost passed out. He woke me up and I drove him to the nearest hospital. My mom took Max, and he slept with her and Arie. We were at the hospital for at least an hour and a half before seeing the doctor. Jim was diagnosed with dehydration because of a lack of liquid in his body. So, they immediately gave him an IV. The doctor said that he probably got a stomach virus at the doctor¡¦s office on Friday. I couldn¡¦t stay with him at the hospital because of the kids. The kids were sleeping when I got home at 5am in the morning and stayed asleep till 7am. I had to leave Jim there by himself and picked him up at around 8:30 am. He looked and felt much better after he got back from the hospital. We then stayed home for the rest of the Saturday.
Posted by Winnie 10:04 PM

Jim started feeling sick last night shortly after dinner. He even had a fever and flu like symptoms. He actually just went to the doctor¡¦s office yesterday afternoon for an ear check up, and then he took the kids out for a walk when he got home. So, he most likely got the flu from the doctor¡¦s office. He took some Nyquil before going to bed, and it helped to bring down his fever. He didn¡¦t go to work today, but he stayed away from the kids by isolating himself at Alan¡¦s room. I came home early and went to the store with the kids. I got some chicken noodle soup and orange juice for him. But, he didn¡¦t eat much at all. Hopefully, he will get better soon.
Posted by Winnie 10:03 PM

The old carrier is getting too small for them and too heavy for us to carry them in the front. It's been killing our back. Since, they both like to be carried, we started to look for other alternatives besides strollers. We came across several ones at BabiesRus, but this is the one we got. We are still testing it to see, but so far Arie loves it. She giggles and talks so much when we carry her with it. We haven't taken a long walk yet to see if we can handle their weight on our shoulder. I am sure more pictures will come with them riding in it.
Posted by Winnie 1:39 PM

We took advantage of the nice weather and went out with the kids for lunch. We were going to go to Santa Monica, but our friend, Steve was coming to visit us and the kids. So, we went to the nearby mall in Manhattan beach and had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen - CPK. To avoid the crowd, we got there before 11:30am. Max was so good that he slept the whole time we were eating. Arie sat quietly with the help of the pacifier as we were both enjoying our salad and pizza. In order to keep Arie occupied, we gave her a little bit of bread to munch on. She was happy and satisfied. After lunch, we walked around inside and outside the mall. While we were walking, we met a couple who were also walking their twin girls. They are 1 month older than ours and they have more hair. We talked about how our babies have grown, and we all agreed that things are definitely easier than before. We have a lot in common as far as taking care of our kids, we even had the same doctor - Dr. Tabsh. Wow...it's amazing how many couples with twins were delivered by Dr. Tabsh. Again, it was interesting to hear other parents are going through the same experiences as us.

Anyway, Steve and his brother arrived a little after we got home from the mall, and it was great seeing them both again. The kids were a little apprehensive with them at first, but they soon felt at ease. They didn't get to stay too long, because they had to go to a wedding reception with their parents. Too bad...we weren't able to hang out with him. Hopefully, we get to meet up with him soon.
Posted by Winnie 9:58 PM

I posted some pictures from the BBQ party at my friend's place.
Posted by Winnie 3:06 PM

Martha was out on Monday and Tuesday this week, and we had to re-arrange our work schedules so that we could stay home with the kids. Even though, my mom said she could handle them by herself, but it would be too much work though. Martha has been having back pain and also irregular hear beats. Now, she is on medication, but she still needs to go back to the doctor for further consultation. Initially, Martha was going to take off just Monday, but they needed to monitor her for longer. We were a little panic when we didn't hear from her after Monday night. We called her cell and contacted her friends; no one seemed to be able to reach her. Until her brother called on Tuesday, we then found out that she was ok. Luckily, Aunt Jenny was able to come and help us out in the afternoon. I went in to work late, and Jim came home early for two days. So, it worked out.
Posted by Winnie 3:04 PM

We are a little behind on updating the blog. Grandma Dorcia, thank you so much for the gifts. We received two boxes full of gifts - baby clothes, cookies for Jim, and a bunch of Jafra cosmetic products. It was like Christmas all over again. Thank you soooo much, mom!!! I tried the volumizing shampoo and conditioner, and they are great. Jafra's baby line is great too, and we love the smell of the bath soap and cream.
On Sunday, we celebrated Easter with our family at a dim sum restaurant and followed by a Chinese movie at our place. It was nice seeing everyone again, it's been a while. The kids seemed to remember their aunts and uncles. We had to feed the kids at the restaurant, and it was a mistake to bring a new baby food that they never had before. We brought 'Spinach and Carrots', and they didn't like it at all. They didn't seem to be satisfied after we fed them the bottles either. So, we gave them some of the sweet soft tofu dessert we ordered. Well, we had to soak the tofu in the water first, because it's way too sweet for them. They loved it. John and Jim spent most of the time playing playstation instead of watching the movie with us while the kids were napping.
Posted by Winnie 12:27 PM

We did a lot today, considering we mostly spent our Saturday at home or around our neighborhood. First, we went out to eat at Rascals, our favorite Turkey burger restaurant, with the kids. We got there early to avoid the crowd, since we knew that we would be taking up a lot of space with our strollers and everything. It was nice to be able to eat out, instead of eating take-out at home. We even let the kids try some of our food, and they had the cutest expression every time they tried a food they never had before. Then, we had to stop by our other favorite (out of necesity) place, BabiesRus. We wanted to look for a different baby carrier, the kind you wear like a backpack. Also, we had to get some new nipples to replace the old ones. As we were looking and checking out different backpacks, a couple stopped us and asked if our kids were twins. We then started comparing notes and tips from diapers and strollers to formulas. Their twins?girls are 1 month old and still in the NICU. We later found out their names ?Mike and Tina. Here are some clips from our conversation:

Tina: Were they born at UCLA Santa Monica? My girls have the same pacifiers.
Jim: Yes Yes...Dr. Tabsh??
Tina: Yes?Oh my gosh?.do you know Stephanie?
Winnie: Oh..yes…she was my nurse and she is absolutely the best. I stayed there for 7 weeks before they were born. My daughter, Arie had to stay in the NICU for 3 weeks prior coming home with us.
Tina: Me too... stayed there for 49 days and it was so boring. We should be bringing our babies home in a week or so.
Winnie: Well, let me give you my email and feel free to email me if you have questions.
After looking at the email address?
Tina: Are you Winnie Castor from HLHZ ? Do you know Susan M.? I am Tina, Susan's sister-in-law.
Winnie: Oh yeah...you are the one who emailed me about finding a nanny. What a small world!!!

I couldn't believe it. I guess all parents do their shopping at BabiesRus, and no wonder they are always so busy. They live in West L.A. and they said the one in Torrance is the closet one in Los Angeles. It was so nice getting to meet parents who are going through the same things as Jim and I did. We wish them luck, and we had to tell them that it is tough for the first 3 months, but things will get better.
Later that day in the late afternoon, we put on their protective gear ?hats, sun block, and their new sunglasses and took the kids out for a walk. The weather was so nice, but just a little windy.

Posted by Winnie 9:15 PM

I took a day off because Martha had a Dr. appointment. We have been asked many times to take our kids to work, so our co-workers could meet them. Since, Jim’s office at Nissan is only 15 minutes away from home, I decided to take them to meet him for lunch. My mom came along with Max and Arie, and we met all Jim’s co-workers. The kids got so curious with everything they saw and the people they met. We hung around his office for a while and met with all his friends. Then, we ate at Mitsuwa, and Arie slept the whole time we were eating. Some day soon Jim is going bring the kids to my office, but it might be a little too far. But, we will see….
Posted by Winnie 8:39 PM

I got the call at about 6:15 AM. I was already at work. I had waken up early because Martha had to go in for a Dr. appointment, and I was going to drop her off at the bus stop. I was tired, really tired. Max was rolling all over the bed during the night and didn't sleep from about 2:45 til 4:45 AM. When she called, her first words were, "Guess what happened?" I said "What?" It was too early for guessing games. "Max fell off the bed!," she said and I heard some soft crying in the background. I said, "Are you kidding!!!" No, she wasn't kidding. After I left, Max rolled and rolled and rolled right off the bed. slipping between the bed and a chair we have next to it. Winnie said she heard a boom followed by crying. At first she thought she was dreaming, but soon figured out she wasn't. It took her a few seconds to find him because he was under the chair. She had to pull him out by his little legs. He cried for a while, and the good news is that he didn't get hurt! How lucky!
Posted by Max 2:17 PM

Well, it's almost summer. So, to help protect their little eyes, Jim got a pair of sunglasses for the kids at babiesRus. Arie just loves wearing them as you can see in the pictures, but Max refused to wear them as he would rather eat them or stick them up in his noses. Here are the pictures.
Posted by Winnie 10:09 PM

Max’s bottom front teeth are finally coming in and they are not completely out yet. We can feel it when we put fingers in his month. (Ouch…that hurts..) His teeth are coming in later than Aries’. She got hers when she turns 7 months old, and they are fully visible now. I was hoping that the drooling would stop after their teeth come in, but it doesn't seem like that would stop anytime soon.
Posted by Winnie 2:38 PM

My friends Fony, Tracy, and Bonnie at work invited us to their BBQ party at noon yesterday. It was the kids' first party to a non-family / unfamiliar place. We started getting ready for this event at 11am - packing food, bottles, clothes, diapers, and toys. Actually, it took us longer to dress them up and get them ready than Jim and I combined. I used to take at least 20 minutes to get ready, but now I take no more than 5 minutes. It's amazing how we've changed. We didn't get to their apartment till 1:30pm, well..we got lost on the way there. I made 'Island style macaroni salad' and brought it to the party. To our surprise, the kids behaved quite well and they weren't afraid of strangers. We brought the walker and the baby bjorn with us, in case they got fussy. They let my friends hold and played with them. Max got a little flirty with Bonnie..hehe...he couldn't stop giggling whenever she smiled to him. Arie liked Tracy a lot, and she wouldn't let Fony hold her. They cooked so much food, wait..They heated up a lot of food from Costco, and Tracy's mom marinated tons of meat - ribs and chicken tenders. They ended up using 2 of their George Foreman Grills to grill all the meat, instead of using their new grill they bought for the party since they didn't have any lighter fluid. We left the party at about 4 pm before the kids changed their happy and friendly mood, plus they didn't have a nap all afternoon...so who knows what might have happened if we stayed longer. Both of them fell asleep immediately in the car on the way back home. Arie still had a tough time getting comfortable in the car seat. Max just loves to ride in the car or even stroller. Anyway, we all had fun at the party and can't wait to do it again.
Posted by Winnie 6:26 PM

Wow! another special feature...designed just for our readers. Click here to see how Max has changed since he was born. I will hurry up and finish Arie's for next week so stay tuned.
Posted by Max 10:45 PM

We had to adjust our clocks on Sunday to 1 hour early. It is always tough for me to get up early, now I have to get up even earlier. Time change hasn't been much of a problem for the kids, but they seem to be getting up earlier instead of later. Max is still keeping his 8pm bedtime, and Arie still goes to bed around 9pm. The nice thing about changing our clock an hour early is that the sun is still out when I leave work now. It makes me feel like I get to be home early.
Posted by Winnie 9:27 PM

Well, my mother just left on Sunday after a three week visit. It was really great having her out here. I just wish I had more time to spend with her during her visit. Hopefully she didn't mind how we blantantly took advantage of her good nature and willingness to watch our babies :) In case she is reading (I am sure she is our principle reader) we really appreaciate all of your help, and come back soon! Hopefully, Winnie and I will go back to Indiana for a visit this summer. It would be our first trip with the kids. Oh, and by the way Mom...the apple pie is almost gone...please send more :)
Posted by Max 8:38 AM

Check them out.
Posted by Winnie 5:56 PM

Hey Everyone (I am assuming people are actually reading this) it is time to make some visual changes to the blog. The babies are getting older and their blog needs a more mature look. I added a new sidebar and a couple new features recently. If any of you have any ideas about what to change or things you would like to see, leave a comment or send an e-mail. I look forward to getting some good suggestions.
Posted by Max 2:09 PM

This is not so much a blog update as it is a public service announcement. Max is starting to get his teeth (a fact that I am sure Winnie will celebrate in a future blog). So, when I was at the store the other day, I found these things called teething biscuits. They are these really hard biscuits that babies can chew on to relieve their teething discomfort. Apparently, they are supposed to just dissolve and not break apart. I was worried that they might bite off a piece and choke on it. But come on, would they sell a product like this that could pose a choking hazard to babies...well...yes! Maybe I don't understand the actual purpose of the teething biscuit. There aren't really any directions on the box except for a statement that says feed them sitting up. There is no age requirement. I figured if your baby is teething, then this is the product. To see what happened when Max tried these out click here.
Posted by Max 2:03 PM

We have just started feeding the kids baby food that contains meat last week. So far, they have only tried turkey and chicken baby food by Gerber and Earth's Best. Earth's Best is organic certified, so there is no artificial colors, and no preservatives. They both like the sweet potato chicken dinner, but they still prefer fruits over meat especially bananas or pears. We also make vegetable baby food for them - carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc. But, we have yet to try making meat dishes for them. If we got time this weekend, maybe we will look up some baby food recipe. Grandma Dorcia is going back to Indiana this Sunday. I am sure we will all miss her a lot, especially Max. She has been taking Max out for a walk almost everyday since she's been here, sometimes even twice a day. Max loves to take a ride in the stroller.
Posted by Winnie 10:07 PM

They never did use them that much until recently. Now, it seems like they can't go without it when they play or sleep or ride in the car. They don't really use them for sucking, but like to chew them instead. We got many different kinds - Evenflo, Avent, etc. Their favorite one is still the first one they got when they were born in the hospital. The hospital's pacifier is not available at baby store, but we were able to find them online. They actually prefer them over the teething toys for relieving their teething discomfort. They have both developed a way to use them by putting their thumbs inside the pacifier, so that they can have a better grip. How smart!!!
Posted by Winnie 8:46 PM

We went shopping with the kids on Sunday at the Rolling Hills shopping mall near our neighborhood. Actually, we just couldn't put the kids to sleep, so we hoped a road trip would help them to fall asleep in the car. But, they didn't. The sky was clear and the sun was out, and so many people were out either shopping or sitting outside eating ice-cream in the out-door mall. The kids were busy looking at people around them. Our moms went with us, so at least we got to actually shop for a bit, not just walking. Of course, we had to stop by Gap kids, and Jim found the cutest shoes on sale. This time, the headphone wearing, bag toting sales person got the sales price correct. We picked the red/blue color ones because it was the cheapest and they can both wear them.

Posted by Winnie 9:21 PM

I uploaded more pictures to ofoto.
Posted by Winnie 9:52 PM

Jim got this for the kids last night at babiesRus when he went to pick up formulas . He said he couldn't resist, and he just had to get something for the kids. It seems like he always end up buying toys or clothes for them everytime he goes to babiesRus. They've using the saucer a lot, but they couldn't really walk with it. Arie really seems to like it a lot, and she can actually walk with it but backwards. On the other hand, Max still prefers people walking or holding him. ; )
Posted by Winnie 10:27 PM

It was time again for their checkup and RSV shot. The kids were a little cranky when they got there, probably because they were both hungry and sleepy. Well, here are their current measurements, as you can see Max still has a big head and Arie has a big belly:

1. Max
Weight - 16 lbs 6 oz
Height - 27 in
Head - 17.5 in

2. Arie
Weight - 18 lbs 4 oz
Height - 27 in
Head - 16.5 in
Posted by Winnie 9:29 PM

On Saturday, we took a long walk to the pier with the kids and grandma Dorcia. It was such a beautiful day and very warm too. They pretty much slept the whole trip, except for Arie. She was fussing a little in the beginning, but she soon fell asleep after Jim put her in the babybjorn (baby-carrier). On Sunday, we met up with uncle Joe, aunt Ashley, and Ricky and Kimmy for dim sum in Monterey Park at 888 Chinese Restaurant. We have never been to 888 before, and that place was crowded. Actually, 888 is just an English name for that Chinese restaurant, and it is named differently in Chinese. I guess they couldn't find a better English name for the restaurant, plus number 8 sounds like the Chinese word for prosperity. So, three 8s - a lot of prosperity then. The food was excellent, definitely better than North Sea if you know Chinese restaurants around here. We dressed the kids up with their new clothes, and we put shoes on them for the first time. For some reasons, I think they look much older with shoes on. Anyway, the weekend went by fast like all weekends, except we got to sleep a little longer in the morning because grandma Dorcia helped and took care of Max for us. Thanks, grandma!!
Posted by Winnie 8:49 PM

I have just added a couple of new links under the Links section on the left. The new pages are not quite finished, but hey...let's face it...with me working on them...they probably will never be completely finished anyway. The first link is for our new Movie Page. I just finished making a quick movie of the kids set to music. I hope you all like it. There are three links on this page and they are all to the same movie, just different file types and quality levels. Now the bad part, at least if you access the internet from a dial-up connection. The smallest file is 714KB, which isn't to bad, but the quality is not that great. Also, the links aren't working as I expected them too. Clicking on the link may not launch the movie from some reason (probably due to my lack of experience). However...I have a solution...in engineering we call this a "Work Around", and what it means is that I may never really fix this problem so you may have to get used to it...Sorry. The "Work Around" is to right click on the movie link and save the target file. Once the file is downloaded to your computer. You can then launch it from there. It's a lot of work, but I think it's worth it...the movie is pretty good (of course I made so I am a little prejudice, but only a little). The second new link is for the Pictures of the Month page. Winnie and I will try to gather 9 of our favorite pictures from the previous month and put them here. You may have already seen this page from a previous posting, but now it is official. Well that's it for the new features. If anyone knows what I am doing wrong with my movie links, please drop me a line. Winnie, her Mom, my Mom, Myself and the kids went for dim sum yesterday in Alhambra. It was really fun, but I'll let Winnie tell that story...Have a great day everyone!
Posted by Max 8:51 AM

A lot has happened since I last updated the blog. Not so much for the kids, but for our country. A war has begun in Iraq, and it is the only thing that everyone has been talking about these days. Nowadays, the technology is so advanced; we can see and receive information about the war instantly. We are watching it as it happens, but there is nothing I can do to stop it. This will be something, I am sure we will be telling our kids about this one day. I hope the war will end soon, and no innocent people will be hurt, but this is very unlikely. My thoughts are with all of the families in Iraq, and with the Americans trying to do their job.

My mom got back from Vegas yesterday, and she had a great time there. Max and Arie were so excited when they saw Grandma home. Grandma Dorcia has been taking care of the kids, and she cooked for us too. The chicken pot pie was so good, that Martha even asked for a recipe. This weekend, we will be having dim sum with my uncle Joe and aunt Ashley. I am looking forward to seeing my cousin John.

Posted by Winnie 8:41 PM

Grandma Dorcia arrived last night to visit us and the kids. She has planned to help us to take care of the kids when my mom is in Hong Kong. Now that my mom cancelled her trip, Dorcia might not stay as long as she had planned initially. My mom decided to take a quick trip with auntie Jenny to Las Vegas this week, and she just left this morning. She probably won't be back till Thursday night. She is also thinking about making a trip to Toronto to visit my aunt Alice and her family there. It might be too cold for her though. Alan and Tina volunteered to take care of Arie last night, and they slept with her. It was so nice of them.
Posted by Winnie 12:42 PM

My mom has decided to cancel her trip back to Hong Kong on this Tuesday because of a mystery outbreak that killed 9 travelers who just recently traveled to Asia including Hong Kong. The World Health Organization has been aware of the outbreak for about three weeks but issued its global alert this weekend because of concern that the illness would spread to North America and Europe. My mom has planned to go with Auntie Jenny, but now they both decided to stay after they talked to relatives and friends from Hong Kong. United airline allows them to change their itinerary without penalty, but they have not yet planned when to go back. My mom was quite disappointed and she has been waiting for this trip for a long time. But, I will definitely feel better and safer for her to postpone the trip.
Posted by Winnie 10:24 PM

Alan and Tina came late Friday night, and they brought the rain with them (it rained all day yesterday). We haven't seen them for over 2 months, and it's great to finally see them again. They came just in time for Jim and I to go get a haircut, and we need it badly. They stayed home with the kids with my mom, so Jim and I could go out in the afternoon yesterday. Max cried immediately when Alan or Tina touched him, but he let them hold him after an hour with him. Arie let them hold her, and she even gave uncle Alan a big smile when she first saw him. They will be leaving on Wednesday, and this time they will be able to meet Dorcia before they head back to Arizona.
Posted by Winnie 9:37 AM

They are no longer able to fit into their infant car seats. We actually stopped using them when they turned about 6 months old. We got the infant car seats from our family as baby gifts, and they are great. I think we probably use them less than 20 times, so they still look like new. We might try to sell them through ebay or something. If any of you out there who is interested, please let us know. ; ) I never knew how much car seats were and how many variety of car seats available until we started stopping for their next car seats. Jim and I have been researching and looking for car seats for a month. The cheaper ones look like they will break easily, and the expensive ones are just too expensive. The car seats priced range from $100 - $250 (top of the line). Really, they aren't any good ones priced around $150 that don't have "Eddie Bauer" on them (We don't like Eddie Bauer baby line). Since, we are getting 2 car seats, it just seems so costly to pay $500 for 2 nice car seats. So, we tested the following 2 car seats for over 2 weeks.
EvenfloBritax
The kids look so comfortable in Britax comparing to the Evenflo and Britax is a very well made and solid car seat. Though the price is more, but the Britax is designed to fit a child up to 65 lbs while other car seats usually fit up to 45 lbs. At first, I was quite reluctant to pay that much for a single car seat, but the Britax is indeed a much better quality product.
Posted by Winnie 9:39 PM

We have taken many pictures of Max and Arie in it - the round thing where they sit in it with a bunch of toys around it(See here). Mom got us one when they were 3 months old, and my boss just gave us his son's old one. We use them all the time now, and that's the only way we could actually eat or go to the bathroom or leave them alone for a little while. It is the best thing and most useful thing we have gotten so far. We use the swing sometimes too to feed them, but they don't like to sit there too long. With the saucer, they would play and chew all the toys, especially the rubbery flower. It is always the first thing they both pick to play with. Now that they can control their legs more, they bounce in it. Arie even tries to walk in the saucer, and it is hilarious.
Posted by Winnie 9:39 PM

Jim is right, we have been busy. He was able to get the picture page up, but we are still working on it. Anyway, the kids are feeling better and eating better. They had a mild cold with runny nose for the last two weeks, so it made sucking a little difficult for them. Now, they seem to be able to breath through their little noses. Arie's bottom front two teeth are finally visible, but they are only half way out. She looks so cute when she smiles now, well I am biased. I tried to take pictures of her teeth, but it's more difficult than I think. No work tomorrow, so at least we can get extra 30 mins sleep in the morning. Now that Martha doesn't work on Saturday, we don't get to sleep as long anymore. We miss our Saturday morning break.
Posted by Winnie 10:03 PM

Well, sorry for the lack of content this week. As I am sure you can guess, Winnie and I have been really busy for some reason. I guess it has something to do with our jobs...you know that thing that actually pays for all of the formula, diaper, nannies and clothes. The list goes on and on and on, no wait I was looking at my credit card statement. I really wish we owned a stake in Babies 'R Us because I think we have earned it :) Anyway getting back to what this blog is really about...money...no sorry the kids. Actually both of those topics tie into what I am going to talk about. Winnie and I had a grand idea last weekend to go to Old Navy. We ended up spending over a hundred dollars on baby clothes. It wasn't our plan. We just thought we would check out what they had and maybe buy a couple of things...then we went a little crazy. I am proud to say though that all of the clothes purchased were on clearance (cool now...obviously the wrong thing to say when they are teenagers). I even had to fight with one of the headphone wearing, bag toting workers on the price of a shirt. This was the highlight of my day...a little sad huh :) They said it was $9.99, I said it was $6.99...guess who won? Of course the prince of price watching, the king of coupons, the sultan of savings...um...that would be me. When the cash register guy held up the shirt and got on his little walkie talkie and said, "What's the price on...". Max and I kicked it into high gear. We tried to spot the person he was attempting to contact. I think Max saw her first because he let out a giggle and pointed (well maybe I am embellishing, but only a little) then I saw her. As she held the microphone to her mouth she said, "...those shirts are $9.99...". From out of no where I was in her face (of course in a nice way). I said, "No no no those shirts are $6.99". She was probably wondering who I was. Again I stated the price to her and headed back to the rack before she could get there. There were like 20 of those shirts on the $6.99 sales rack. Then she said (in an effort to save face I assume), "The are on the wrong rack". She just made a big mistake. Now I was ready to play. No one screws the Castor twins out of three bucks. I first used logic..."Come on, there are like 20 of those shirts on that rack, you mean all of them are mispriced?" She didn't say anything and started moving all of the shirts to the $9.99 rack. Then I showed frustration, "That is really confusing, how could all of those shirts be in the wrong place." I saw I was getting no where with her. So I sped back to the front of the store (this all happened in like 40 seconds...I am just drawing it out for suspense). My last tactic was indifference. I said to the cash register guy, "She said it was $9.99, but you know, there were like 20 of those shirts on the $6.99 rack...but you know, whatever...if that's the way you do things here then..." To make a long story longer...We paid $6.99...Max was really ecstatic...either that or he was sleeping I didn't really notice, but anyway it was a happy ending. When you only get out of the house for about 2 hours a week, you try to enjoy the small victories...sometimes that's all we get ; )
Posted by Max 8:17 AM

Check them out.
Posted by Winnie 5:15 PM

It was my friend Fony's birthday yesterday, so she wanted to celebrate it at Harbor Seafood restaurant in Monterey Park. Since, Max still has a stuffy nose, Jim has already decided not to stay home with the kids. At first, I wasn't quite sure if I could make it to the dinner since my mom wouldn't usually be home till 9pm on Saturday. I even thought about bringing one baby with me, because I would feel bad to go out and let Jim takes care of the kids by himself. Unexpectedly, my mom decided to cut her shopping schedule short and came home early last night, and she came back home with Paul and Jenny. Paul and Jenny insisted on helping us to take care of our kids, so Jim and I could have a night out without the kids. We felt bad to take them up on their offer, but at the same time we were so excited to have the opportunity to go out. The last time we went out was in January, so you know how we longed for this opportunity. Not that we are tired of the kids or anything, but it's just nice to go out without having to worry about the kids. Anyway, the dinner was great and we had a great time.
Posted by Winnie 10:41 PM

Link New Pictures Page
Posted by Max 10:58 AM

I am back to sunny (actually it's been rainy) California. But, it was fun to be able to go back to Colorado for a day, just wish that I could stay longer. Well, I miss Jim and the kids though, especially after meeting up with my friends' babies.
Yes, we finally got a crib for Arie. Jim put that together on Sunday, and we put it in my mom's room. We don't have enough space to put another crib in our bedroom, so mom just has to room with Arie. Anyway, my mom has been sharing her bed with Arie since the first day. We tried to put her in the crib at night since Sunday, but somehow she still ended up in my mom's bed in the morning. My mom said 'It takes time, I will have to do it gradually, not instantly.' I think she just likes to sleep with Arie...hehe..
Posted by Winnie 4:52 PM

The pictures are here.
Posted by Winnie 8:18 PM

I am here in Denver, and it is COLD. Actually, I kind of like it because it brings back memories when Jim and I were living here. Well, as long as I don't have to wait for buses outside in the cold, I think I am ok. I am here for a training class at the company I used to work for when I first graduated from college. It's amazing how big J.D. Edwards has become now, the campus is huge. I am only going to be here for a 1 day training, so I will be home tonight. With only 1 day to visit my friends here in Denver, I was able to meet up with Barbara and Toshiko last night at the house of Barb's mom. I got to meet their babies - Barb and Tai's Winston, Toshiko and Roland's Natalie. They are both so cute. Winston is crawling now and moving fast. Natalie is a chubby baby and so adorable. I had a great time talking to them about parenting. We took some pictures too last night, and I will post them when I get home. I will be meeting my friend Angela this afternoon for lunch today.
Posted by Winnie 7:31 AM

Max had a tough night with runny nose and a slight fever last night, so he got up pretty early this morning. As we were all lying in bed, I casually turned to Max and said Hi to him. To our surprise, he relied with a 'Hiii.’. First, we thought it might just be a fluke; maybe he was just making baby noise. Then, Jim turned toward Max and said Hi to him. Again, he replied 'Hiii…’. It was so cute. To try and confirm what we thought we were hearing was correct, Jim had my mom said 'Hi' to Max. Once again, Max replied 'Hiiii...’. It was amazing, and we couldn't get enough of it. However, we tried later today; he didn't seem to response to our greeting. Maybe, he only says it in the morning. We don't know yet, but we will sure try tomorrow morning, afternoon, and evening or should I say all the time.
Arie, on the other hand, doesn't seem to response to Hi yet. But, she usually greets people with a smile.
Posted by Winnie 9:58 PM

Max started feeling a little sick last night. Most likely he caught it from Martha who was sick with sore throat and a fever on Thursday. He also got the vaccination shot on Friday which probably made him weak. We took a long walk to the pier and did groceries with the kids in the morning, and he was still doing ok. He couldn't sleep much after we came back from the store, and he started to have runny nose. By 8pm, he was crying and fussing so much that it was hard to put him to sleep. He had a temperature of 99.5F, so we gave him some baby tylenol. It immediately helped him to sleep, but he still had trouble breathing and eating with his runny nose. This morning he was the same, runny nose and fever. The poor little guy just didn't feel well. Luckily Arie hasn't gotten it yet, although she was coughing a little bit this afternoon. I hope she won't get it too.
Posted by Winnie 5:00 PM

We didn't have to wait too long yesterday to see the doctor - usually it's pretty crowded. The kids did okay, of course, they cried. This time, Max cried harder than Arie. Arie sort of got over it after a short while. Max was fine after we gave him a bottle. I still think that 4 shots at one time is really hard to take, and that's how our doctor likes to do it, so I guess it's okay. Jim is thinking to switch to a different doctor near home, so we don't have to drive that far. I asked several of my friends at work, but they all take their kids to the doctors in Santa Monica too. We will keep looking though.
The nurse weighed the kids too. Arie gained over a pound, so she is now 17 lbs 7 oz. Max only gained 10 oz, so he is now 15 lbs 2 oz. We know that Max hasn't been eating enough formula ever since we started on solids. We asked the doctor if we can feed him more solids which Max seems to prefer more than formula. Dr. Sachs said as long as we feed them more than 8 oz of formula and no more than 4 oz of solids, that will be okay. I guess we could have given them more cereals, but we just weren't sure. So, we are now giving them 3 solid meals a day and formula in between. Hopefully, Max can gain some weight. I am sure Arie won't turn down the extra meal.
Posted by Winnie 9:38 PM

It's that time again for their vaccination. This time, they will be getting 4 different vaccines..Yikes!!! I still remember the last time they got 4 shots, and they cried so hard, even Martha. The bright side is that after tomorrow they won't be getting any until they are 1 year old. Martha will be going with Jim tomorrow, and I am going to meet them at the Dr's office.
Posted by Winnie 9:32 PM

Yes, Martha came back on Sunday night. In fact, she came back an hour after Maria came to pick up her stuffs. It would have been a little strange to have them both in the house at the same time. We were all very excited to see Martha again, and even Arie greeted her with a big smile. Max is usually in bed by 8 pm, so he was already sleeping by the time Martha arrived. We talked with Martha for a long time about her trip back home. You know, I never realized how good Martha's English was until we started interviewing other nannies. With Maria, I don't think she understands what we tell her sometimes, and Jim becomes our translator at home because he is the only one who can speak some Spanish. Now that Martha is back, my mom can at least talk to Martha when she is home. She also feels more comfortable to leave the kids home with Martha too.
Posted by Winnie 5:31 PM

Jim had to do the tough job of telling Maria. Well, he actually talked to her son first, so that he can tell Maria about Martha's return in Spanish. Jim offered to drop off her stuffs and money yesterday to her house since we both got a day off for President's day. But, she insisted to come back and pick them up herself. Maria came with her granddaughter, and she can speak English. So, I had her granddaughter to tell Maria that we appreciate all her help and please don't hesitate to use us as one of her references. Maria gathered up her stuffs quickly with the help from her granddaughter. She then gave Max and Arie a hug and a kiss before she left. I feel bad that Maria has to go, and I really hope that she can find another job soon.
Posted by Winnie 10:53 AM

She called this afternoon and she is here in LA. She told me that she would like to work for us again, but with one condition. She wants to go to school on Saturday morning which means she will have to leave on Friday night instead of Saturday. She leaves early on Saturday anyway, so we all feel that it would be ok for her to leave on Friday night, but we make sure that she comes back on Sunday night. I just called her and told her to come back on this coming Monday night. Now, we made our decision to have Martha comes back, but the tough job has yet to be done. Who is going to tell Maria ?
Posted by Winnie 10:17 PM

Thank you for the surprise, Jim. I didn't get to check our blog till this morning. I can't believe that we've been together for almost 12 years - we are getting old. This valentine's day is really extra special now that we have 2 little babies, and it's their first valentine's day. Hope you all had a happy Valentine's day!!!
Posted by Winnie 10:05 PM

This is a little message for my wife. It has been over 11 years that we have been together, and every year just keeps getting better. Granted, last year was a tough one (Pregnancy, babies and traveling), but you are what keeps my heart beating every day. Will you be my Valentine?



Love,
Jim
Posted by Max 3:25 PM

There were 2 packages sitting by the front door last night when I got home. My immediate instinct was to open them, but I had to wait for Jim otherwise he will be upset. haha... The heart stickers covered boxes were sent by grandma and grandpa from Indiana. Every year, mom will send us a valentine gift box which she usually fills it with candies or cookies. After watching the 2 finalists performed on American Idol, we decided to open the gifts with Arie and my mom. Since Max was already sleeping, we opened his gifts and card without him. The kids got some new clothes for now and later when they get bigger, a toy, and 2 teddy bears that say 'I love you' in both English and Spanish and 2 lovely valentine's cards. Jim and I got gifts too - we can always use more clothes. It was like Christmas again. Here, we want to thank grandma Dorcia and grandpa Chuck for all the wonderful gifts. Thank You !!!
I went to the mall during lunch time to shop for gifts, but I didn't see anything that Jim likes. Valentine's day is tomorrow, so I should better hurry up. ; )
Posted by Winnie 2:08 PM

This is the topic we (my mom, Jim and I) have been talking about these couple of days. Should we keep Maria? Or, should we have Martha comes back? How long will Martha stays? Who is better? It's really hard to decide. They are both very nice people, and that makes it even harder to turn either one of them down. We all agreed that Martha is much better in taking care of the kids, and I am sure Max will agree with us. Maria handles the kids ok, but she is quite forgetful. Mom told me that she has to mix the rice cereals for the kids because Maria doesn't seem to remember how much water to use. Besides her unusual singing voice, she doesn't seem to know when and how to get Max to sleep. Maria just started though, and she is really trying hard to take care of the kids and to keep the house clean. The truth is that we are all leaning towards having Martha back, but our only concern is that she might leave again. Do we really want to go through the hassle of looking for another nanny? Probably not.
Anyway, I had to call Marvin (her friend) to let her know that we are indeed interested to have Martha works for us again last night. Marvin told me that Martha will be back actually this Friday instead, and she will tell her to call us this Saturday. Hopefully, she is really interested to come back for long.
Posted by Winnie 5:32 PM

Two of Martha's friends called today. Marvin, her friend here, called and asked me if I am still looking for a nanny. Her English isn't very good, so at first I thought she said that she can come to work for us. She actually meant Martha can come back and work for us, and she is coming back in 2 weeks. I was quite surprised and excited, but at the same time very confused. So, I told her I would talk to Jim about it first and let her know. Of course, I would like to have Martha here again. At around 7pm, a friend of Martha called collect from El Salvador, and he asked me the same thing for Martha. His English isn't too good either, and I was quite confused after our conversation. Before I hung up the phone, I told him to have Martha call me tomorrow. I would rather hear it from Martha to tell me that she is coming back rather than her friends, just to make sure that she is coming back. After talking to my mom and Jim, we all agreed that Martha does a much better job on taking care of the kids compare to Maria. Maria is doing better everyday, and she works really hard. If Martha is indeed coming back to U.S, I will feel bad that I have to let Maria go, but I know the kids will be in good hands. Anyway, I am going to wait to talk to Martha to make sure she is really coming back for long, not just a few months. Let's see....
Posted by Winnie 10:09 PM

It's official - I can finally feel a sharp edge in the bottom of their gums. No wonder they have been so cranky lately, even Arie. They are also drooling and biting their bibs all the time. Their bibs are always wet, and we have to change them almost every hour. Now, I think Maria have to do laundry twice a day because we always seem to run of out bibs. Other than that, the kids are doing ok, and they seem to enjoy pears, bananas, and carrots (we just started on Sunday). I think they would much rather eat the rice cereals than formula. We have been having difficulties feeding them formula rather than solids, especially Max. Sometimes, they are eating as little as 3 oz per feeding with a lot of forcing. Well, maybe this is also part of teething too.

Posted by Winnie 9:36 PM

Well Blogfans, it has been a pretty busy week. We started the week off with some real good blogs. Winnie hit a homerun with her New Years blog and followed by scoring with "Family Day". She has really been on a tear lately. Jim started off the week slow and has finished even slower. This is his attempt to try and save face with all his fans. Unfortunately for him, it may be too little too late. Let's recap the week. Arie is rolling over on a regular basis now. One more step on the road to crawlsville. I can't say if she has been eating well since I have been coming home pretty late, but come on, it's Arie. Of course she is eating well! Max has been getting along with Maria (see unfinished blog below). Although her methods (playful talk and forcing him to walk) may be a little over the top, and her singing voice would only generate foul remarks from Simon Cowell of American Idol fame, I think she may work out. One thing that helps is her cooking. She has only made dinner a couple of nights, but it was pretty good. I am learning how to nod and pretend I understand Spanish. However, I don't know if I am as convincing as I think I am. I think Maria and I could have a conversation without either of us knowing what the other had just said. As for Mom, she has been stuck in the house most of the time now since the nanny is still too new to leave alone. Sorry Mom, but we appreciate your watchful eye! Well I started off this blog by saying it has been a pretty busy week...and nothing has changed...Therefore, I must take leave and finish bringing home the bacon for our beloved children Max and Arie. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Posted by Max 7:50 AM

With a little help from daddy, she finally did it last night. We were clapping our hands and cheering for her, and I think we scared her a little bit. This time I have pictures to prove it, but I will have to post them tonight when I get home.
Posted by Winnie 11:31 AM

They just started eating pear with rice cereal since yesterday, and my mom said that they didn't seem to get enough of it. I am sure it tastes much better or sweeter than banana. They are eating rice cereal twice a day - 10 am and 6 pm. I should check to see when we can increase the amount of food. Dr. Sachs really didn't say much on how to introduce them on solids. All I know is that we should feed them one kind of fruit at a time and wait several days to see if they are allergic to it. No citrus fruits yet. Anyway, I will get to ask Dr. Sachs soon when we take them for another round of vaccines this month. :(
Posted by Winnie 12:12 PM

First, my brother Ricky and his girlfriend Kimmy came this morning to visit us for Chinese New Year. They had to leave early because Kimmy has to work later tonight for a wine tasting party of 45. Kimmy has an Asian fusion restaurant called 'Michelia' in Beverly hill, and she is the head chef there. The food is excellent, and the place is well decorated. She told us today that they have finally gotten their wine and alcohol license which they have been applying for almost 1 year. She said business was so bad without the license that they were afraid that they would need to close. Now that she got the license, they are getting a lot busier than before. The restaurant is also ranked #24 in Zagat. We are all very happy for her. Anyway, Ricky and Kimmy played with the kids for a short time, and Max and Arie weren't too fussy.

Around 4pm, aunt Carol and uncle Bob from Indiana called and they were on their way to our house. Max and Arie just got up from their nap when they got to our place. Carol and Bob are going to Australia this Thursday, and they are stopping over here in LA before their 14 hours flights to the land down under. Max had so much fun bouncing up and down with Bob's assistance, and the exercise helped Max sleep longer afterwards. We talked with Carol while she held Arie on her lap, and Arie later fell asleep on her shoulder. They left after an hour, and it was great seeing them again. I am sure they will have a great time in Australia.
Posted by Winnie 10:22 PM

Goodbye horse and welcome goat. Happy Chinese New Year!!! Gong Hei Fat Choi (Good Fortune and Prosperity) !!! Horse was the animal sign for last year, and this year's animal sign is goat. Every new year, my mom will check out the Chinese astrology for us. She will then tell us what might happen to us. She told me last year that there would be a big change in my life, and that was before I told her that I was pregnant with twins. She also told me a few years back that I would be traveling a lot, and I did have to travel when I was working as a consultant with E&Y that year. So, I listen to her predictions every year, and I will try to follow her dos and don'ts. I sometimes become quite superstitious about things. Here is one of the sites that talks about the different characteristics of each animal signs Yahoo! Chinese Astrology Anyway, I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year.

Jim gave me the news of the shuttle Columbia tragedy this morning. The image from the last space shuttle disaster came into my mind immediately and I was in school then. Not a very good start on the first day of Chinese New Year. My thoughts are with the family and their children.

My mom has already called my grandmothers in Hong Kong yesterday since they are 18 hours ahead of us. And, my mom's mom was preparing the big dinner for Chinese New Year. I also talked to my grandmothers and wished them good health and fortune. Both of my grandmothers are in good health, and they both sent their regards to Max and Arie. Jim and I talked about how we wish we could take the kids to Hong Kong to meet their great grandparents and relatives. Tonight, I called several of my best friends from secondary school in Hong Kong - Astrid, Bonnie, and Anny. I talked to them briefly as they were all busy either shopping or working or getting ready to go out. Astrid sent me some baby clothes and shoes for the kids, and they are just lovely. The shoes are so cute, but they are a little big right now. Thank You, Astrid!!! Anyway, it was great talking to them, and I miss them so much. We didn't really do much today except going out for a walk after Jim took our nanny home. My mom went out with Jenny to South Cost Plaza, and she was proud that she didn't get anything from the mall.

Posted by Winnie 9:27 PM

They didn't call my name at the end. I went back to the court at 10 am yesterday and sat through several series of juror selection. They told us more about the case and the defendant, and it was a criminal case. I found that the legal procedures greatly interesting, especially the questions that the defense attorney raised to the potential jurors. It seems to me that not many people like the defense attorney. Anyway, they finally agreed upon their selected jurors, and they dismissed the remaining people including me at 3pm. Actually, I wouldn't mind being a juror because the court house is just 4 miles away from home. It takes me less than 10 mins to go there, and I won't be stuck in traffic for an hour.
Therefore, I get to stay home today with the kids. It is a good chance for me to see how Maria handles the children. Hmm..well..I have to say that... I really miss Martha.
Posted by Winnie 7:48 PM

Well, we now officially have a new live-in nanny. We didn't expect someone to move in so soon, but...well let me tell you the whole story. I am sure Winnie will want to add her thoughts as well. So we got a number for domestic service agency that caters to asian and hispanic families. The nannies they recommend are usually hispanic, but some are chinese too. On Thursday morning, Winnie's mom and I loaded up the kids and took off for Alhambra (Winnie couldn't go because she was on jury duty). I was told that the domestic agency was next to the post office. Actually it turned out that it wasn't a US Post Office, but a Postal Center, and the agency was not next to it, but in the back corner of the Postal Center. I went inside to check it our first, and when I walked in the back, there were about 24 hispanic women of varying ages and sizes lined up around the walls. So, I went back outside and got the kids and Mom and we went back inside. Then, you go to a sectioned off area where they explain the rules to you. All of a sudden I heard a......to be continued :)
Posted by Max 7:56 AM

I got the summons a month ago, and it is my first time to be selected for jury duty since I became an American citizen in 2000. I have to report this week, so I have already scheduled this at work. Under the new system, you only need to call the night before to see if you get selected or not for that day. I didn’t get picked on Monday, so I was hoping that I didn’t have to go for this week, especially after Martha left yesterday. Well, they called for my group today, and I had to report at the Torrance Superior Court this morning at 8:30pm. I guess things often happen this way. Luckily, my brother came back this morning with Janet (The sister of my brother’s girlfriend Tina) because he has a job interview today. Thanks to Janet. She helped my mom to take care of the kids all afternoon. I got back to the court after lunch at home and waited till 3:30pm before they finally called my name. I was among 30 other potential jurors that got sent to the court room. Then, 18 people were called to sit in the front jury panel and I assumed those were the selected jurors for the case. For a moment, I thought that would be all they needed. Not yet, the judge said that everyone needs to come back tomorrow at 10:30am. So, I have to go back tomorrow. I even scheduled an appointment with a nanny agency to interview some nanny candidates. Now, Jim and my mom will be going to the agency tomorrow without me. Hopefully, they will be able to find someone good.

Special Message for Judy:

We got your packet for the kids and the clothes are so cute. Thank you so much!!! I will make sure I post some pictures later.

Posted by Winnie 10:20 PM

Well, Max had a restless night and we all awoke to a restless morning. As Winnie and I tried to get Max to enjoy one more hour of sleep, the phone rang. Someone was speaking Spanish, so I knew it was for Martha. Her light was already on, so I assumed it was a call she had been waiting for. I knocked on Martha's door, handed her the phone and went back our room to take care of Max. After about 10 minutes there was a knock on the door. It was Martha, and with a soft voice she said, "Sorry for the telephone, my daddy is no longer living." At the time, Winnie and I didn't know what to say other than we were very sorry. She went back to her room and frantically tried to contact her other family members. Winnie went to check on her after a few minutes to see if she was okay. I stayed in the room and fed Max. Memories of my grandfather and Winnie's father rushed through my head. I know what this must be like for her, but to be so far away, it just makes it even more difficult. So, I sat in our bedroom quietly feeding Max with all of my memories and questions about what was coming next. After Max drifted off to sleep again, I decided to take a shower and get ready for work. There was no use in trying to go back to sleep, it wasn't going to happen. As the warm water flowed over my tense muscles, I was able to relax a little. However, my thoughts never drifted far from Martha and what she must be going through. After getting dressed, I went out to the living room where I found Martha hunched over on the couch with with her face buried deeply in her now tear soaked hands. I didn't know how to approach her, or even what to say. I walked up to her quietly and offered my condolences, but received little response. I went back to the room to check on Max and Winnie, both were sleeping. As I stood there and watch both of them in slumber, I thought over and over how much they mean to me and how lucky we all are to have each other. I went back to the living room and Martha was now gazing off into the distance. I talked to her about her father and what had happened. Her father was 82 years old and apparently had been sick for about 3 years. He said no more hospitals and was just waiting for his time. I offered her help if she needed it, but she declined. She said that she had a ticket for Monday. I left the house this morning in daze. Winnie called me later and told me that she had told Martha to leave tonight. So it appears that our 5 month relationship with Martha is coming to an end today. We will all miss her so very much, especially Max. So, for anyone reading this...let's all say a little prayer for Martha and wish her the best. I only hope that we can find someone as loving and caring to our children as she was...
Posted by Max 8:58 AM

We celebrated my mom's birthday at home tonight. I bought ribs at 'Chicago Ribs', a local restaurant, and Jim bought a cake at King's Hawaiian Bakery. I invited Jenny and Paul over without telling my mom, so she was quite surprised when she heard Jenny calling 'Hi ARIEEEEEE'. We found out that it is really impossible to eat ribs and hold the baby at the same time, so I guess it was the wrong choice for dinner. Our hands were all messy, and the kids were trying to touch the food. Arie almost had some sour cream baked potatoes, and Max almost got some BBQ sauce. We had a great time talking, and the food was great. We then had cake after the kids went to bed. Alan couldn't make it for dinner though because he is still in Arizona. I think my mom had a great time, but I know for sure that she misses my dad a lot. I do too think of him often, especially around holidays and birthdays.
Posted by Winnie 4:48 PM

I always love Chinese New Year, it just brings back so much good old memories. When I was living in Hong Kong, Chinese new year was definitely my favorite holiday. I used to get at least a week off school and my parents wouldn't have to work for 3 - 4 days (my parent's only holidays for the year). So, we would take our annual family vacation during Chinese new year to places like Taiwan and China. 'Red Pocket' (money in a red small envelope) was another main reason that I love Chinese new year. Now that I am married, I can no longer get any money or red pockets from my relatives or parents instead we have to give to my brothers and cousins. But wait...since we have Max and Arie, I get to relive the old memories of collecting red pockets through them. Ok Ok...for those who has given them red pockets this year, don't worry, we will tell you what we tell them, it's going to their college fund. ; ) There were many rules and traditions that my parents used to have us follow like new clothes and shoes, no shower, no cleaning the house on the new year's day, etc... It was all part of the reason that I miss and like Chinese new year so much. We don't follow as close to these traditions anymore since we moved here to the states. Chinese new year is all about family and relatives, and I have celebrated many many Chinese new years with my relatives in Hong Kong when I was growing up. It has taught me so much about respect through the interaction between my aunts and uncles to grandparents. It is the only holiday that I miss and think of my family and relatives the most.

Uncle Joe and Aunt Ashley invited us to their company's Chinese new year dinner at NYC Seafood restaurant in Monterey Park last night. Actually, this year's Chinese new year falls on the 1st of February, this coming Saturday. We celebrated early because my uncle Joe will be busy on Saturday. We left early so that Jim could get his haircut before dinner. When Jim was getting his haircut, mom, the kids and I all went for grocery shopping. Well, it was a lot tougher than I expected to be doing grocery with the kids. It was not that they were fussy, but we got stopped almost every aisle by strangers asking if they are twins. The kids got so much attentions that it was almost impossible to do grocery. Of course, my mom and I both enjoyed these kind of attentions when they all gave the kids good compliments. Max and Arie were also very interested by all the carts going pass their strollers. So, dinner started at 6:30pm and the kids were happy to see their aunts, uncles and cousins. They both did real well, as they took a nap during the dinner. Max and Arie got a lot of red pockets from relatives. As they get older, I am sure they will be looking forward to getting more red pockets. John John, my youngest cousin, has already started to enjoy this as he couldn't wait to open the red pockets when we gave it to him last night. The dinner was great, and it was great celebrating new year with my relatives.
Posted by Winnie 9:32 PM

Max and Arie had their first mashed banana, rice cereal combo this morning, and they both finished their bowls! I am sure it must have been a real treat for them after 6 months of nothing but formula (I've tasted it, and it ain't good). Next, we will probably try to give them pear or maybe apple. We just got back from the beach, and it is sooooo hot today Sorry to those family members in colder climates, we don't mean to rub it in ; ) The weather is so nice, no wind and sunny. Max is still sleeping in his stroller because we didn't want to wake him up. Once he gets woken up, it is hard to get him back to sleep. Arie is now awake and probably wanting to eat soon. They didn't eat much formula this morning after their banana and rice cereal.

Nanny Update
Next week will be Martha's last week here, we still haven't had any potential candidates for her replacement. My friend at work is checking with her mom's friends and will let me know tonight. My aunt Ashley also helped us to talk to Martha to see if there is something we can do to keep her here, but she really has to go back. We will definitely miss her a lot, and I just can't imagine having a different nanny. Max is so attached to her. I am sure it will be hard on the little guy. At least, Jim and I are so grateful that my mom is living with us, and she has been a great help taking care of both Arie and Max. With out her help, we really would be up the creek without a paddle. So thanks Mom!!! if you are reading this.

Posted by Winnie 1:30 PM

*** Video Now Works, Just Bigger ***
So as Winnie eluded to in her last blog, the kids can now eat solids. Winnie and I tried to leave work early and rush home to share in the experience of their first bites of solid food. The kids where having a tough time waiting though. By the time Winnie and I got home, Max was hungry and impatient, and Arie was asleep. So we made Max a bowl of rice cereal and turned on the Video camera. Max seemed to really enjoy eating at first. Then I think he got a little frustrated with the whole thing and wanted a bottle. Arie ended up sleeping through the night. Arie's first bite had to wait until the next morning. Fortunately Winne showed mom how to use the Video camera and she video taped Arie's meal the next morning while we were at work. I started converting the video to a version I can put on the blog. I will put it on for everyone to see tonight. Please be sure to comment on how cute you think they are after seeing it ; )
Arie First Bite Video (MPEG 815k)
Max First Bite Video (MPEG 619k)
Posted by Max 8:19 AM

Max and Arie had their 6 months checkup and an RSV shot yesterday. Dr. Sachs said everything looks good and they are ready for solids. They will start to eat rice cereal first, and they can also eat mashed banana or pear or apple. Here are their current measurements:

1. Max
Weight - 15 lbs 2 oz
Height - 26 in
Head - 17 in

2. Arie
Weight - 16 lbs 9 oz
Height - 26 in
Head - 15.5 in
Posted by Winnie 10:06 AM

Martha has been helping us with our kids for about 4 months, and I have to say that things have definitely gotten much easier since she came. She was referred by my aunt Ashley. We have been pretty happy with Martha. She is really warm with the kids, and she also helps out around the house like cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry for us. We never really asked her to clean the house for us, but she would just do it to help out. But lately, my mom and I notice that things are definitely changing. My Mom has always been the one who take care of Arie the most, so Martha really didn't have to watch her that much. Her time is mostly spent watching / walking / playing with Max. We have noticed that she hasn't been wanting to clean or cook as much. I still remember that first time she cleaned the windows and they looked so nice. But, we haven't seen her cleaning them since then. Please don't get me wrong, she is still very helpful as far as taking care of the kids. She is very loving and caring to both Max and Arie, and that's why Jim and I had never asked her to do any other things around the house. We all like her a lot.
The surprise was delivered to me early this morning. She said,'Winnie, I got a problem.' I already knew what she was about to tell me. She then told me that her visa is expired and she needs to go back to El Salvador to wait for her green card. I tried to ask her if it's about the money that she is leaving, but, she couldn't quite understand what I was trying to get at. I also asked if she will come back to the states, and she said that she might come back after 2 months. So, we are looking for a new nanny. I immediately called my friend at work to see if her mom can help me find someone from Indonesia. My mom also called Ashley too to check if she knows anybody who is good to help us. Obviously, Jim and I are both very disappointed that Martha has to leave, and it will be hard to find someone who is as loving and caring as Martha. Now, the kids will have to get used to somebody else, and we really feel bad for Max because he has just recently gotten stranger anxiety. :(
Posted by Winnie 5:37 PM

Time sure flies, Grandpa Castor has already left this morning back to Indiana. It was great to have him here to meet Max and Arie. On Sunday, we were able to take him to try 'Dim Sum', and it was his first time. He even tried 'Chicken feet', but it's just too much work for that little tiny bit of skin or meat for him. He loves the food and was amazed by so many variety of dumplings. The kids behaved well too, and we all had a great time. We hope to take the kids back to Indiana this coming summer, so that they can meet the rest of their relatives there. We also took tons of pictures too, and I will post them once I got the time.
Posted by Winnie 5:35 PM

Grandpa Castor arrived last night at 10pm from Indiana, and it is the first time he comes to visit us since we moved to L.A. The kids got up early as usual, well especially Max. He slept okay last night - only one feeding. Yet again, Arie didn't get up till 6am this morning. Martha fed Max in the morning, so Jim and I got to rest a little longer. Max and Arie were a little surprised to see a new face in the house early morning. When they first met grandpa, they both stared at him for a long time. Max didn't do too well with strangers, but he usually gets better after a while. He cried immediately when grandpa first held him, but he has gotten much more comfortable later on today. Arie didn't really have much stranger anxiety at all, and she giggled and talked right away with grandpa. After their morning feeding, we took a long walk to the pier. We like to take the kids out for walk because it's the only chance for us to exercise. We had a nice walk and good conversation. The weather was unbelievably hot, and a lot of people were in the beach.
We then got take-out at 'Rascal' for lunch, one of our favorite fast food places. We ordered turkey avocado burgers and fries. Hmm...that was yummy, but I ate too much again. We spent the rest of the day in the house, and we got addicted to an online game at 'Text Twist'. Now, the kids are sleeping and so as everyone else in house. I should probably go to bed soon before Max starts to get up for a bottle.

Posted by Winnie 10:53 PM

Max and Arie finally made their first video debut with a little video we like to call 'Eat the Parrot'. We hope you will enjoy.

'Eat the Parrot' video (Windows Media Player 200k)
Posted by Winnie 8:01 PM

We all know that Max likes to move his legs and arms. But, we never knew that he would still be moving when he is asleep until a couple of weeks ago. Jim and I have been having trouble keeping his blanket on his body or off of his face at night. He can move from one end of the crib the other end until there isn¡¦t enough room to move anymore. He loves to sleep on his side. He was fussing the other night, and Jim just turned him on his side and he fell right back asleep. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¦t really work every time.
On the contrary, Arie doesn¡¦t move quite as much or even at all when she is sleeping. She will generally move closer towards my mom¡¦s side of the bed by morning. When she sleeps by herself, she seldom moves.
Posted by Winnie 2:47 PM