Cousin's First Birthday

Locked and Loaded

Just before "the incident"
Today, we went to visit Uncle Andy and Aunt Wendy for Cousin Caleb's first birthday. It was actually a few weeks ago but we didn't have a chance to celebrate then. It was going to be the longest car ride to date for Mini - almost an hour. Like most babies, she slept all the way there. We took all the kids to the playground near their house. It was quite windy so we had to keep Mini completely covered in her stroller. Too bad - I wanted her to get some sun. Anyway, cousin E had a bit of a scare on the ropes when she lost her footing. I failed to get her to climb up to the second landing. E is really growing up before our eyes.

We went back and had the cake we brought for Cousin Caleb. He just wanted to put his hands into the cake. We let him do it a couple of times - he would put his hand into the strawberry syrup and then lick it off his fingers. On the third time, E suddenly started crying -- I'm not sure if she felt left out or if she thought she wasn't going to get any cake. It was kinda cute. Mini was unfazed by the whole ordeal.

After we had cake, we went out to a Korean restaurant. It was the first time I've been to a restaurant with Mini. Mama informed me that they had gone out prior without me :(. Anyway, she started crying once the food came out...maybe she wanted some too. We ended up feeding her the rest of the bottle we had. Mama then went to the car to finish feeding her. After the meal, we headed home -- it was a long day.

Parents' Night Out

Mom and Dad attended a wedding today and had to leave Mini with Grandma Chan for eight hours. Good thing we have Grandma or else this would have been a hefty babysitting cost. Mini's first babysitting experience went well as Grandma reports that she fed and slept according to schedule.

Earlier in the day, it was Papa's first time helping give Mini a bath. She cried as we gave her a bath -- off and on though as I think she enjoys the warm water, but gets cold since we don't immerse her in the water. She did cry hard enough that she pooped a little into the water so we had to refill the tub. Once again, she enjoyed shampooing her hair and just looked around with inquisitive eyes with nary a peep. After the bath, Papa decided to give her a very stylish hairdo.

Addendum: Papa forgot about this, but Mini is becoming much more aware of her surroundings. Before, she would just look right through you, usually at lights and such. I think it's because baby's eyesight is very poor - it's probably all a big blur to them. Today, it was the first time I actually felt like she SAW me. I had put her in the crib because she was being fussy and I had to work. After putting her down, I noticed that she seemed to be looking right at me. I thought maybe coincidence...but then I moved slowly toward the door and she moved her gaze with me. I walked back to the crib and her eyes followed. It was a breakthrough -- Mini was finally tracking! Nowadays, I notice her looking more at my face than the lights. It definitely makes a difference in her perceived intelligence level :)

The Fauxhawk

Passed out together

Right on Track

Mini had her one-month wellness visit today. After waiting 45 minutes to see the doctor, she was poked and prodded to the doctor's satisfaction. Then she braved a Hep B shot and was rewarded with a cool, dinosaur band-aid. Mini is a strong one - she did wail at the needle prick but then her cry turned into a whine (imagine a deflating balloon). I think she cries harder when cold or battling a poop.

Mini weighed in at 8lbs 7oz. She's now 21 inches tall and doing everything a one-month baby should be. She can:

- give head butts as she tests her neck strength

- give you the evil eye when she's not pleased (her eyes will follow objects when she's interested)

- make wonderful cooing noises, which are then followed by screeching cries

- follow sound, mainly from Grandma Chan's 1000 decibel baby talk

- eat every three hours, she's so prompt that Mama now uses Mini to tell time

- grab objects with her hands, which means hair, necklaces, and clothes

Mini's One Month Celebration

Today was Mini's one month anniversary outside of the womb. She seems to be getting fussier at night, waking up almost every two hours last night. Mama barely got any sleep and slept until almost noon. Mini on the other hand would not go to sleep this morning. She would fall asleep for 15 minutes or so and then wake up crying. At around 2pm, Mama and Grandma went to Safeway leaving me alone with Mini. I wanted to make her sleep in her bassinet since she's been sleeping in our bed at night. She started crying immediately and I decided to let her cry it out. Almost 10 minutes later, she was still going so I took her out and held her. She still wouldn't stop crying for another half hour. Finally she fell asleep on my stomach. After about 20 minutes, I put her back into the bassinet and she started crying again. This is not the Mini from 4 weeks ago. Maybe she knew it was her one month birthday and she was too excited but she just would not go to sleep today. After everyone came home, she finally went into the deep slumber we are used to at around 5pm. Mama and I took her for her first stroll around the neighborhood -- just a few blocks but it's hard since we live on top of a hill. She slept through the whole experience.
Uncle Radu and Uncle Yang came by since Uncle Yang was in town for the week. She slept through their entire visit too, curled up in Uncle Yang's arms for a good hour. It sounds like he's going to want his own baby soon.
After the uncles left, we had our Mini-celebration for Mini Burrito with Uncle Lee, Aunt Vivien, and Grandma Chan. Unfortunately, Mini ruined her own party by crying through the entire ordeal. We tried to get a picture of her with the cake but she wouldn't cooperate. The cake itself was quite good - a strawberry shortcake from Safeway...mmm... Grandma Chan also made red eggs and glutinous rice per Chinese tradition. Afterward, I brought her to video conference with Grandma and Grandpa Fu but she still wouldn't stop crying. Alas, Mini's one-month birthday will only be remembered for her incessant crying.

Our First Stroll
One Month Spread

Mini on the Muni

Today, we decided to check out the SF Street Food Festival. It was the first time Papa had taken Mini outside other than the first doctor's visit. We decided to take public transportation because Papa figured parking and traffic would be a pain. This meant Mini's first time on Muni! We also decided it would be Mini's first time in her Baby Bjorn! For those of you that don't know, a Baby Bjorn is a infant carrier that straps onto your torso, kind of like a baby backpack -- except the baby is placed in the front (see pictures).

Anyway, the first couple of times we tried putting her in the Baby Bjorn, she did not like it. In fact, she peed herself -- and me -- the first time. We considered whether to just use the stroller, but I thought it would be more of a hassle to take on the bus. I decided to give Bjorn one more try -- this time, I kept her hands inside rather than putting them through the armholes. It looked like third time was a charm. She didn't fuss this time and soon was fast asleep. Finally, with baby ready to go, we then went on our way to the festival.

On her first bus ride (#33 bus from outside our house to 25th St and Potrero Ave), Mini slept soundly all the way. In fact, she slept during our entire time at the street festival. The festival itself was incredibly crowded. People everywhere -- lines snaking at least 50 people deep. After a once over of all the food stands, we decided it would be faster to make our way to a local restaurant and just eat there. We walked over to El Farolito at 25th and Mission. We were all really hungry -- including Mini. I joked about how it would be Mini's first encounter with her namesake. At the restaurant, we fed her a bottle. Mama wanted to give the Baby Bjorn a try, so we transferred Mini and Bjorn over to her. On Mama, Mini seemed like she was no longer sleepy. She stayed up all the way home, crying a bit on the bus. We had to pull out our backup bottle to quiet her down. We finally made it home at around 4:30pm - a long successful outing with Mini.

I had a taste of what Mama had to deal with for 9 months

On the bus to the festival -- Mini sleeping peacefully

On the bus to get home -- Mini is wide awake now

Mini's Quirks

Mini loves to blow spit bubbles, has the cutest sleep poses (see below), smiles haphazardly, makes little squealing noises when sleeping, gets beet red in the face when crying, grabs her ear or eats her hands when hungry, grunts like a bear when pooing, and pees when frazzled. She hates being put on the diaper changing pad and has little patience for diaper changes. She's also getting spoiled as she demands to be held when sleeping and always have someone nearby doting on her.

Oh the cutest thing - she loves to stretch. Mini needs one minute of stretching time before she'll do anything for you.

Exploring Upper Haight

We checked out the Upper Haight Farmers' Market today. It was a small gathering of vendors so we finished shopping within ten minutes. Then we took Mini for a quick stroll in the east side of Golden Gate Park. Of course, Mini was completely unaware of her first park experience since she was sound asleep.

On a side note, baby laundry does pile up. Mini's going through a minimum of two clothing changes a day (in addition to soiled blankets and towels). Why? Because there is no such thing as a fool-proof diaper. Someone should really spend the time to engineer one.

False Alarm

Mama found bumps in Burrito's nose and, being a new mom, scheduled a pediatrician visit to check it out. Dr. Bolton swiped Burrito's nose with a q-tip, described the bumps as dried mucus (essentially boogers), and concluded that there was nothing to be concerned about. At Mama's insistence, he looked a bit deeper and still didn't find anything unusual. Looks like this is Mama's first bout of baby hypochondria. Hopefully, insurance will cover this impromptu doctor visit.

It wasn't a complete waste though. The doctor warned about upcoming baby acne and complexion changes that would affect her face to shoulders. Burrito's sweat glands are opening up and this means pimples and whiteheads. It's a good thing he explained this because it would have sent Mama into a real panic to see rash symptoms and not know the culprit. Burrito weighed in at 7lbs 9oz. Another big weight gain of 9oz since Friday.

Before going to the doctor's office, we had lunch at Olive Garden. Burrito slept through her first restaurant experience and let everyone eat in peace. The waitress did pay her a quick "aww, how cute" compliment and another customer took a peek at baby. Mama realizes that Burrito will get these as long as she is a petite newborn. Once she gets bigger, those compliments will be fewer since we aren't exactly beauty pageant ready. Burrito's charm will lie in her personality ;)

During a stop at Lucky's, Burrito had her first diaper change in the car's trunk. Strange because she didn't cry during this one, probably too much stimuli and she forgot about the cold wet wipes. She handles feeding in public well too. With these two practices covered and once this Zuo Yuezi ends, Burrito and entourage will be mobile and ready to explore the world.

We were lucky to catch a patch of sun when getting home and Grandma decided to test her loony potty training technique. What is this technique? Grandma thinks she can train babies to pee on command by whistling. Supposedly, she accomplished this with Uncle Dean many, many years ago. Benefits to baby if successful = less diaper rash and ability to pee on command. She let Burrito go diaper-free, placed her in the sunlight to stay warm, and the whistling started. Burrito peed alright, into her onesie but not necessarily after hearing a whistle as a cue. What's funnier is when Mama gets called into the living room five minutes later and sees her worst nightmare - Grandma holding Burrito bare-butt in her hands with a pool of diarrhea on the floor below (and there's still more poo exiting Burrito). How proud is Granny as she laughs and claims that it worked, "Yay, Burrito pooed on command, she's a quick learner." Nooo, don't think that's how it's supposed to work.

After the shock, it warranted a good laugh. Then it necessitated a bath and major clean-up. Lesson of the day: if Grandma tries this again, a bucket will be required.

Mini Gets Bottle Service

Mini was giving Mama lots of trouble last night. It took her over 3 hours to go to sleep. Then during her nighttime feeding, she was very rough on Mama's breast to the point that Mama got angry at her. Then she started crying again for a while, and Mama left the room with her to let me sleep. Finally, Grandma took her, and once again, she almost immediately became silent and fell asleep not too long after. Anyway, I woke up to find Mama and Mini on the couch together doing a mind-meld.


After the horrendous night of feeding, Mama decided she had to give herself a break from Mini's mini-mouth and give her the bottle. It was her first time on the bottle, and she just gulped the whole thing down like a pro. It was the first time I got to handle feeding duties, so I guess now I can give Mama a break from time to time. By the end of the day, she'd taken 3 bottles. In between there, Mama snuck in a regular feeding, which sometimes can be an issue after baby gets the bottle (because of the relative ease of the bottle versus the breast) and Mini took it just the same. Even though she's definitely gotten fussier, I don't think we can complain because she's still an angel comparatively.

Professor Mini Burrito

Many times, I treat Mini as my own personal live doll. I like to play with her arms and legs all the time, getting her to work out her little muscles. I have a video that I should post when I can find it. Anyway, today I decided to try out my glasses on her. I heard babies have very bad vision so I thought maybe she could see better with my glasses. I think they look pretty good on her. Maybe she'll become a professor some day.



On a side note, Grandma has this mysterious ability to make Mini stop crying almost every time. She may be crying for 10 minutes and then as soon as we hand her over to Grandma, she will quiet down. I'm not sure what it is -- maybe it's her loud voice compared to ours.

Tiny Mouth, Big Appetite

Burrito, Mama, and Grandma had a nice afternoon out. Mama doesn't get out much these days as she's been placed under house arrest by grandma. Our first stop was Newborn Connections to see a lactation consultant. Burrito (more so, Mama) needed a lesson in latching and Beth was there to help. With a couple of adjustments, the experience was a bit better but not perfect and certainly not pain-free. There are some hurdles to overcome - Burrito's small mouth, Mama's dislike of messes, and overactive/quick let-downs. But this is only week three, so we have six more months to get it right.

There's no concern about Burrito not eating enough with the less-than-perfect latch. The consultation included multiple weighings - naked, with diaper, before feeding, and after feeding. In her birthday suit, Burrito weighed in at 7lbs even. To show her strong dislike of being stripped for so long, Burrito left a wet, yellow, stinky mess on Mama's shirt and jeans. There's a first for everything, and this certainly will not be the last time she poos on someone. Better get used to this.. and spit bubbles, milk puke, leaky diapers, and all other kinds of unwanted wetness.

Afterward we tried to go to lunch at Pasta Pomodoro but the wait was too long. Instead, we went to the bank and grocery store. Mini slept through the rest of our outing.

3 weeks and already posing

Look at the tiny mouth! (and big nose)

Waah Wah Wah

Babies don't cry tears until they are seven to eight months old. Mini managed to squeeze out a tear today around 7:00pm as she warned us of her hunger. Hopefully, there won't be any more tears because it's heartbreaking. Once those tear drops start flowing, we are in trouble and she'll be even more irresistible.

She's growing up so fast.

Reversal of Fortune

Mini had her first true "reversal of fortune" tonight. She had just finished feeding with Mama and there was no indication of anything different from any other feeding. Then all of a sudden a large gush of white fluid came out of her mouth and all over her yellow onesie. It was quite sudden and so unexpected that we were both shell-shocked for a moment. It actually looked like something from "The Exorcist". Anyway, Mama seemed a bit worried but I told her that this is totally normal -- all babies do this from time to time.

Other than that, Mini seems to sleep a lot less these days as far as I can tell. It is a lot harder to get her to sleep and a lot easier to wake her up now. The days of sleepy burrito seem numbered, alas.

11oz in a week

Saw Dr. Pickering this morning for Mini's third pediatrician visit. Her jaundice is going away, all else is normal, and weight is now 6lbs 3oz. Even the doctor liked this gain of 11oz in a single week. Mini won't be undersized for long :)

Doctor says Mini will be sleeping more in the next weeks so we don't need to wake her up for feedings (whew, relief for Mama). We're supposed to let her tell us when she's hungry and so far that's been every three hours. She's even supposed to poop less, decrease to once a day. More relief for Mama since it's been a diaper per feeding, with frequent back-to-back changes. Altogether, a healthy check-up.

Mini also completed her first ferber attempt. She slept in her crib and woke up crying. We let her cry and, after seven minutes with two peeks, she started self-soothing. Sooo cute.

The Suens stopped by to say hello to Mini and bring dinner. Thanks guys!

Inked and Bathed

First on Burrito's schedule for Thursday (besides the diaper changes and feedings) is her first ink session. No, we're not talking Miami Ink and tattoos. This is for Burrito's baby journal and childhood memorabilia. And we can say that it did not go well. Ink everywhere on the hands and feet but no decent impressions for the baby journal. Probably best to to try this again when she is sleeping or feeding. Lesson learned.

Also scheduled in Burrito's day planner is a bath, her first one at home. With the tub in the kitchen sink, perfect water temperature, and all supplies ready, we dunked her in. Oh my. We suddenly had a howler monkey in the house. Not sure if she was scared, annoyed, or just hated water, but she did not like it. Cried the entire time and squirmed around like a snake. We cut bath time short and went to the shampoo. Surprisingly, she likes this. Didn't cry once and seemed to enjoy getting her hair washed and brushed. End result - a clean, smooth baby that's fit to be in a Downy fabric softener commercial.

Home Alone

Uh oh, Mini had to spend the day alone with Mama. Everyone else went out for the day to check out the SF Zoo and Grandma made her weekly trip to 99 Ranch.

So far so good, Mini is still alive and kickin'.

Girly Spa Day

Mom and baby slept in until 12:30pm today. Mini started her day with a long feeding, playtime with Grandma, and then another feeding. Since she was still awake after these activities, we started a spa treatment. Mini had a mani-pedi, skin exfoliation, and leg massage.

At 2:45pm, it was time for a diaper change. When Mama opened the onesie, there was a SURPRISE! Mini's umbilical cord has fallen off. We've got an innie (still needs healing but it's a pretty one).

Two more feedings later, it's 4:00pm and Mini just went down for a much needed nap. Today is her first time sleeping on her belly.

BTW, did anyone notice my new piece of apparel? No more pink and blue hospital beanie :)

Busy Day for Mini

Mini accomplished a lot today - two diaper accidents, extra feedings, first dose of vitamin D, and an encounter with Biscuit (our neighbor's dachshund). Mini may be starting a growth spurt with the extra milk sessions, she's drinking longer and more frequently. But with the extra feedings comes more poop and pee making for some heavy diapers.

Aunt Viv gave Burrito her second dose of vit D supplement. Slow and steady was the only way Mini would take her medicine and, after five minutes, about half of it was consumed. This attempt was much more successful than Saturday's where Mini spit out all of the medicine. Let's hope this helps clear the jaundice sooner.

We also discovered that she will fall asleep to Casino City's theme music. After refusing to sleep and a bit of crying, Mama resorted to collecting her casino chips and had the idea to turn on the game's music. Burrito loved it and immediately fell asleep. She's a fan of Papa's work!

Dances With MiniBurritos

This morning our phone/internet was down due to crappy Comcast. Anyway, I spent the morning watching the second half of Dances With Wolves with my MIL. I was trying to get mini to watch my favorite movie with us but instead she spent the whole time passed out on my chest (I guess she takes after papa when it comes to watching movies on the couch). It was all very cute. I think she likes it because of my warm body temperature - I didn't even have to swaddle her. Halfway through the movie, she massaged my stomach with her little right foot. Now if only I can get her to do that on command.

Uncle Andy, Aunt Wendy, Cousin E, and Cousin Caleb came over this afternoon. It was quite a full house with everyone here including Uncle Lee and Aunt Vivian. Uncle Lee picked up a 2 free trikes off craigslist. E and Caleb were loving them. E is growing up so fast now. She still doesn't seem to know that I can't speak Chinese...or maybe she doesn't know the difference between Chinese and English. Anyway, she spent a good hour racing down our hallway on Thomas. She seemed to have so much fun on it; we let them take the two trikes home since Mini can't ride them yet. Mini Burrito slept through all the ruckus...she only woke up once to feed. She seems to "smile" more in her sleep now. She's so small compared to Caleb, but I know she's going to grow up fast. I wish she could remain like she is now forever. We're lucky she has been so easy to take care of so far. I hope it stays this way!