Happy Halloween!

Hi my little petite pois!

You were a hit at Redondo beach today! We were there for your first Halloween celebration and went treat or treating with Daddy's colleagues and their kids. We dressed you up as a pea, Daddy wore his chef's uniform and Mommy dressed up as a pea farmer. You sat in one of Daddy's pot the whole time and everyone was so tickled by your costume! People could not stop taking photos of you. If Mommy were to charge $10 a photo, we could have added to our Manolo collection! They kept on telling us to enter you in the costume competition but Mommy was afraid that you were going to melt down soon because you were already up for over 2 hours since your last nap!

You were such a good girl though. After trick or treating, we went out for dinner and didn't get home till 9:00 pm. You were up for 6 whole hours and didn't get cranky till we were driving home. You stayed up till 9:30 pm to wind down after the fun-filled day then went to bed.

I think you had tons of fun today...we can't wait till next Halloween because we already have another awesome family costume idea!

Love, Mom

Petite pois - from the farm, to your table

The chef and his petite pois

My little pea

Spooky Halloween Tales at the Library

Dear Izzy,

We went to the West Hollywood library for the Spooky Halloween story time today. You had a blast! You dressed as a little prima ballerina and everyone loved your look! Mommy made the tutu you wore today...I'm so proud of it, and you totally look the part.

My little prima ballerina

You were so intrigued by the story fairy at the library. This is the first time Mommy saw you sit for a whole 20 mins without moving! I guess we got to go to the library more often for story time! After story time, you played with Grace and Nova...two cute little girls!

Sitting quietly for storytime

We headed to the playground after and you had another first there too! Your first time on the swing...you absolutely enjoyed it! I guess it just feels like Daddy throwing you around.

First time on the swing...weeee!!

We will definitely be back to the library and playground soon!

Love, Mom

Happy 34 week birthday!

Dear Izzy,

Mommy's so happy that you are feeling MUCH MUCH better now...although we still have to continue your antibiotics for another few days. You really hate taking your medicine, so much so that you will keep the liquid in your mouth and refuse to swallow it. And when we least expect it, you spit it right back at us! Mommy really doesn't know how you do it...keep the medicine in your mouth and cry at the same time...you are definitely talented!

Your appetite is also coming back. You are starting to eat your regular portion of food and also since Dr. Scott mentioned that he calls this age the "restaurant age", we can start feeding you food off our own plates. You actually love the food that we eat more than your baby food...I guess the palate is genetic! We had Indian buffet again yesterday and you really enjoyed feeding yourself potatoes and peas!

You are a crawling machine now...you crawl so fast, Mommy's eyes have to constantly be on you because you have gotten yourself into trouble a couple of times already! Your eyes are so sharp too...you pick up the smallest things off the floor. Mommy thought you were a noisy little girl before but now, you are even noisier. Not only do you like to scream, you now love banging your plastic toys together. Perhaps you are a future percussionist?

Mommy thinks you are starting to recognize things now too. Especially Zoë. When we ask you "Where is Zoë?", you look to her. We look forward to teaching you more now...you are like a sponge!

Love, Mom

Pumpkin Patch Princess

To my little Pumpkin Patch Princess,

Welcome to your first Fall! We took a trip to the pumpkin patch in Beverly Hills today. You rode in the wagon and we got to see lots of pumpkins, ghouls and goblins. You were so intrigued by our little outing, you were analyzing everything! Daddy picked out a perfect sized pumpkin and we will attempt to carve it for Halloween. We hope to make this a yearly tradition now!

Love, Mom

Pumpkin Patch Princess

Princess with Daddy...

Lots of pumpkins!

Cheeky Face is BACK!

Oh how I missed the cheeky face! You woke up in high spirits today, Isabelle. Mommy's so glad that things are looking up and you are feeling WAY better. Your rashes are gone too...the Benedryl worked!

Now you have to start eating well again so you can gain back some weight you have lost. Sleep more too...you have a lot of catching up to do!

Love, Mom

Love it when you wake up with this face!

URGH...Rashes!

My poor poor baby,

Not only are you fighting your UTI, now you have rashes to deal with! Mommy feels soooo bad for you. This morning you woke up with some rashes on your head and body and Mommy quickly called Dr. Scott. We thought you were allergic to the antibiotics you are taking but Dr. Scott said that it is probably the infection that is giving you the rash. So he told us to give you some Children's Benedryl.

You are so overmedicated that you are grumpy and cranky. I am so sorry you are going through such a tough time. Mommy is really praying that you get well soon.

Love, Mom

8 month Baby Wellness Exam and Follow Up Appointment

Dear Izzy,

You had your 8 month baby wellness exam today. You weigh 14 lbs 10 ozs (5%), your height is 27 inches (57%) and your head circumference is 43 cm (38%). Your weight percentile has dropped from 15% to 5%! Mommy is a little worried but Dr. Scott isn't too concerned. He said that by this time, babies usually slow down in weight gain and he thinks that because you haven't been feeling well and have no appetite, that might have contributed to a little weight loss. Dr. Scott also saw your 2 lower central incisors...probably another contributing factor for your loss of appetite!

Other things Dr. Scott told us to look forward to is cruising since you have already started to pull yourself up. He said you are a little advanced in your mobility milestones! He also warned us that we should remove crib bumpers as it can be used as an aid to climb out of the crib. You are such a violent sleeper though, Mommy's worried that you will be bumping your head all night! But once we see any sign of you using the crib bumper as an escape tool, the bumpers will be GONE!

As for the follow up to your urine sample results, they confirmed that you have a UTI and found the e. coli bacteria in your urine. Good news is that the antibiotics Dr. Karen started you with has already taken effect and is slowly killing the bacteria. You are definitely starting to slowly feel better. Bad news is that we have to go for further testing to make sure that this infection is just going to be a one time deal and not that something is wrong with your urinary tract. Mommy is not looking forward to one of the tests as it is somewhat invasive. But I would rather know now so we can correct it, if neccesary.

Although you are still a little cranky, Mommy is glad that the well Izzy is starting to pop in every once in a while after a good nap! Can't wait for you to get your appetite back because Daddy made you some really yummy food!

Love, Mom

P/S: We saw Mrs. Diamond, Dr. Diamond's wife from the show Dr. 90210, and her son at Beverly Hills Pediatrics.

Happy 33 week birthday

Poor little baby...you're not really having a happy 33 week birthday today. You still have a fever and are very irritable and clingy. You are in and out of sleep and don't sleep very well at night unless you are in Mommy's or Daddy's arms.

We really hope you feel better soon because it really upsets Mommy that I don't know where your discomforts are and cannot help you. You have so much Tylenol and Motrin in you that you are pretty out of it. We have to give you the medication to keep your fever in check. Good news is that your antibiotics finally arrived at the pharmacy and we have started it today, so hopefully, with that, you will feel a little better.

Lots of hugs and kisses.

Love, Mom

Fever, Fever, Go Away

Dear Isabelle,

Today is day 3 of your fever. It comes and it goes...Tylenol and Motrin have helped with getting it down but once the medication wears off, your fever comes back in full force. My poor, poor baby...seeing you in so much discomfort is just so heartbreaking for me. And to top it all off, your gums are so swollen. Mommy thinks your other lower central incisor is coming in but you won't let me near your mouth to check!

We went to see Dr. Karen today and she did some tests on you. First was the flu test and that came back negative. The second one was the urine test. Your urine test came back with a small trace of bacteria and therefore Dr. Karen says that most probably you have a urinary tract infection. They are sending the urine sample into the lab for further testing so that they can tell for sure if you have a UTI or not.

We hope they can find out for sure what you are suffering from because apart from the fever, you have no other symptoms. We will hear back from Dr. Karen on Wednesday. Till then, we were instructed to continue using Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever in check. Mommy hopes you get well soon because we miss the cheeky Izzy with that infectious laughter.

Love, Mom

My poor little sick baby

Trip to the ER

Dear Isabelle,

You were running a temperature and sick with your first bout of fever today. It all started at around 2:30 pm on Saturday when Mommy realized you were burning up. We took your temperature and it was 102.5°F. Mommy quickly called your pediatrician but since it was a weekend, we left a message and the doctor-on-call, Dr. Beth, called back to instruct us on what to do. She said to start giving you a dose of Infant Tylenol in hopes of bringing the fever down.

You took a dose of Tylenol and fell asleep at around 2:50 pm. You woke up 40 mins later and the fever had subsided. Mommy was relieved. You were even playful. We fed you your full dinner, took a cool bath and put you to sleep around 5:45 pm. By about 6:15 pm, you woke up crying and Mommy went into the room to check on you. You were shaking like a leaf! You had the chills and Mommy didn't know what to do for you but wrap you up and gave you another dose of Tylenol.

You were shaking for 15 mins and Mommy started to panic so I had to call Daddy to ask him to quickly come home from work. Daddy came home and we put you back to sleep. Again at around 10 pm, you woke up with chills. This time your temperature started to spike. When we took your temperature at around midnight, it was up to 103.2°F. Mommy decided that it was time to go to the ER because your fever did not seem to be letting down and we didn't want to risk any permanent damage.

By the time we got to the ER, your fever was up to 104.1°F. They stripped you down to your diaper and gave you a dose of Motrin. 1 hour later, your temperature went down to 101.8°F and we waited for 2 hours before being admitted to a room. The doctor checked you out and said that everything looked fine. By this time, your temperature went down to 98.6°F much to Mommy's relief. The doctor wanted to do some invasive tests on you but Daddy decided that since you looked OK and also since you've been through so much already, we will avoid the tests and wait to go in to see Dr. Scott on Monday.

When we got home, it was 4:30 am in the morning. What a night. This is the scariest night that Mommy has ever experienced. Mommy and Daddy are exhausted. We hope you get better soon.

Love, Mom

Goodbye Ah Ma

Dear Isabelle,

The end of Ah Ma's stay with us came by so fast! She left for Vancouver early this morning and we already miss her. She took really good care of you - feeding you, putting you to sleep, giving you baths and playing with you - while Mommy got our new place in order. We still have a little bit more of unpacking and organizing to do but without Ah Ma's help, we would have soooo much more to do! Thanks Ah Ma for taking such good care of us and cooking Mommy all her favorite foods!

Love, Mom

Humpty Dumpty Had A Great FALL!

Dear Isabelle,

You have learned to pull yourself up to a kneeling position and have been doing it all morning instead of taking your morning nap! We really need to get Daddy to lower your crib because you already hit your head on the crib rail a couple of times today...poor baby. But you have such a strong and hard head, you cry for a minute and when Mommy kisses it better, you stop. When we put you back into your bed, you start pulling up again...it's either you never learn or you are so determined to learn how to pull up to a standing position!

Love, Mom

Waves Bye Bye

Dear Isabelle,

You are so cute when you wave "bye bye"! You are starting to imitate people when they wave to you. Such a little smarty pants!

Love, Mom

Milestone: Emergence of First Tooth

Dear Isabelle,

No wonder you've been cranky...your first tooth made it's appearance today! It has taken a while...ever since the trip to Seattle with Mommy's friends. It's your right central incisor and boy is it ever sharp! I wonder if that's the reason you've been using your tongue to push against your lower jaw for the last week. Finally a tooth...I hope it gets easier for you from here on out.

Love, Mom

Happy 32 weeks birthday!

Dear Isabelle,

You are a different baby every day! You learn so fast it's amazing. After crawling for more than a week now, you have started sitting from a crawling position. Also, you are almost pulling up! Daddy has to lower your crib mattress very soon because a few times on the baby monitor, we have witnessed you holding on to the railing and lifting up your bum! Before we know it, Mommy is going to have to chase you around the house.

Standing on your own

You are enjoying your meals like a pro. You eat so well and especially if it is something you like, you eat so much! You scare Daddy with how much you eat but if you are anything like Mommy, he should be used to it by now. You also demand food when you see us eating and you are not. Your pincer grasp is getting more and more accurate, you can pick up your puffs with your index finger and thumb now whereas before you just used your whole palm. Not sure why, but you dislike drinking water! You push away your water bottle or sippy cup and so Mommy has been trying to feed you water with a spoon but you blow all the water away...so we are now trying a straw. Water is good for you, baby!

The funniest thing is that you laugh at your own videos when Mommy plays them back to you, especially the "Splash Splash Splash" and the "Water Blower" one...are you going to be one of those people who laugh at your own jokes?

Another trick you have learned is to wave hello and goodbye. You practice it randomly...we have to get you to do it on cue soon. Goodbye!

Waving bye bye!

Love, Mom

First Visit to the Eye Doctor

Dear Isabelle,

We went for your first visit to the eye doctor today. Dr. Scott referred us to this eye doctor because we have noticed that you have been a little crossed eyed since birth. The eye doctor said that what you have is called pseudostrabismus and nothing to worry about. She said most Asian babies have this and will eventually grow out of it when the bridge of the nose matures and narrows.

She also checked your vision. It took 3 drops of pupil dilation drops before she could check your eyes. Your eyes just refused to dilate! At the end, you were crying hysterically because you were getting impatient and tired and it was WAY past your naptime.

You have perfect vision and your follow up check up is in 8 months.

Love, Mom

Back in LA and Moved Into New Apartment

Dear Isabelle,

We are back in LA and moved into our new apartment! Finally you get your own big girl room. Mommy and Daddy will be sleeping in your room with you for a week to acclimatize you to your new room and while Ah Ma is here helping us. When Ah Ma leaves, Mommy and Daddy are moving into our own room and you will have your big girl room all to yourself!

Love, Mom

What a Way to Drink Water

Dear Isabelle,

We can't give you water in a bottle anymore because all you do is hit it away! So we have resorted to feeding you water with a spoon...but what do you do? You blow it all away! You are hilarious...are you a comedian in a baby suit?

Love, Mom

Milestone: Finally Mobile!

Dear Isabelle,

You are finally mobile...before we know it, you will be a crawling machine! Mommy just decided today to take off the footed sleepers you've been wearing for the duration of the trip and that did the trick! You can finally feel the carpet with your knees and toes and have more traction and now can go almost everywhere, although you are still a little wobbly at times.

The look on your face after you figured how to crawl around was priceless...

Ah Kong is so proud of you! He got his wish to see you crawl before we leave Vancouver to go back to LA.

Love, Mom

Tickles from Godma

Dear Isabelle,

We love to do anything to get that infectious laughter out of you...it's so contagious!

Love, Mom

Mommy's Cooking

Dear Isabelle,

Mommy had to be resourceful and make you some fruit purees this week. It's probably not as good as Daddy's but you still loved it! Mommy made pear, plum and blueberry puree and Ah Ma will be making you some chicken and carrot puree. Mommy is actually enjoying cooking for you!

Love, Mom

Pear and plum puree with some pear and plum water we saved to make your oat cereal