Max's Top 10 Wish List, Christmas 2009

10. Unlimited toilet paper unraveling. (will you forgive me, Sheryl Crow?)

9. Unsupervised, non-hovering climbing time on the staircase (couch and ottomans would be nice, too).

8. Please, I beg you, no more flash photography, Mom!

7. A dip in the toilet bowl. The door to that room is always closed. What's all the fuss?

6. A personal assistant, custodial staff, chef-on-command, masseuse, a captive audience. Oh, wait...already have those.

Okay, 6. When I offer you my half-eaten and personally-juiced orange slice, please accept it graciously. It's my gift to you.

5. I wish to brush my teeth everyday with Gong Gong. Seriously, see "Videos of Max and Friends" link on the blog sidebar.

4. I hear talk about "having the boy go cold turkey with that binky." Please don't do it. You will rue the day. Rue.

3. Magnets. Any color, shape or size will do, but preferably the tiny ones that freak out Mother when I threaten to eat one.

2. To roll, play, sleep and eat in a tub full of blueberries. For this, I might even rescind Wish #8 simply so that I can relive the experience.

1. World Peace. (My parents have trained me to say that. Between you and me, if it doesn't work out, I'll gladly accept a tub full of cheddar. Ideally extra sharp, organic and six-year aged. Thanks.)

Happy Holidays to all!

Much love,
M.A.X.

12 Months of Maxwell

One of Max's first favorite toys was a character named "Rock Lee" (thanks to the "Godfather," Mike Lopez). At just a few weeks, Max took quite a liking to Rock Lee, so we decided to use Master Lee for scale in our monthly photo of Max.

Although there have been times when we were a little concerned about Max's weight (usually hovering at 20%), reviewing these photos reassures us that, at the very least, he outgrew Rock Lee.

Max as "Max" on Balmy Street

Because Mommy and Daddy want to get as much mileage out of the outfit as possible, here's one last video of Max on Balmy Street when we did his "photoshoot." Gong Gong joined us, and he actually took most of the pictures that day. We had a great morning hanging out in the SF Mission. Daddy got donuts from Dynamo Donuts & Coffee (Maple Glazed Bacon Apple, Lemon Pistachio, Vanilla Bean, and Banana de Leche) for breakfast, and we just soaked in the sights and sounds near Balmy Street.

Max + Dino on Halloween Day

"Max" (aka Max) meets up with an adorable "Dinosaur" (aka Linnea) at the Noe playground. Darling "Dino" was so sweet and brought a birthday gift for "Max"! Smiling, sharing and flirting ensued.

Happy Halloween (for real this time) and Birthday (to Mommy and DDJJ)

Halloween Day started with a haircut for Max. We went to a place called "Just Kids." We read rave reviews on Yelp about it, so we decided to go there with Gong Gong. Well, it was miserable. The lady was a little rough, but fast, and she started by spraying Max's hair with water, which made him pretty upset (note: when we left, a father brought in his son and specifically asked for 'no water'). Max got over it pretty quickly, though, and after his nap, we headed up to the city to meet up with our friends, Nea, Kristin, and Dan. Nea was dressed as an adorable dinosaur, and she and Max played well together. Afterwards, we went to Emmett's house for a reprisal of last year's Halloween Party (refer to blog entry from one year ago where Max slept through the whole party in his bumblebee costume).



This year Max had a little more interest in what was going on around him, and so did all the other babies that were there last year. We saw Emmett, Q, Avery, Ezra, Olivia, Roxy, and Matthew at the party, and it was a happening soiree (note the kids hanging out at the water bar). We rounded off the evening with a visit to Matt Kahn's annual pumpkin display at Stanford (sorry no pics - it was too dark). Max didn't go to bed until 9pm that evening! Finally, Mommy's bday gift . . . and like last year, we only took pictures of the box, and not the gift inside . . . this year it's the box, and stuffing inside. FYI: last year's gift was a miniature of XW's now-sold car, Turbie. And this year, it was bowls from Heath Ceramics (where Daddy served as an engineering intern back in 2004).



As an aside, Auntie Tina (who works with Mommy) saw the last posting with the crown from Burger King. Yeah, ok, we thought we were being "resourceful." Anyway, she was SO disappointed in us that she decided to knit a crown that night and give it to Max the next day. Needless to say, we loved it, and were floored that she knit it one night! Anyway, enjoy the new crown!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! And Happy Birthday to DiDiJiuJiu and Mommy!

Max is walking everywhere he can these days, and we went to the local supermarket to play with some big pumpkins. Last weekend, Mommy and Daddy cut and paste (with hot glue) Max's "Max" costume for Halloween. It's all about felt scraps at Joann Fabrics, people. Anyway, the week before Halloween, we went to Balmy Street in the SF mission to take photos in front of the "Max in his private boat" mural. There were some other great murals there, too. It wasn't TOO hot, and Max was a happy trooper, despite being in polar fleece in 65 degree weather.

Maxwell Turns One

Maxwell turned one year old this year on Sept 25, 2009. It was really special to have Gong Gong and Nai Nai both here to help him usher in his first birthday. We bought Max a water heater for his birthday, being the loving parents that we are. And we also bought him a house - one that he toppled over within minutes of entering. But the highlight was when Max decided to put out the candle on his cupcake with his hand, and Mommy kind of freaked out. All in all, Max had a great day. We've included some of the photos from that weekend, as well.



The following weekend, Mommy pulled together an amazing party to thank everyone out there who has helped, supported, and contributed to Maxwell's rapid growth. We could not have survived without you all. Of course, we weren't able to invite everyone who has supported Max, but we tried our darnedest. Kudos to Mommy for pulling it all off, and a huge thanks go to Nai Nai and Gong Gong, as well as to all of our friends and family who could make it, and to all of our friends and family who could not. We are so grateful for all of you, and we are grateful that Max can be surrounded by so much love and friendship. Here's to you all!

Wrestling Cousins

To the loyal fans of this little blog:

We, the Management, apologize for holding out on you guys. We've been a bit lazy about all the new things going on with Max, but here's something to (hopefully) appease you for the time being. If you've been following Cousin Lia's blog, you'll have already seen the first video (GuGu is just that good!!).

yours,
The Management

p.s. There's a lot of fun stuff from Max's birthday to come.



and here's a blast from the past:

New Cousin (+ blog link)!

We want to welcome Tyler Le Wang, who made his swift and glorious debut into the world on August 3, 2009. You can follow his adventures, along with big sister, Sammi, in their blog, "Pure Joy." Just look to the right-hand column under "Cousin Links" and you'll see we've added their blog to the list!

We are overjoyed to see Tyler (as well as his blog)! He looks just like DDJM's (Di Di Jiu Ma) dad! We love the blog, and we love Sammi, Tyler, DDJJ, and DDJM.

Our Little Carnivore: Epilogue

This Labor Day Weekend, Daddy was on duty as Mommy kicked on the afterburners for school and work. So, Daddy and Maxwell got some quality time together on Saturday and Sunday. We tried a few "food-firsts" for Maxwell:

- First In-N-Out Burger (double-double animal style, thanks to uncle Mike)
- First In-N-Out Fries (well-done, as Daddy prefers them)
- First Pig Knuckle (thanks to Mei Mei Yi Po)
- First Roast Beef (also thanks to MMYP)
- First McDonald's Vanilla Milkshake
- First McDonald's Fries (Maxwell didn't take to these as well as In-N-Out)

Let it be known that these were what we gave him AFTER we fed him his usual meal (of veggies, fruit, tofu, and yogurt). Please don't think that this is all we feed our son. Or that Daddy is off his rocker.

This, of course, all follows on the heels of Nai Nai's Niu Rou Mian, which officially introduced him to the carnivorous side of life.



In addition, for your viewing pleasure (or disgust), Maxwell noshing on a pork knuckle.

Our Little Carnivore

Summary of tonight's dinner:

Appetizer: Steamed Lentils
Max is hungry, so he not-so-delicately smashes lentils into his mouth with his fork. As usual, fork is held in left hand while right hand decorates his tray with misfit lentil droppings from his mouth.

Course One: Plain Yogurt with Tofu, Carrot and Rice Cereal
Max is still smashing lentils into his mouth, so I take the opportunity to shovel in spoonfuls of protein and high-calcium foods. Note that nearly all vegetables must be mixed with plain yogurt in order for Max to eat it these days. Sigh. At least he eats broccoli and brussel sprouts.

Palate Cleanser: Sugar Plum Tomatoes
Okay, so it's not so much of a palate cleanser, but it bought me a bit of time to prepare Course Two. Max sucks out the inners of the tiny tomatoes, leaving behind a dainty trail of tomato skins, amid lentil droppings...all over his tray...the floor beneath him...and in his hair.

Course Two: Baby Borscht
Max LOVES borscht (beets, yukon potato, apple, spinach and pear blended with a savory sauce). He goes a bit gaga for the strong flavors and essence of dill. This is the one baby food we don't make from scratch, but at the rate he eats it, I am this close to hiring a live-in Russian chef.

Dessert: Half a Pluot
Our boy adores his sour foods. (Did I mention most things need to be blended with plain yogurt?) Though Max consistently spits out tomato skins, he savors his plum and pluot skins. (insert squinty smiley face)

Bonus Course: Pig Knuckles
What!? You're still hungry? Who are you, and what have you done with our Max? Daddy offers Max a bit of his "zhu-2 jiao-3"...that's right, Chinese pig knuckles. Sound appetizing? Apparently, Max thought it was the tastiest delight in the world and grinned with each bite like we've never seen before. He actually took whole bites and digested the stuff. Yes, the boy who rejects tomato skins can chew pig knuckles. Intermittently in between bites, Max would raise his head up high, clasp his hands together and thank the gods for such delicious creations. No exaggeration. We caught it on video.

I tried not to show too much disappointment that Max didn't react with this enthusiasm to his lentils and tofu. It looks like we may have a carnivore in our hands.

Maxwell in the Big Apple

We recently attended Xiao-Li Yi's and her husband, Joe's, wedding. It was the first time all the cousins of Alan's generation were gathered together in one place. The wedding was held in downtown Manhattan, and we also got to hang out at GuGu's house and play with Ian and Lia.

Maxwell very much enjoyed hanging out with his two cousins, but Lia especially liked to play with Max. Each time she saw Max, she would point at him and say, "Baby." She is 10 months older than him, but right now, she seems light years ahead.

The first day we were in New York was a humid one, and it's clear that Max, Mommy, and Daddy have been softened by California living because we were all sweaty messes, especially Max. Nai Nai (aka Wai-Po) flew at the same time as us from Cali to New York, so we got to spend some extra time with her. You can see from the pics we had a great time with the family. MMY-Po gave Max his first taste of alcohol at the wedding reception (as she did with Ian at Wes Su-Su's wedding a few years ago), and he very clearly chose red wine over milk. *sigh* Our boy is growing up so fast.

Xiao-Li Yi and Uncle Joe should be on their honeymoon in Africa now, so we wish them another hearty congratulations, and it looks like we'll be back in the Big Apple for Xmas this year!

Google Vanilla

As an ice cream and gelato enthusiast, I must pause to note a vital milestone today: Maxwell had his first ice cream cone today. (well, half a mini-ice cream cone)

The flavor? Google Vanilla.

Huge thanks to Uncle Davidson for a fascinating tour of the Googleplex. We are trying to establish lofty career goals early on for the little guy.

"Maxwell Feng, Little Chef, Google Cafe." That has a nice ring to it, no?

(No pictures to follow as personal photos are not permitted at Google. But, please use your imagination of Max experiencing his first "brain freeze" moment. So happy, yet so sad, right?)

Milestone Alert!

Max is taking his first steps these days. We're convinced that this is the good influence of his twin (@ the nanny-share), Elodie. She's nearly running already! In any case, he's also really into clapping, and turning on and off the lights in the house (when we hold him to the switch - Kai1 Deng1! Guan1 Deng1!).

But most exciting of all is that Max has officially starting eating table foods with us. The meal that did it? Super Nai Nai's Niu2 Rou4 Mian4 (Beef Noodle Soup). He is very much into Nai Nai's cooking, and the soggy udon are a great complement. He was sucking on the beef chunks to get the "au jus" out, but not so much into the texture of the meat yet. HOORAY!

Mommy was the intrepid food explorer who introduced it to him, and the results were amazing! We haven't seen Maxwell open his mouth for the next bite in a long time. So, hats off again to Super Nai Nai (aka Super Wai-Po to our cousins, Lia and Ian).

Video to follow . . .

The Nai Nai Series

Nai Nai came to visit us for the week preceding our trip to NYC. She arrived to our house and in one night, got over her jetlag. She took care of Maxwell during the day while Mommy and Daddy went to work (and a bachelor party, ahem).

She took A LOT of pictures, as any loving grandmother with a digital camera and 4GB memory card would, and below is what made the cut. She made Max smile and laugh like we've never seen, and he really started opening up and being more interactive during and after her visit.

You can see that Nai Nai likes to "style" Max's hair to look like a Chinese politician's or a punk rocker's. The jury's still out on the "guai guai" look. But we dig punk rock Max. Somehow, between babysitting Max, and doing pretty much EVERY household chore that needed doing, she stocked the freezer (again!) with enough dinners to last us until her next visit. Super Nai Nai to the rescue!

So, here's a salute to Nai Nai - thank you for all that you do! Love, m.a.x.

Maxwell in Monterey

Daddy spent the first two days of his paternity leave with Mommy and Maxwell in Monterey. Big shout out to T.D.A.L.P.F. for helping to sponsor two awesome days at the Monterey Clement, a binky's throw away from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As you can see, we had great time in both the hotel and the aquarium. Max was very adaptable to the accommodations, as were Mommy and Daddy.



If you see Monsees the Monkey, it's Maxwell's way of shouting out to auntie Shari.

New Batch of Videos

We've uploaded a whole bunch of new videos of Maxwell. They're from the past couple of months. We hope you enjoy. Just click on the link to the right under "VIDEOS." Cheers and thanks!

Maxwell Picks Apricots

One of the highlights of working at the Packard Foundation is the opportunity to pick apricots at Taaffe House (former estate of the Packard family). This year was an amazing crop, and Maxwell did his part to harvest. He brought along a date, Jacqueline, or "Q," and her parents, Brad and Laura, as well.

After Maxwell picked his first apricot, he held onto it for dear life all the way home. He's since had at least three apricots a day. Yum.

Maxwell goes to Blacksburg - his mom's hometown

Xiao-Wei conspired to have an incredibly elaborate retirement party for her father, and it turned out smashingly well. There are a lot of people now who have met Maxwell. So, we're going all out on this blog. There's not a picture missing from our collection that's included here today (I think). And we want to thank the Sunshines, in particular, for being so thoughtful, loving, and compassionate with Coach and the whole Wang clan. Mommy and Daddy thought seriously about transplanting to Blacksburg after a week there. See for yourself how much fun Maxwell had . . .

Maxwell goes to Park City

Mommy and Daddy have this sick sense of humor, and they thought it would be fun to visit the place where it all started . . . actually, Mommy and Daddy went to meet up with Mommy's college friends, Charlotte and Heidi. Heidi now has two adorable children, Adam and Isla, and her husband Andrew is pretty cute, too. Charlotte's husband, Jim, is a natural with kids, so a good time was had by all.

We went to visit Stein Eriksen Lodge, where we went skiing and had our last pre-parenthood vacation. Super posh. Hence, we can only afford to stay there when Mommy's employer is footin' the bill.

We really love it there in the Spring!

Maxwell in cognito

Ok, ok, so we've been a bit remiss to post to the blog, as mommy's co-worker, Irene (mother of the adorable 7+ mo. William), anxiously reminded her yesterday.

In any case, 5/17 was the Bay to Breakers event in San Franciso, where Mommy and Daddy walked and pushed Maxwell with the rest of Orbit Baby through Golden Gate Park. It was a pretty awesome day (with not many pics, unfortunately or fortunately . . . there were a lot of naked folks that um, maybe shouldn't have been naked), but Maxwell enjoyed it overall.

We also have a few pics of Maxwell in his Milk Chicco shirt that Nai Nai bought for him. The sprout on top is functional, and daddy-approved.

Finally, we have Coachlet Maxwell - the new Virginia Tech football coach. I'll leave it at that.

Maxwell Goes Swimming

May 16, 2009 - Mountain View, CA. Maxwell spends a lazy morning in bed with Mommy and Daddy, and ends up having an adventure of a lifetime at the local YMCA!

Note the skepticism on Max's face at the pool.

Happy Mother's Day!

Another month has gone by and Max has had quite the event calendar. Of course, Mother's Day this year was also GuGu's birthday. Happy Birthday, GuGu! Daddy surprised Mommy with some pics of Maxwell, and below are a number of the ones that were put into Max's Truck album, given to us by Auntie Farrah.

You'll see Maxwell's toes touching the ocean for the first time, lots of hangin'-with-Mommy pics (of course), some after-bath shots (PG-13 rated), Easter Brunch with Adili and his parents, dancing in Cuesta Park with Rebecca, hangin' with Mommy's hula sisters, getting cultured at the Rodin Sculpture Garden, surviving a heat wave, pics with Rock Lee on Max's 7-month birthday, the CD that bled ink all over Max, chillin' with Linnea, Mother's Day with Keely, Jeff, and Copper, and of course, HAIRCUT!!!

The Miscellaneous Maxwell - Shuffle Mode

So, it's been a while since we've blogged and shown any pics of Maxwell. This is a carefully selected "dump-all" of the last couple of months.

Of course, as much fun as we have with Max, let it be known that it's not all peaches and cream. He's not quite into bottles in general, but boy can he pack away the solids. We'll take the trade-off, but it has not been a trivial amount of stress that Mommy (and the nanny) has been experiencing. In any case, after our recent wellness check, here are the stats:

Weight - 25th %ile
Height - 50th %ile
Head Size - 70th %ile

We're guessing that half of his weight is his head. But you be the judge after looking at the pics. Other news: the nurse who gave Maxwell his 4 vaccinations was shocked by the fact that a) he didn't really mind the shots - not a tear shed; and b) he abhorred the sweet, sugary oral vaccines. Apparently, we have a strange child. We think we'll keep him. Enjoy the pics.

Milestones

No pics this time - this one's just a record to keep for Mommy and Daddy.

Milestone 1: Maxwell turns 6 months old on March 25, 2009.

Milestone 2: TOOTH! Bottom left is popping out now. (It clinks on the glass when Maxwell is drinking). It arrived on March 27th, give or take a day.

Milestone 3: Maxwell rocks and rolls onto his tummy from his back (old news), and onto his back from his tummy(new news!).

New Feature of the Blog: Upper right link "Videos of Max and Friends" takes you to videos on youtube. Enjoy maximum Maxwellness in high-def video.

Sparkling Maxwell

Maxwell recently started showing interest in what his parents ingest. He loves to watch XW drink water, and has begun reaching for her cup. XW will give him a sip every now and then, and one day decided to let him try some sparkling water. He made quite the face when he first tried it. But he kept reaching for more . . . so we recorded a video.

Maxwell goes to Hollywood

Maxwell and family made a quick jaunt to L.A. for 2 days to see family. Xiao-Wei's auntie Gretchen and uncle Bob, and Alan's paternal side of the family (lots of 'em) all live in the L.A. area. It just happened to coincide with Anita's housewarming party. What a gorgeous house! Cousins Ethan and Alan were consummate hosts, and let UNCLE Alan play with all of their toys and video games. Maxwell enjoyed watching the two of them so much. We also got to meet cousin Isabelle, who is the cutest, and the most en vogue!

Maxwell goes to Naperville

To remember Maxwell's Wai-Po (maternal grandmother), we traveled to Naperville, IL, over Valentine's Day to visit Max's cousin, Samantha, his DiDi JiuJiu (Uncle Vincent), and Janie Jiu-Ma. Two of Max's older cousins, Morgan and Emma, came to Naperville from Ann Arbor, along with Max's GoGo JiuJiu (Uncle Michael), and Jimo Jiu-Ma. We had a great time together: Sammi wooed us with her renditions of Disney's Mulan, and Morgan has proved to be the most eccentric of us all (oh, hi). Emma is a mature young lady now, and Maxwell just LOVES hanging out with her. Most of all, it pleased Gong Gong to have so many grandkids gathered together. Gong Gong was especially thankful and cheerful. So much so, that he cooked dinner from SCRATCH. It was aMYzing.

Taiwan Part 5 - The Gang's All Here

We saw lots of different family members while in Taiwan. We had dinner with the First Lady of Taiwan, who is the "ku4"-est lady in the world; we paid our respects to XW's grandmother, and Alan's grandfather (with Max in a polar bear jacket); we went shopping at the mall (where XW fed Max in a pretty snazzy lactation "chamber"); and Max got to just hang and have quality time with his cousins and grandparents. A good time was had by all.

Hair Daze

Maxwell has been getting comments on his hair. XW has decided that we will not cut his hair for a year; we'll see where it goes. In the meantime, we have a "reach" goal (see below).



For more 80's nostalgia:

Maxwell gets it

Maxwell has grown so much in the past month, and has had so many milestones, it's tough to keep up! On our way to the airport in Taiwan (for the return flight home), we watched Max play with his pacifier for the first time, grabbing, exploring, and trying to shove it in his mouth. After 15 minutes of trying to get it in his mouth, unaided by us (tempted as we were), he did it! And promptly fell asleep, no doubt exhausted from the effort. Since then, he's learned to grab things and switch from hand to hand, roll over in his bed (onto his tummy), sleep 8-9 hours at night (i.e. soothe himself back to sleep), eat solids (blog entry on this coming soon!), and a myriad of other little things that come with his new sense of awareness.

Anyway, below is a video of Mommy and Maxwell playing peek-a-boo for the first time. And you can see the realization on his face. This is one of our favorite moments with Max (so far). Enjoy.

Maxwell's Twin: Elodie

Xiao-Wei has been preparing herself to go back to work, and in doing so, has found a great nanny named Sandra, whom we will share with XW's co-worker, Stacey. Stacey's daughter's name is Elodie and she is five days younger than Maxwell. Sandra commented that it's like taking care of twins because of their closeness in age. So, we recently all got together to do a meet & greet (Sandra is great!), and we put Max and Elodie next to each other. The result is what you see in the video. Max didn't seem too happy about it, though the first time they met, he was reaching for HER hand. It looks like the tables have turned, and Max just doesn't know what to do with himself. Enjoy.

Taiwan Part 4 - Fun with Food and Family

From OLC - Taiwan Part 4

So this posting has less of our Little Chef, but it is definitely an homage to the funny foods we saw in Taiwan. It's just a quick snapshot of our day to day. Taiwan has so much good food, as well as weird food. Snacks and fast food definitely have their places in the hearts of the Taiwanese, but there is a traditional side, as well. Enjoy!

Taiwan Part 3 - The Presidential Palace

From OLC - Taiwan Part 3

"The man behind the man in Taiwan."

Earlier this year, NaiNai's little brother (Max calls him Jiu Gong) was elected president of Taiwan. This time while we were there, she arranged for a personal tour of the Presidential Palace. What a treat! One of the most fascinating rooms, believe it or not, was the breastfeeding room. XW, Max, and I broke off mid-tour to feed Max. They had a lady come down to where we were to take us to the breastfeeding room. Two elevators, a couple of floor changes, and a few security card swipes later, we arrived at a room with a big, red, candy-like button that activated a large metal sliding door which was the entrance to the breastfeeding room. Kudos to President Ma Ying-Jeou and his administration for being so family-forward! We were totally impressed by the facilities. The phone inside had the same ring as on the show, '24,' so when they called in to check on us, we felt super official.

We also got to have lunch with President Jiu Gong, and everyone had the requisite pint of milk along with their bento box. Very simple, very straightforward, and quite delicious. Afterwards, we took a tour of the office. Jiu Gong said that this office is actually smaller than his office when he was mayor of Taipei. But it's still plenty of space for one person, he said. Well, after Ian used the bathroom, Lia changed her diaper, and Max was fed, we all went on our merry way back home, while Jiu Gong continued to do what he called his "homework." Jiu Gong is awesome.

Taiwan Part 2 - Max meets Lao Nai Nai (YeYe's mommy)!

We really got to see Jiu Gong a lot this time while in Taiwan. I think we had a record number of meals with him (4) in the three weeks we were there. You can see Mr. President chillaxing in denim in the first few pictures of the slideshow. Ian also got to play Mah-jongg (sort of) with Lao Wai Po! We had such a great lunch with Lao Wai Po and Jiu Gong.

A bit of trivia: Maxwell is the first great grandson with the last name of Feng, and he got to meet the matriarch of the family, Lao Nai Nai, who is currently 98 years old! She was thrilled to see him. YeYe (Alan's dad) gets bragging rights among his 7 siblings because this grandson is the first in our family with the last name "Feng." Technically, Ian Feng Slater is the first grandson with "Feng" in his name, but unfortunately, the Chinese don't count that. Of course, we're not really into the whole Chinese filial piety thing, but hey, if it makes him happy, why not?

We also had a milestone: Max sat in a baby carrier for the first time! We promptly took a walk with GuGu and Lia to the nearest 7-11 to check out the goods and get some "fresh" air, too. YeYe has a wad of 7-11 vouchers (that are pretty much like cash) in the living room drawer, and 7-11's in Taiwan are a whole different beast than what they are in the states. Believe me, it really is heaven at 7-11 in Taiwan.

Taiwan Part 1 - Max meets YeYe!

Mommy and Daddy are finally back in the swing of things, and it's time to blog again. We were in Taiwan for 3 weeks, and Maxwell had a fantastic time. We got to see Lao Wai Po (Alan's maternal grandmother), Lao Nai Nai (Alan's paternal grandmother - see Taiwan Part 2), Jiu Gong (the President of Taiwan!), MeiMeiYi Puo, YeYe, NaiNai, GuGu (Flora), GuDie (Jeff), Ian, Lia, and lots of other family members! But more importantly, we were all there to give YeYe moral support as he was healing from spinal surgery. As you can see, he was quite happy to see his grandchildren! Ian, Lia, and Max were all there to show their moral support. In this picture, YeYe is having a great time with Max and Lia. A superb time was had by all.

From OLC - Taiwan Part 1

Here's the slideshow:

100 Days with Maxwell

Before we shipped off to Taiwan to see Alan's parents, Maxwell celebrated his 100 days birthday on Jan 3, 2009. Because it was right after the holidays, we honestly didn't expect many people to come. In the end, we had plenty of friends show up, and it was such a great day for Max and his parents. We also went to see our new friend, Linnea Sherwood-Salkeld, b. Dec 27, 2008. We forget how much Max has grown, and he looks like a total bruiser next to her! It was fantastic meeting her, and in the same week, we also met Man Yi Puo (Nai Nai's sister) and Yi Gong (her husband) for the first time, at Auntie Gillian and Uncle Wes' house. Maxwell was all too eager to grab the Hong Bao (red envelope) from Man Yi Puo. It was only the beginning, as we later saw in Taiwan that Max has a penchant for grabbing Hong Bao's and holding onto them VERY tightly.

Christmas Week

Following on the tail of the last posting is a retrospective: a look back at Christmas week. Auntie Hoi asked all the Orbit Baby employees to take pictures of the Stroller system in as many places as possible over the Xmas break, so please excuse the over-abundant number of pictures with the Stroller system in it. Anyway, enjoy, and apologies for not posting any pics for a while. Our little man is growing fast, and we're having a ton of fun with Nai Nai and Ye Ye in Taiwan. Happy Chinese New (Niu) Year!

Kicking off the New Year in Taiwan

Happy New Year!  Happy Inauguration Day!  We hope you had a pleasant holiday and that 2009 is off to a great start.

Maxwell has had many "firsts" since our last posting:

• Max enjoyed his first Christmas and first trip away from home at Costanoa (where his parents got hitched several years back).
• We celebrated Max's "First Hundred Days" over dim sum brunch with friends and family.
• Max embarked on his first international journey. Thankfully, he slept a good portion of the 14-hour flight to Taiwan. 
• Max survived five days away from his dad for the first time.  Alan was in China on business our first week in Taiwan (during which Max also had his first bout with jet lag--convenient timing, eh?).
• For the first time, Max has been tolerating tummy time without screaming his head off. 
• Max caught his first cold. :(
• In Taipei, Max finally met his Yeye (Alan's dad), cousins, Ian and Lia, and both great grandmothers for the first time.  Within 24 hours of arriving in Taiwan, Max met the president for dinner, too!   

We're having a great time with the family in Taiwan.  Photos forthcoming.