"Table for Three, Please"

On Chinese New Year/Valentine's Day, the three of us went out to dinner in Palo Alto. Max wore his first dinner jacket out on the town (thanks, cousin Ian, for the hand-me-downs!).

Valentine's Day

February 14th is a special day in our family. This year, it marks Valentine's Day and the start of the Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Tiger, my mother's zodiac sign.

On Valentine's Day eleven years ago, my mom passed away and our lives changed forever. Of course, we all miss her tremendously, but we know she is watching over each and every one of her family members, including Max, who now looks up and points to the sky when we show him pictures of his Popo.

On this day eleven years ago, my mother literally gave her heart to someone in need. We take comfort in knowing that she helped save and change the lives of six patients in need of vital organ transplants. Though Max did not have the chance to meet his Popo, I can already see her virtues in him. He is patient, generous, kind, good-natured (and dare I say, finds humor in some of the strangest things just like his Popo).

Today marks a day when we are reminded to take time to appreciate all our blessings, big and small. In the end, it's family, friends and the people we love that matter most.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bumps, Beers and Bruises

Our little man tends to be a little over-confident in his running and climbing these days. The below photos were taken at a birthday party for Avery (Max's bud in Bernal Heights). I've posted these pics (with credit to Ave's mom!) as they show what seems to happen in Max's world on a weekly basis.

1. Bump (followed by a few tears)
2. Beer (he loves an ice-cold can and it helps with the swelling)
3. Bounce back to playing (occasionally, with a bruise)

Our most memorable bruise was in the shape of the letter "L." Guess who face-planted on his wood MaxwelL puzzle...

Carry on, Max. You are one brave boy!

1970 El Camino

A "milestone" for Max this evening. Daddy gave Max his first matchbox car.

Skypee

I've been spending a lot of weekends in the office working on my thesis. Fortunately, I have the most wonderful and supportive husband in the world; Alan has been doing an amazing job of solo-parenting on the weekends.

Yesterday, Alan and Max Skyped me at the office. I asked the boys for their best smiles, and these were the results. I love my boys!

Good Cop, Bad Cop

At 15 months, Max officially started calling us by name. It usually goes something like this:

Happy, excited, cheerful mood: "BaBa! BA BA!!"

Whiney, complainy-pants, woe-is-me mood: "mAh-mee. mahh-meeee..."

As a child, I once overheard someone ask my parents, "Joe and June, how do you handle raising four kids?" Their response? "Good cop, Bad cop."

I think the boy has it all figured out already.

Maxese

Happy 2010! After a truly warm Thanksgiving in Arizona, two weeks of Max-and-Mommy time (Daddy was in Asia) and a snowy holiday in New York and Wilmington, M.A.X. is back in sunny California. We'll be sure to post pics of our visits once we get organized; needless to say, Max is going through some serious cousin, auntie, uncle and grandparent withdrawal. He had a great time with the fam, as did we.

In the meantime, I wanted to compile a glossary of Max's "vocabulary" at 15-months. Admittedly, this is more for Max's doting parents than anyone else; we are having so much fun with the boy and wish we could freeze this stage!

Maxese (so far as we can understand, that is)
Blueberries: Boooo
Eggs: Dan dan (ji dan in Chinese)
Bread: Bao (mian bao)
Cheese: Chhhh
Meat: Rou rou (rou)
Socks: Wa wa (wa zi)
Pants: Kkkku (ku zi)
Shoes: Shhhie (xie zi)
Phone: Wa wa (dian hua)
Open/turn on: Daah daah; on a good day, he says da kkhh (da kai)
Yes: Da Da!
No: Vigorous head shaking
Daddy: Baba!
Grandpa: Gonh gonh (Gong Gong--XW's dad)
Grandpa: Yah yah (Yeye--Alan's dad)
Auntie Flora: Goo goo (Gugu)
Uncle Jeff: Goo Ddz (Gudie)
Ma Ying Jeou: Gonh gonh (Jiu Gong)
Pick me up: Bao bao (bao bao)
Please: PBLEA!
Thank you: ZHE! ZHE! (xie xie)

Pavlov's Bag of Tricks
Thanks to basic human development, Max is in a fun Pavlovian stage and has mastered a few amusing tricks.

Gou gou zenme jiao? (What does the dog say?)
Max: "Woh woh!"

Kong long zenme jiao? (What does the dinosaur say?)
Max: "Raaaaar!" (sometimes the dinosaur says woh woh, too)

Wazi chou bu chou? (Are you socks stinky?)
Max: Picks up his socks and smells them.

Xiao yi ge! (Smile please!)
Max: Displays a squinty, dare I say, painfully happy smile.

Fei yi ge! (Blow a kiss please) or Besitos! (Kisses)
Max: Hand taps his nose and mouth and he blows a kiss with an emphatic "Mmwah!" Unfortunately, his finger is starting to slide up his nose as he collects the kiss.

Ni ji sui? (How old are you?)
Max: Gestures one index finger and grins.

Gong xi, gong xi! (Congratulations/Happy New Year)
Max: Hands clasp together in a bowing fashion.

Wo men kan "Good Night, Moon." (Let's read "Good night, Moon")
Max: Index finger touches his lips and he says, "shh" (reference to the quiet old lady who was whispering hush!).

Feng Yan Zhong!? (FYZ is Max's Chinese name)
Max: Raises his hand!

Superstar! (courtesy of Gugu)
Max: Raises two hands emphatically!

Eskimo kiss?
Max: Rubs noses with us.

...and our all time favorite: Shei fang pi? (Who farted?)
Max: Raises his hand. And proudly, too!