Charlie

Charlie is 4

2011-07-05T22:58:00.001-07:00

Charlie only had a small cupcake and only mommy to celebrate with on his 4th birthday.

make-up birthday party with his friends at school and a curious george cake..

He's all of a sudden a big kid... he's sleeping well in his own bedroom, reading well and understand things like a big kid. He's making troubles like a big kid does too... Still doesn't eat veggie or fruit and stubborn as always. He still loves reading maps and riding buses to explore the city.

Charlie's race car picture

Charlie went to a clay art class last month and mommy had a rare chance to take a lazy stroll in the beautiful campus next to the river away from all the noise and craziness in life, and it brought back such a great feeling that has been forgotton for years... I'm sure Charlie will be back soon for the art class and mommy can't wait either..

Happy New Year

2011-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! For those of you that missed me in the last few months (well, blame mommy not me!) - here I am!

I am much taller (and a little thinner) than you last saw me... surprise surprise, I've outgrown quite a few pairs of pants and shoes in the last 6 months. And I officially have a reading list at school that I can bring home some of my reading assignment and have mommy put a little smily face once I read it! So far I've read Dot and the Dog, Mag and Jig. I still love maps and my favorate app is 123 World HD Geography.

In case you don't see me for the next few months again, Happy New Year and Happy Valentine's Day!

By the way, I went to Disney World for the first time on Christmas and there were soooo many people! But I got to drive on the race track and that was fun!

monorail!!

Can you see me behind the steering wheel?

Dumbo the flying elephant

number 1 reason I came to Florida - not Disney, but beach!

Charlie in China IV and Recent Pictures

2010-10-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

First things first, we've got to finish updating our China trip which has been 3 months ago!

Charlie in front of the China Pavilion at World Expo

View from the the culture center (the clam shell) - you can see both Pu Dong and Pu Xi from this angle as the Huang Pu River takes a turn here, with Pu Xi in the front view and the towers at Lu Jia Zui in the background.

The same view after dark - after we finish a nice dinner with the georgeous view right in front of us! There, mommy was very thankful that grandma pursuaded us to stay in the Expo until after dinner. It was so hot during the day that mommy almost chickened out!

the music fountain from high above - we went to the river front to get a closer view afterwards

Now we're back home and back to our normal life. Charlie is now in a new classroom, with big kids, and he's been learning new things everyday. His favorite new song is "I'm a bubble, I'm a trouble..." it's hard to keep from smiling when you imagine thirty kids all singing "I'm a trouble..." and he loves reading "one fish, two fish, red fish and blue fish" before going to bed. and he loves his new bicycle - not riding the tricyle anymore! He's also very good (90% of time) keeping promises(brushing teeth before bed, not bringing toys to school...), or making up promises that you've never asked him to! (mom, but I promised I'll buy this car!)

We've enjoyed a mild (Texas standard) summer with plenty of rain, after a hot August, it has cooled down towards the end of September for a dry and beautiful fall. For those of us who had been hiding in-door during the day - time to get out!

Air show at Georgetown (The little monkey's city! - Charlie, and those other fans of Curious George)

On a weekend trip to Fredericksburg and a nearby vineyard

fun in our own backyard

sneak preview of Haloween 2010! (what, isn't that the same as last year's?? - so long as he still likes Thomas...)

Charlie in China III

2010-08-02T20:56:00.001-07:00

Charlie found his favorite spot at Grandma's - the rocker on the balcony!

We took the tour bus, crossed tourist tunnel, and took picture at the most touritsy place in Shanghai! :)

The escape from the weekend crowd at the World Expo, we hopped on a train to Hang Zhou with grandparents and uncle and cousin YueYue.

West Brook National Wetland

Want a try pounding your own sticky rice cake?

west lake

the map of Hangzhou carved on the stone by the lake

view from our hotel room

Charlie in China II

2010-07-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Bird Nest (Charlie asked - why didn't they finish the building?....)

water cube

mouth watering?

forbidden city

Charlie finally found a wide open space with nobody!

Tian An Men Square

Charlie in China I

2010-07-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

It seems almost like a dream now that we were in a totally different and exciting place last month and now back home to our usual quiet routine. Charlie has been asking me to repeat the stories, the places he went, the buses he rode every day... It was a fun trip for all of us and mommy is especially proud of Charlie that he dealt so well with the travel, the heat, the crowd and didn't get sick at all.

It took him 4 days to finally adjust the time difference (during which he got up at 3 in the morning and went to bed while everybody else is having dinner) but during the day, he's just a little warrior in Beijing's hot summer! The most exciting thing for Charlie is of course riding buses of all kinds and his parents will just have to go with the flow.

Of course the first place we visited is the Zoo! Charlie didn't want to see the giant panda though...

The street at Qian Men (the front gate) is now a wide and clean street full of shops from west and east, from Starbucks and Zara to Rui Fu Xiang and the Quan Ju De, with a gleaming retro-styled cable car running along the street.

Boarding "DangDang Che"

It's too bad that mommy didn't get a good shot of the exterior of the new National Grand Opera House which looks amazing. It does look great inside too!

Donut-on-a-stick?

A must-visit in Beijing, the place where both mommy and grandma went to school!

Another favorite place of mommy- Summer Palace

More to come...

Right before we left on vacation, Charlie moved up to the primary class where there're kids from 3 to 5 years old. He has been back to school now for two weeks and he's definitely picking up a lot of English from his new friends! In terms of his Chinese, his new favoriate is "I'm not happy, I'm upset"... when you don't follow his order. Guess where he picked that up from.. hmm...

Big kid

2010-06-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Charlie turned 3 and he has just moved to the big kids' classroom this week. It's sad to leave old friends but he's excited to play with the big kids too!

Almost 3

2010-05-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Charlie is turning 3 next week. After staying at 38 pounds for almost a year, Charlie started to grow in weight again (well he has always been off the growth chart so it's ok to take a break :) His has also started to look like a big boy.

yumyum...

an earlier picture from Austin Rodeo.

spring time in Austin

2010-04-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

It's blue bonnet time in the Hill Country again. Plenty of rain this winter has made the most beautiful spring color in years.

We went to strawberry picking last weekend although Charlie doesn't eat strawberry at all (not that he doesn't like strawberry in particular but it's a challenge to get him to eat ANY fruit at all, the little kid only eats meat!)

the strawberries are hidden under the leaves...

Look at all the strawberries I picked!

Mommy hasn't posted any pictures for quite a while, and there's a long list of overdue pictures... Here're a few from the Easter Egg Hunt

And some cherry blossom from Tokyo that daddy took

Can you believe there's snow in Febrary in Austin???? Mommy was jumping up and down for having not seen any real falling snow flakes for years. Charlie only went out for a few minutes and came back and said it's too cold! I guess we won't be moving anywhere north then...

Family went to Houston and Galveston during Christmas

Hey I'm shorter than the Emperor but taller than the KING!

The outdoor water play at Houston Children's Museum is awesome! Mommy brought plenty of change clothes so Charlie can splash water as he liked

Charlie has grown so much and so fast over the last few months. He's speaking Chinese very well and English is picking up very quickly too. He wants to read books to grandma and sometime he'll skip a long story by saying "it's too complicated" - well you can tell where he learnt that from... The way he describes things are funny and yet enlightening for me sometimes. He was drinking soymilk from his cup one day and suddenly said "the soymilk can see the light!" sure enough, there is the light above the table reflected on his soymilk.

He's been a big fan of Curious George lately and loves to play the Beach Discovery game everyday.

Charlie will soon turn 3 in May and will go to the primary class in the summer. A little worried about the transition, but hey, what do you know, kids always surprise you, and that's the fun part.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T18:10:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! Mommy has not loaded any new pictures of mine for a while - I'm a big boy now!

making a gingerbread cookie house

mommy, guess where I am?

Charlie at Sweet Berry Farm

2009-10-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

The sun finally came out after a month's rain! Although we desparately need more rain after the historic draught that turned Lake Travis into a small pond and grass land, we're still Texas that love our eternal sunshine!

waiting to board the hay ride

Sweet Berry Express!

Mommy had mixed feeling when Charlie rode off on the barrel train all by himself... my little boy is not a baby anymore and he's doing things by himself now.

the goat ate my leaves!

prince on the white horse

This was taken on a rainy day a few weeks ago when we boarded Thomas train - Charlie's favoriate

At home today, again, another perfect 75 degree sunny day!

chasing bubbles

Charlie has grown into a big boy now. In the last 2 months he had finally dropped his bottle and now he's fully toilet trained! Byebye diapers!

California III Yosemite

2009-09-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

This rock is the biggest! This one is the biggest! Charlie kept on claiming each rock as the biggest..

Charlie's favorite thing in Yosemite is .... bus!

Didn't get to spend much time in the bay area this time, but we made sure that Charlie took a ride on the cable car!

California II Beaches and beaches and beaches

2009-08-29T02:19:00.001-07:00

Beach in Santa Barbara

Yumyum, a big crab!

Old Mission. Sun is setting already when we got to the old mission but just walking on the front lawn, running around the moss-covered old fountain and watching the elaborate chalk-art on the ground made by local kids are well worth the trip.

Daddy, I want to go swimming! Charlie, time has past that even a star comedian like you can't just jump in to the pool now!

The beautiful ground in front of Hearst Castle. Although Charlie is paying more attention to the goldfish swimming in the pond than the beautiful surroundings. The most exciting thing about visiting the castle is of course the bus ride to the top of the hill!

let's rse give this nice paved patio a good run!

Leaving San Simeon behind, mommy bravely embraced the familiar Highway 1 - hey I can still drive!

Flowers that mommy doesn't know the name of, but it's pretty, isn't it? And it doens't have any leaves on, maybe it knows that Charlie doens't like to eat veggie?

Watching golfers playing at pebble beach... and Charlie said "Mei Da Zhao" (he didn't hit it...) poor guy.

Beach again. This time at Carmel

here comes the wave..

California - San Diego

2009-08-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

The whole family took 10 days off (from work, from house chores, from school, from.... ) and went to California earlier this month. Charlie went back to school for two days and got sick for another week so mommy just got time to update the blog.

Charlie's first flight

wake up to the beautiful San Diego sunrise

wait wait...who told you I woke up?

Bolboa Park

I'm not really interested in those buildings although mommy seems to like it, this is what I'm here for!

We only spent two days in San Diego since we have a long way to go and many other places to visit, what better way can you think of than spending one day in the zoo and the other in SeaWorld?

mommy, I want to go here...there...

Shamu is amazing. Charlie has been begging grandma everyday to repeat how Shamu does "pia pia" to splash water on everybody

Seeing human and dolphine dance together under the moonlight brought a sudden sereneness to a day that was full of laughter and noise.

Mommy will have to write more about the rest of the trip later, but to update what Charlie has been up to:

Before we left, the leader teacher in Charlie's class (one of the sweetest teachers I've ever met!) left school to go to graduate school. It was sad to see her go although Charlie has probably not realized it yet. Mommy really liked her and hopes the new teacher is going to be as sweet!

Charlie picked up a lot of English words from school, and his Chinese is getting a lot better too! Mommy is constantly surprised at the verbs he's been using - Jian (pick up), Piao (float), Duan (hold) among a lot of others and he uses it very accurately. He just started a couple of days ago to add Le to every sentence he says, usually in the right way, but yesterday when grandma asked him what he ate at school, he said Cookie Le! Charlie can now recite three little poems and he's obviously trying to create whole sentence now. Yesterday when he saw the eggs from our Easter egghunt. He can say things like "egg cracked open, little duck came out". He has been saying "I go bring the ball back" and "Mommy drives car and crosses the bridge"...

Charlie rescue mama and some random thoughts

2009-07-30T20:39:00.001-07:00

This actually happened two weeks ago. Even though it's really embarassing to acknowledge that I actually drove the car with an almost empty tank until only 3 miles are left on the car and the nearest gas station according to GPS is 4.5 miles away... or well, it's a long story on what happened but that's not the point... The point is, while we just parked the car and sat down for lunch at a nearby Whataberger while waiting for AAA to come to rescue, Charlie sat down in his high chair and claimed, slowly, "Charlie Jiu (rescue) mama". My brave little man, you just did!

Looking back at the blog, I suddenly had a feeling that I'm not really doing justice to the true personality of Charlie. I have probably been too absorbed as a proud parent to just post a cute picture and write down new things he just learned and I've actually failed miserably to tell the simple truth, to me and to him when in the future he can actually read these - Charlie is a very funny kid! (where did he get that from??) He had such a rich expression on his face and in his voice, high energy and capability of pretending something that didn't exist that he cracks us up all the time. Charlie, please stay a true kid in your heart even when you grow up to be a 6'5 tall man. (when I asked Charlie who is the shortest person in our family, he had a shy smile and pointed to himself but he's probably going to be taller than mommy in no time..)

Charlie-cool

2009-07-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

Charlie has been in school over a month now. As all other moms have warned, the Monday after the first week had been the hardest... He refused to go to school so much that when he realized that he had to go to school after he got up, he refused to get out of his crib. Having nap in a new environment has been difficult for him too and he got so attached to his little pillow that he got to take it everywhere he goes. But regardless how much he resisted, he actually enjoyed school a lot. Two weeks passed and he's no longer crying and the teachers are now telling me that he's starting to make friends! Whenever you ask him if school is good or teacher is good, he'll say from the bottom of his heart "HAO!" It was sad though when mommy heard that one of the few kids he can call names are now graduating to the primary class now. Well, I guess he'll make other friends soon.

Charlie wearing grandpa's sunglasses

Charlie listenning to grandma's stories

If you ask what teachers call him at school, he'll tell you "Charles".

These pictures were taken on school's Pajama Day - every kid got to wear their pajamas instead of the school uniform to school that day. Unfortunately, Charlie got cold after that and stayed home for a week! Next time mommy knows to put a thicker one on!

Charlie goes to school

2009-06-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Charlie started school this week. Mommy started a folder to collect the daily report and his first art work at school. That little piece of paper that records how many times he got diaper change and what he ate at lunch and snack becomes the center of attention and was read at least 3 times by mommy, grandpa and grandma every day.

Mommy was very impressed on the first day of school when picking up Charlie that he actually collected all the blocks and put them back into the bin and then put the bin back onto the shelf -no wonder people send their kids to school! Mommy started self-doubting though on the second day when Charlie's interest in the new environment has worn off and started to cry... how could a mother not feeling like a huge failure when she can't hold her baby and had to flee the scene?

Charlie and grandpa

2009-06-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

5/31/2009 Happi Budei Tu yu - mama!

2009-06-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Although "birthday" sounds more like budei (wrong!), mommy is so happy that Charlie is saying it!

flowers from grandma :)

Charlie is calling himself "Charlie" now all the time. Today mommy asked why Charlie has tears in his eyes, he said "Charlie Ku (cried)!" He can speak many short sentences now but sometimes he'll lose the verb in between... Grandpa toast bagel becomes grandpa bagel, grandpa dumps trash becomes grandpa trash - oops

Charlie's backyard art

5/25/2009 Not-too-terrible 2

2009-05-25T20:00:00.001-07:00

Charlie just turned two!

Charlie went to Zilker Park for his first ever train ride!

Austin's most famous waterhole... (for human and dogs included!)

running up and down the playscape

I love the orange and pink flowers mommy planted!

4/21/2009 Charlie speaks

2009-04-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Mommy has almost lost track of how many things Charlie can speak now and can only be amazed each day on all the new things he learn - plane, flower, elephant, bear, house, horse, tower, building, bridge, sea, bird, boat... many of them in both English and Chinese. What frustrates mommy though is that even after we came back from the beach, Charlie is still pointing to the bathtub full of water and announcing that's the sea! Bathtub! Sea! Bathtub! Sea! is an ongoing battle at bathtime...

Not just nouns though, he also picked up some verbs too - Na (bring) and Jia (add) are the two that will have grandparents giving him whatever he needs - blanket, little piggy, and his bottle - and of course with a refill when it's empty. The three treasures go everywhere he goes.

Mommy is very excited that Charlie started to piece two words together yesterday. Daddy pointed to the jar of mixed nuts on the kitchen counter and asked Charlie what it was, and Charlie said "Ba Ba Dou!" (Daddy's nuts!) and later mommy asked where the golf ball is, he pointed to my bag and said "Ma Ma - Bao!" (mommy's bag!). This is the first time he can put two words together all by himself.

It's also a secrete relief for mommy that Charlie finally started to tell the difference between colors and he can say yellow, green and red (some in English and some in Chinese, again and still no idea why he picks one vs another and how his little head can tell the difference and never mix them up :)

Charlie also loves to run. Daddy stays home this week and takes Charlie out for a walk after dinner each day. Charlie would point ahead "Pao! (run!)" and daddy will have to run ahead to let Charlie chase him and Charlie wouldn't let him stop. Good job Charlie to get your daddy some exercise! Of course mommy is trying to keep up with him too. Finally there is some hope that the whole family can get back in shape!

4/5/2009 Charlie at Corpus Christi

2009-04-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sun, Sea, Sand, Ship, Dolphins... what else do you need on a perfect weekend get-away? A 23-month-old that absolutely enjoys every single minute of it!

USS Lexington - doesn't look that big until you get on it!

Charlie driving heavy machinary..

Salute!

Mommy was so proud that Charlie watched the entire IMAX movie w/o eyes blinking! Born to be fighter pilot?

Texas State Aquarium

3/25/09 SXSW

2009-03-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

Time of the year to enjoy an outdoor concert at SXSW again!

Go away, paparazzi!

Charlie's vocabulary exploded in the last month or two... it seems he was gathering a lot of information and finally decided to release them all at once. :) He can say a lot of things in Chinese, some in English and some in both but it's hard to tell why he favored one vs the other. It's also interesting to see more of his personality - he doesn't always repeat after you but he'll pay attention and only say it out loud when he thinks he got it and he usually does! Sometimes if he says something that makes you scratch your head wondering what he's talking about, he's very happy that he tricked you! (two days ago he suddenly wanted to say two, three without one in front of it and that made mommy wondered for two days what he was talking about until today he was watching Elmo counting and he said - loud and clear - "two! three!" hey, where did the "one" go?!

He can say big and small and knows the difference and he can count with you and knows the sequence for the most part. But if you let him count himself when walking up the stairs, he'll go "Yi! Ba! Jiu!" (one, eight, nine!) oh my.

2/4/2009 Happy New Year!

2009-02-04T03:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Chinese New Year! (mom, you're late on all!)

mommy helps me to open my present... patiently waiting...

Yes! Thomas the Tank Engine! They're two, they're four, they're six, they're eight....

What are Thomas and Percy doing in Deigo's jungle house?

reindeer in front of our house

mommy is baking holiday cookies! Christmas tree and snowman and all...

Fredericksburg

Charlie saying hello to the lamb in LBJ ranch

80 degree day in Janurary! Of course we are in Texas...

Mommy has not updated what Charlie had learned recently (or not so recently)

A,B,C,

Who's your favorite person? - Mama!

What's your favorite food? - Xia! (shrimp)

Who's taller - you or mommy? - Baba!

12/15/2008

2008-12-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

Charlie went to Memphis on Thanksgiving and there were plenty of first-times on this road trip - well, first of all, this is the first real long distance road trip he's ever been on and mommy is real proud of how he coped - or mostly slept during the trip. :)

Charlie's first happy meal!

Charlie's first carousel ride

Charlie visiting Vanderbilt

Charlie and grandma at Opryland

Charlie taking a stroll in the neighborhood park near auntie's house

This is my cousin Yiyi, she's first grade in elementary school now, wow!

How is a trip to Memphis complete without this?

11/4/08 Trick or Treat!

2008-11-04T21:37:00.001-08:00

of course the celebration starts with mommy carving a pumpkin! (first ever - good job mommy!)

costume parade

I'm super sleuth pooh!

Happy birthday Grandpa!

Charlie's new vocabulary now include: gaigai (cap and anything that has a round shape), daidai (bag), dandan (both eggs and tofu...), che (car), caah (card), chouchou (both bug and stinky with a waving hand as if he's catching a bug) - oh one more thing - paopao (bubble) how can mommy forget that!

10/12/2008 pick a pumpkin!

2008-10-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Charlie went to Elgin's Christmas tree farm to pick a pumpkin today

not sure which one to pick?

We saw some farm animals too! horse, donkey, chicken, pig, lamb, goat, rabbit, duck.... and a lama?

Charlie is driving a tractor!

Mommy bought a "big truck book" for this trucking loving boy, and he recognizes tractor, combine harvestor, ambulence, extravacator, dump truck, fuel truck, pick-up... but this is the first time he actually sit on a real tractor!

Charlie's vocabulary now includes: Cat! (w/o the T!) and baby. His favorite is still Ma! which he uses more for anything that he wants than actually calling for mommy ... (and knows mommy will get it for him!)

10/6/2008 Charlie at Octoberfest

2008-10-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Charlie went to Octoberfest to have some German beer! (well... sort of...)

Charlie dances to the music on the sideline

Never seen Charlie so serious in a picture - what are you thinking in your little mind?

my new best friend!

I can now climb up the couch myself and this is the best seat in town!

see how well I can walk? (yeah, it's daddy that's chasing behind :)

Mommy have been pleasantly surprised many times now on how much Charlie actually understands. Tell him to bring the remote control to daddy, viola! next thing you know he's knocking on daddy with the remote control! While everybody else was searching for his lost sock, he dragged grandma all the way to the stroller and point to the little sock behind it...

It's increasingly hard to get him sit on the high chair to finish his own meal and let alone waiting for everybody else to finish (yes, mommy, let's go out while it's still bright!), while today Charlie sat in the high chair quietly and watched Thomas for more than half an hour! He has now remembered all the little engines in the Ride Along with Thomas book that mommy has to read at least 5 times a day, including one yellow engine that even mommy doens't know the name so mommy decided we'll just call it Charlie. Is there a better name to name your favorite thing?

9/1/2008 Labor Day weekend

2008-09-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

All of sudden, 6 new teeth are coming out together and Charlie is going to have 14 teeth, wow! So long to the toothless smiles :)

I'm very good at text-messaging... and driving too!

Well, just to report a few distinguable words among all the sounds Charlie's making -

Babai, Mamai, Yayai, Nainai (notice all the i at the end?) Gagai (QuackQuack), MieMie (in place of Miaomiao) Dandan (egg), Moo, and a big and deep Ha! for piggy's oink...

8/29/08 yes I'm walking!

2008-08-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to stand up and walk. Hey you all can stop worrying now!

My favorite time - bubble time at Gymboree

what's in the busy box?

concert in the park

7/19/2008 where have you been?

2008-07-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Mommy has been really lazy... but Charlie has not! Although still not walking at 14 month, he definitely has learnt a lot - everybody in the family and their whereabouts in the house, the moon, the plane, the bamboo in the yard, and the tomatos grandma planted... he points to trees, and squeals at seeing birds flying overhead and hearing dogs barking in neighbor's backyard.

And he started to make some very complicated sound - and it sure sounds like Chinese!

going through mommy's bag.... and finds a fruit strip

take a bite

yumm

chasing the camera

on a hot summer day, daddy and mommy decided to skip class and go to Mozart instead for a cold treat

daddy's little helper

got milk?

6/15/2008 Happy Father's Day, Baba!

2008-06-17T17:45:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day! Ba ba!

how's how daddy carries me around....

on his lap

in his arms - am I that heavy?

on his shoulder

and in his smile!

6/10/2008 splash!

2008-06-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Let's make a big splash!

Thanks grandma and grandpa for the birthday present! (grandma is very cyber-savvy and bought the gift from Amazon all the way from China!)

Mommy's birthday (of course mommy is not 3 year old... but who cares)

5/14/2008 I'm a one-year-old!

2008-05-19T21:04:00.001-07:00

the cake HEB made

the cake mommy made - doesn't look as nice but tastes much better!

where shall I start...

let's taste with one little finger...

hmm, ymmm! n0w all the fingers!

time for candle!

make a wish

5/13/2008 before I turn one

2008-05-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

A little blue for leaving the first year behind...

now don't you call me baby anymore!

hey I want this for my birthday! I didn't get anything on my last one!

5/11/2008 Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

4/27/2008 dragon boat

2008-04-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Last year this time, mommy took Charlie to the dragon boat race...

impressed? what about this year?

Mommy can't imgine how she can stuff this big boy back to her belly!

meet my grandma!

4/11/2008 never under-estimate a child

2008-04-11T21:24:00.001-07:00

What can a 10-month-old learn in a week? The list gets pretty long - pulling up standing in the crib, crawling(finally...), pulling plug in the bathtub and flooded the bathroom floor... and, pointing to the picture of the kitten when mommy asked where's the kitten (tried 3 times with different objects and baby got it right 3 times... so sure now he recognize kitten, banana and Elmo among all other things). Although I have realized my little one seems to know a lot and have a lot of likes and dislikes, I have never felt so much that the little mind really knows what I was talking and was not just laughing at the meows mommy makes when reading the books... This is almost as significant as the moment when I saw the first ultrasound where the only thing visable was the flashing dot - and the doctor happily announced - that's your baby's heart. yes, that's my baby's heart, inside me.

I want to go to the pool!

face all wet

I want to go back to the pool!

bluebonnet on the way home

4/1/2008 party boy

2008-04-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

let's try a new look

I'm reading a book (yeah right... with the book upside down)

How come I don't have a hat like that?

3/25/08 it's spring!

2008-03-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

It's spring time! It means we can take out our shorts and sandles and hats and go out and have some fun!

Charlie's first Easter Egg Hunt!

There're more eggs over there...

This one is huge!

here's the best part - candies...

3/16/08 Charlie is 10 month old

2008-03-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a 10-month old! Finally got my two upper teeth out! (got 4 on the bottom already - don't get me wrong!)

Grandpa and grandma are going back to China... I'll miss them so much

Have my two other grandparents here already. how spoiled I am! (or my parents are!)

Grandma, I took Maisy's gift too...

Charlie at SXSW

2/25/08 Charlie in Houston

2008-02-25T20:54:00.001-08:00

Mommy is so proud of Charlie... he slept whenever mommy and daddy were driving and woke up ready to play the minute they stopped!

First time I stayed in hotel... I guess I should take my socks off

Space Center Houston

so many buttons!

The pyramid at Moody's Garden. First time I've seen a shark!

Glad to be home!

Mommy.. where did you hide my shoes?

I want to go out again!

2/18/2008 who said driving and sleeping can't mix

2008-02-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

9 month old Charlie has a new truck

Too much fun at the park... fell asleep on the way home

sweet little angel

2/10/08 I Love Grandma!!!

2008-02-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

Grandma's birthday cake

close-up

2/2/2008 little white teeth

2008-02-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Showing off my little white teeth

I want a hug!

daddy's new study

1/21/2008 playdate

2008-01-21T19:43:00.000-08:00

I have a little friend that was born on the same date! Well I'm still heavier though he's 5 hours older than me...

Hey you each get a bottle!

Daddy is soooooo pround when people started to tell him that Charlie looks like him!

Clap clap clap

1/2/2008 Charlie's first holiday season

2008-01-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

Charlie's first Christmas..

The gift doesn't taste as good as the hat!

Elmo's laughing and rolling!

This is my cousin Yiyi, she's five years old.

Charlie was the youngest visitor of LBJ ranch that day!

12/19/2007 Charlie's new home

2007-12-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

Family moved to a house in the suburb (mommy - ready to join the soccer mom team!) It took Charlie a couple of days to get used to the new place, especially at night when he wakes up.

I'm liking this new place!

and the familiar smell...

12/12/2007 Charlie drives new car

2007-12-19T19:36:00.001-08:00

Charlie has a brand new car!

Ok, here's the break and here's the radio...

Now mommy is leaving and you cand drive by yourself!

No problem! A small turn...

I'm getting the hang of it.

Whooow a big turn!

reckless driving...

hello officer!

I'm a little road warrior!

11/25/07 ready for Christmas?

2007-12-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

Mommy has been real busy (and lazy) lately... she's finally posting new pictures!

bundled up for winter!

Project Runway Winter Fashion 2007

two big football fans!

11/24/2007 Charlie shops on Black Friday

2007-11-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

It finally felt like winter in Austin on Thanksgiving

The first thing we bought on Black Friday was a hat for Charlie!

It's coooooold and refreshing!

11/3/2007 Charlie at Town Lake

2007-11-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

Another perfect day before the next cold front comes...

I don't want to sit in the stroller! Sorry Charlie, you have to wait untill you can walk!

little gymnastic

10/29/2007 Charlie at Alamo

2007-10-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Mommy finally took the entire family for an outing on one of the few not-too-hot days in Texas!

Charlie has really done some hard thinking about his future career - maybe a gourmet chef?

or a high tech guru?

how about just kick back and relax?

Charlie's new play ground

10/21/2007 Charlie likes squash

2007-10-21T20:50:00.001-07:00

Squash is Charlie's new favorite.

want more?

10/14/2007 Charlie is 5 month old

2007-10-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

As a 5 month old, Charlie has been to two birthday parties already.

I've got perfect table manner - look at my bib! It's so clean!

9/30/2007 chowing down an elephant

2007-09-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Charlie's got to taste everything that came to his hands

my mouth may be small...

my appetite is big!

9/23/07 simply happy

2007-09-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Mommy, look! I can swim!

I'm a little ballet dancer

my first push-up!

Charlie's magic carpet

2007-09-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

what's this bird doing over my head?

hey here's a baby lying next to me! I can see him!

and he does whatever i do!

9/3/2007 Charlie in museum

2007-09-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

Mommy dicided that Charlie should get some early education in fine art... so instead of joining the loud tail-gaters on the parking lot, we opted for a quiet stroll in Blanton

showing zero interest in European paintings (those angel figures are not cute at all!)

drooling over a Roman urn from 200 BC... yeah, this is good stuff!

painting of Yosemite Valley?? not my taste...

yes! finally some modern art!

8/25/07 Studio Portraits - and I refuse to smile!

2007-09-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

Grandma says this should be my "official" 100-day portrait. (Don't I look handsome in that RL outfit... ) mom even signed the picture so it'll look like from the old days i.e. when she was 100 days old many years ago

but this is the real me!

8/22/07 100 Days!

2007-08-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today Charlie turned 100 days! A major milestone in Chinese tradition.

Here's Charlie's cake (of course mommy got to eat the yummy cheesecake... ;)

I love listenning to grandpa's stories...

and watching TV with grandma!

8/13/2007 I believe I can fly...

2007-08-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

... spread my wings and grandma's glasses away...

Grandma claims that Charlie is cuter than mommy!

8/5/2007 I learned new tricks :)

2007-08-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

don't take away my blanket!

7/29/2007

2007-07-29T18:11:00.001-07:00

Oops.. my weight got off the chart at my two-month check-up!

7/14/2007 Charile is two month old

2007-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm a happy two-month old!

Achew!

7/2/2007 Charlie's first haircut

2007-07-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Daddy cut my hair while I was asleep...

now I'm a little muscle man!

like my new hair style?

6/26/2007 Charlie's fashion show

2007-06-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

showing off my lucky charms...

like my new hair-do?

What a team!

salute!

6/18/2007 Charlie's first outing and posing with everybody

2007-06-18T19:40:00.001-07:00

I'm finally out of the house! but I slept during the entire trip... other than cried out loud in the grocery store...

I learned how to count this week -

it's five.... or..

eight?

haha, can you see me?

hi, Yueyue, today's your birthday, I sent you an e-card, did you see it? (grandma clicked 'send' for me)

My grandparents are so pround of me. They are taking great care of me (special thanks from mommy)

best Father's Day present ever..

mommy holds me like a rock star holding her guitar!

mommy got big hands

6/14/2007 Charlie is one month old

2007-06-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm finally a month old, not a new born anymore (a little sad...) Mommy started counting my age in days, then weeks, and now finally months... and soon in years (mommy: not too soon!)

Here're some moments that has made my first month so precious to my parents (among the thousands of pictures they took of me...)

The face that mommy cannot resist to kiss and kiss again..

The face that mommy doens't know whether to laugh or cry on ...

The face that has made my daddy's day

... and, the face that let mommy forget all the sleepless nights and think life is so beautiful...

6/10/2007 My 4th Week

2007-06-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

This is a very serious conversation... shampoo or no shampoo?

Look how chubby I got in a week!

I'm a tall baby!

6/3/2007 my third week

2007-06-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

first cake on my mom's birthday (cake watching, not tasting...)

my favoriate position - looking up from grandma's shoulder

I like my new mobile! It has blue cow, orange sheep and Mozart!

I look like a little kitten in my dad's arms..

5/23/2007 Baby Charlie is one week old

2007-05-25T14:50:00.001-07:00

Proud Daddy!

I'm very shy...

but I always voice my opinion! (on what...?)

I got big feet..

I look much more mature in this picture than I actually am!

5/14/2007 Welcome to the world! Baby Charlie!

2007-05-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Baby Charlie was born on 5/14/2007 one day after Mother's Day!

I swear those are not my tears!

Turn off those lights! I need some privacy...

I like being held in my mom's arms... this is a new feeling..