Chan familia

The dissapearance of the dinosaurs

2012-01-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

While eating breakfast this morning, Aidan shares his latest thoughts with me. He asked me whether or not God existed during the time of the dinosaurs, and I said "yes". He, then explains how the dinosaurs died, "It was because God was playing with a ball, kicked it and it trans (transformed) into a meteor and hit the earth".

2011 Reflections

2011-12-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

This has been by far one of the most eventful years for our family. We sold our duplex in Marpole and moved to Steveston. We got pregnant and had our baby girl in November. New jobs. New friends. New neighbors. It has really been a fantastic and stressful year to say the least!

We look forward to settling down and getting used to being a family of five. We are thankful to be surrounded by loving family and friends as we have received so much encouragement and support during this transitional period. We are most proud of our boys because they have welcomed Emmy into our family with open arms, showering her with kisses all the time and fighting over who gets to hold her first.

Wishing you a wonderful 2012!!

2011-12-10T07:39:00.001-08:00

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy 1 month Emmy!!

2011-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that one month has already passed since the birth of our baby girl! Emilia is a joy to have and the boys have adjusted so well with their new sister. We are so proud of both A and N!! They love her so much already. Just the other day, Aidan tells her out of the blue: "I'm going to love you forever". That totally melted my heart.

Surprisingly, the transition from having 2 to 3 kids has been more seamless than from 1 to 2 kids. It might be because Emilia has been an easy baby or maybe I am just more of a relaxed mother. I must also add that I have a lot of help from Vince, my mom and my sister. Reality will set in at the end of the month where I will finally be on my own.

Many, many thanks to Auntie Melissa (owner of Green Pomme Photography) for taking our family pictures for us! You are awesome. xoxo, Chan familia

p.s. The first picture shown is known as the "Lea" pose

Our Baby Girl

2011-11-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

It all started in the evening of Tuesday Nov. 8th when Isabel's contractions were about ten minutes apart while having dinner at home. We were so thankful that baby decided to wait until Auntie Lulu came home from China as an extra pair of hands to take care of the boys while we went to the hospital was crucial. Mom was already here from TO and we were already enjoying home cooked meals and her wonderful care!

We left to the hospital at 10:00pm and baby came at 2:27am. Isabel would concur that this is by far the most laborious labor even though she felt as though she's had prior experience. With no meds, and a painful (very, very PAINFUL) back labour, Emilia was born after four pushes. What made Isabel endure this kind of pain is knowing that this will be the last time!! And of course, having Vince's enduring support through it all, also made it more bearable.

We would love to introduce you to our newest addition to the Chan Familia:

Emilia Grace Chan
November 9, 2011
6 lbs. 12 ounces

Bring it on!

2011-10-22T07:48:00.001-07:00

Just the other night, I was having some intense false labor contractions and I felt so unprepared for baby #3. His/her nursery was still under renos and the crib wasn't even put together. Thankfully, Vince had two days off from work and managed to finish the room!! Yay for Handy Hubby!!! It's been amazing watching how he has renovated three bedrooms in our new house in the last two months. I always think that he takes on more than what he can handle but alas, he has proven me wrong again by completing the nursery before the arrival of baby #3. As I was going through the contractions, I also kept thinking about the boys and who will take care of them?

At that point in time, all of our family were still away on vacation so we would have had rely on our friends. I was honestly freaking out!! This all happened in the middle of the night and after two hours of panicking, I finally got up and started to clean/nest/finish packing my hospital bag/find my care card and etc. After all that work, I said, "Okay baby, you can to come out early then BRING IT ON" :) Surprisingly the contractions slowed down and I felt much better, so much better that I even managed to get some sleep before the boys woke up!

I am officially on mat leave as of yesterday. It feels good that all the marking is done and all I have to worry about now is the arrival of baby. When is he/she coming? I guess I just have to wait....

Homemade playdough

2011-10-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to make playdough from scratch and after trying a couple online recipes, I really like this one because of its soft and doughy texture:

Play Dough Recipe:

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoon cream of tartar (find it in the spice section)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix first 4 ingredients in a pan. Add water and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 – 5 minutes. Dough will become difficult to stir and form a “clump”. Remove from stove and knead for 5 minutes–add food coloring during kneading process. Play dough will keep for a long time stored in a covered plastic container or plastic sandwich bag.

taken from: www.mommyfootprint.com

Happy, happy 2nd birthday, Noah!

2011-07-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

Noah, for the last two years that you have entered our lives, we have been blessed and enriched in many, many ways. You are such a happy and easy-going boy! Thank you for being so loving, patient and gentle! We just want to squeeze your cuteness all the time. We love you very much, Nono!

Why A loves his daddy

2011-07-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

During the month of June, the kids at A's daycare were asked: "Why do you love your daddy?" A replied and said "He takes me to the park"

Why A loves his mommy

2011-05-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

When I dropped A off at daycare today, I noticed that there was a list of what the kids had said about why they love their mommies and A said:

"She gives me a treat after dinner"

Izzy & Vince + 3

2011-05-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

We have very exciting news to share!! Guess who is also going to be a Big Brother, too? Our Noey is joining the big ranks with A and they will both share the big roles of big brotherhood.

Baby Chan #3 will join us around November, the expected due date is Nov. 12. We will experiencing two major changes in the months ahead: moving to Steveston at the end of May, and then baby joining our family later on in the year. We can't wait to have another baby to cuddle, love and play with!

Grace Flows Down

2011-04-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

As we have started packing our stuff and getting ready for our move in May to Steveston, I came across one of my favourite CDs. I was listening to the Passion CD and was reminded of God's unending love and grace for me.

Grace Flows Down

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound
Amazing Love
Now flowing down
From hands and feet
That were nailed to the tree
As Grace flows down and covers me

Chorus
It covers me
It covers me
It covers me
And covers me

A's poo-poo theory

2011-02-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

According to Aidan:

-poo takes a long time and can happen while farting

-if you eat strawberries, your poo will be brown and if you eat blueberries, your poo will be green

-you should poo daily or it's bad...

A New Year, A New Interest

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

A has a new obsession: DINOSAURS. I am slowly learning how to say names like Gallimimus, Pterodactylus, Archeopteryx, etc. I am really liking this new interest b/c I find it a lot more educational than "Cars" and "Thomas the Train". We've been borrowing a ton of books from the library and learning about these amazing prehistoric creatures. This was all prompted when we were in Toronto and A was playing with Uncle Nick's old dinosaurs. My mom kept all of our old toys!!

I've been meaning to blog about our favourite Aidan sayings (almost 4):

-Let me read you a book, Daddy. "Bad Poo" by Aidan Chan

-I asked him "Do you love, Daddy" A replies "No, I love myself"

-The taste is similar to blue

-Aidan woke up one morning and described his dream to us "I dreamed of penguins flying"

-A affectionately refers Daddy as "didi" and Mommy as "nini"

-When talking to his friends ie. Joshie and Ethan, he says "Come with me, man"

-The other day, he managed to use the word "eventually" when he was talking to Daddy :)

December musings

2010-12-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

Wow! It is the last month of 2010 and as always, it's a good time to think back of our year together. Our three most fun adventures would have to be:

1) Hawaii trip with wonderful friends
2) Celebrating Canada Men's Gold medal in Downtown Vancouver
3) Bright nights at Stanley Park

For Vince's 33rd birthday, we took him to Squamish to take part in the "Polar Express Train". I guess it was more for the kids than him but then again, it brings us so much joy when we see them happy. The train ride was 50 mins. long and it was a bit too long for our little ones. We should definitely try it again when they are older and can appreciate the story more. During the train ride, a lot of people came in their PJs and they even gave out hot chocolate and cookies like the story.

Currently, we are in Toronto visiting my side of the family (Isabel's side) while Vince stayed in Vancouver to work. Thankfully, Auntie Lulu came along for the plane ride and was integral in helping out with the boys. I have come to truly appreciate my sister for all that she does for our family! She's so loving and reliable. I just love her to pieces! It's hard to believe that when we were growing up, I used to be so mean to her and would even beat her up. :( What a bad big sister I was! I shall try to make it up to her from now on...

One of the main reasons why I wanted to bring the boys to Toronto is for them to get to know their great-grandparents. I feel as though it's a real privilege for them to still have great-grandparents and it's also such a blessing to see four generations together.

Changes

2010-09-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

As the leaves have started to fall, it is a clear indication that the last days of summer are coming to an end soon. Sept. 21st marks the last day of summer! It's always sad for me to put away our flip-flops, t-shirts, shorts, etc. I always try to hang on to summer and whenever I can, I will always wear my flip-flops :)

I remember that the last blog that I posted was about the mundaneness of life and how I was learning to embrace the "every day ordinary stuff". Ironically, I miss it as this month has been a month of changes. It's the start of a new school year and I went back to work part time at Fleming which is my old elementary school. It's quite nostalgic walking down the same hallways as I did when I was a child. Even some of the old teachers are still there! My old grade seven's teacher's son is now teaching his class. Talk about a small world!!!

The boys are transitioning to their respective daycares and I'm learning to juggle working and being a mom. The house is definitely not as a clean but I am reminding myself that it's okay and things will settle down as we all get into a new routine. Despite it being difficult to adjust to new schedules and being more tired, I have to come realized how much I do love teaching and that I have made the right decision to go back into the workforce part-time. I still spend most of the week with the boys but it's also nice to have work to look forward to, as well.
Here are some updates on the boys...let's start with the younger one...

Noah's 14 months' update

N turned ONE back in July and we had a really fun Luau to celebrate his first birthday!
Nicknames: Noey, Nono
N started walking just a few days before he turned one and is now getting a lot better walking independently.
N can climb up and down the stairs all by himself
He still seems to be the calmer and happier one of the boys
First words are: Adah, Babu, Mama
Loves to eat noodles, veggie crackers and anything that Aidan is eating
Loves to play with anything that Aidan's playing with

Aidan's 3.5 years' update

Fave song: Down by the Bay (makes up his own lyrics like ghost eating toast and moose kissing a goose)
Began attending Sunset Daycare in Sept. and loves the teachers and his new friends. He's learning so many new things there like empathy. The other day, I was feeling sad and he gave me a hug and drew me pic of the whole world to make me feel better.
Fave activities: reading and art
Started riding his no-pedals bike in Aug.
Aidan is telling me to write that he loves swimming with Joshie!

**We want to thank Auntie Melissa for taking our family photos for us this summer at the Oval. We absolutely love our pics! It was nice to include the dogs this time around**

Back to the mundaness of life

2010-06-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

ALOHA! We got back from sunny Hawaii at the end of May and it's hard to come back to rain, rain and more rain. We had a lot of fun traveling with our friends as there were a total of four families = 8 adults, 4 boys and 1 girl. Ever since coming back, we've realized how mundane our lives are...

We can pretty much tell you how our every day looks like:

6:30am: kids wake up
7:00am: feed them breakfast9:00am: A goes to preschool, N naps
11:45am: pick up A from preschool
noon: lunch time
1:30pm: nap times for both boys
4:00pm: after nap activity: library, go to the park, playdate, cook dinner
5:45pm: dinner
6:45pm: get ready for bed...good night!

I wonder how we can inject some spice into our lives? I guess, it is in the mundane ways of life that we find security. I know for a fact that if we were to mess up the boys' nap schedules in order for us to go out, etc. then we would be the ones to pay for it in the end. Kids in general like schedules because they would know what to expect and helps them to function better. At least, it is in my family's case. I just need to accept this phase of my life and embrace as it is, mundane and all.

I am reminded of what our dear friends have told us: "we are living the life!" as most people aim to have a family, dogs, a home, etc. and we have exactly just that. I need to really remember that especially when my three old throws his epic tantrums, and my ten month old attempts to drinks from the dog bowl....

Spring already?

2010-04-14T08:58:00.001-07:00

I was just thinking about how long it's been since updating this blog, and I couldn't believe that Winter has come and gone, and we are already now mid-way through Spring. The reasons for this blog are mostly to keep a record of the things that our family goes through and to keep in touch with those that are far away. This past season has been a memorable one as it was filled with lots of fun and activities. Our city hosted the Winter Olympics games and I was pleasantly surprised at how I ended up enjoying them. I loved all the different cultures getting together for one common goal and the energy on the streets were electric. We've also been busy renovating our home; it seems like an endless task but it is slowly coming together. VC has been working very hard on our backyard getting it ready for the summer bbqs by laying down some flagstones, new fencing, etc. Can't wait until it's all done and I can sip a glass of sangria on the new patio.

Noah's Update

Age and weight: 8 months and is close to 25lbs (just 6 pounds less than A)
Nicknames: Noey (given by A) Godzilla (because he likes to destroy A's trains), Noahsaurus (given by Auntie Lulu) and Notastic (given by daddy cause he's fantastic!)
Started crawling in late Feb. and is now going all over the place and even climbing the stairs. He is also cruising along the sofa, too.
is enrolled in Music Together classes with big bro and has been thoroughly enjoying the music and is the "social butterly" of the class as he goes to each person and says hello in his own way.
Loves, loves, loves to eat, especially our food. He's been refusing to eat mush and even though he still doesn't have teeth, he's pretty good at eating noodles, Os, and small chunks of food.
generally a happy and easy-going baby and his giggles light up my day

Aidan's Update

Age: 3 years old
Nicknames: Coop, bug
Started preschool in March at Spare Time Kids World and has been enjoying going to school and learning new things
Some of his favourite places to go to are: Aquarium and Science World
Potty-trained when he was 2.5 years old =) but is still in diapers for night though.
According to A, his best friends are: JM and CG
Favourite dog: Rylee
Favourite bird: owl
Favourite colours: red and blue
Favourite food: bunnies and fish congee
Newest obsession: Lightning Mcqueen from CARS
When we observe A during his various play dates, we've come to realize that he can be the ruthless ring leader, making others follow him or play with things that he insists that they should play with. We are working on teaching him that he needs to let others do their own thing and if they choose not to do what he wants them to then that's okay too.
I love Aidan's enthusiasm for life!

A Year in Review

2009-12-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

2009 has been a year full of new adventures and introspection. One of our church members, Dr. Kerry Telford, tragically died with her infant, Sarah Grace, in a floatplane accident back in November and a couple of our dear friends' dads have passed away recently. As a result of such sad events, it brings us back to our knees as we ask our Creator some hard questions and often times, there's silence. "Why God?" "Why Kerry and her little girl?" Eventhough I've only talked to her a handful of times, Kerry has often radiated such fullness of life and joy that can only come from above. She's done such marvelous deeds to her community and to her jungles in Peru. A life that seems to be taken away far too soon. Our thoughts are with Kerry's family and with our friends' families who have lost their loved ones. In light of the frailty of life, we're reminded to live life to its fullest and to be thankful for what we have at this present time. We wanted to take this time to wish you a Happy New Year and we hope that you will enjoy reading our blog as we finish this year off by counting our blessings one by one:

First on the list is of course, the birth of our second baby boy: Noah

A's strong immune system as he licked the HK's tram windows and still didn't get sick =)

Our first trip to Asia and we had a wonderful and memorable time spent with family

Izzy finally received a continuing contract with the VSB after 6 long years!

Watching A's learning new things. His latest accomplishments include being potty trained (day time) and stringing lots of words and actually making sense.

A and N's brotherhood! It's such a joy seeing them interact with one another.

One of Vince's highlights was Playtown in HK. Imagine a 10,000 sq. feet indoor playground that features gigantic play structures that both kids and adults can climb into and a really awesome ballistic arena.

Family is always a blessing esp. Auntie Lulu who lived with us at the beginning of the year. We truly appreciate her help and her love towards us! She's so wonderful to our boys (and Uncle Damien, too).

Izzy's mom came out during the summer and was an invaluable help during the birth of Noah.

and last but not least, we're thankful for our friends both old and new, near and far...

Life with 2

2009-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have asked how life is with 2? The first three months have been super hectic, like a whirlwind but things have settled down a bit and I am getting the hang of it these days. I love watching A interact with N and vice versa. My favourite times are when N is giggling away when A is doing something funny....and let me tell you how many silly tricks A has up his sleeves. Sometimes, N would laugh so hard when A is doing something that he shouldn't be doing ie. jumping too close to his head, bumping into him, etc.

The hardest part I would say is to make sure that each boy gets enough attention from me but the truth is that N is often ignored b/c he's so sweet and easygoing as he's content just staring or sucking on his fist. My little Noah is growing so fast and he's almost four months and close to 19lbs. Crazy! A wasn't even close to that weight until he was ONE. What is going on? Maybe it's my supermilk. =)

Wake up, Baby Noah!

2009-07-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

This is Aidan and I have great news: I am officially a BIG brother now to...

Baby Noah
born on July 23, 2009
8lbs. (a bit heavier than me when I was born!)
51 cm. (same length as me when I was born!)

Noah was born at BC Women's Hospital after an intense and natural delivery at 10:30am in the Cedar Room #14 (just a few rooms down from where I was born!!). I like reading to Baby Noah and I even tried to share my trains with him but he doesn't want to play b/c he's always sleeping so I keep saying "Wake up, baby Noah"!! So far, it hasn't really worked yet. When mommy tells me that he's hungry, I also offered him some of my cheerios and once again, he did not seem interested. I want to play with him now! I like being a big brother so far =)

praying for the peoples...

2009-07-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

Lately, we've been asking A who he would like to pray for (inspired by Auntie T and lumlum) and he's been answering us with "peoples". He often remembers to be thankful for the things that he has, too. It really warms my heart when A is able to look beyond himself and be able to grasp the fact that the world around him is a very big place. Of course, he has his typical two year old tantrums here and there but when he asks to pray for "peoples", it reminds me to persevere as it makes the hardships of parenthood all worth it.

I am 38 weeks prego and I have a gut feeling that baby #2 wants to make an early arrival. My mom's flying in from TO to help us out indefinitely and I'm very, very thankful to have an extra pair of hands as doing everyday things can be tedious now with my HUGEMONGOUS belly. I am trying to really enjoy my last days with A and try to prepare of what is to come. Another season of our lives is about to begin...

In case, I don't get a chance to blog, I wanted to brainstorm some of AC's new stuff:

newest obsession: Thomas the Train
fave animal at the Vancouver Zoo: racoon
loves climbing, running and jumping
finished his first "Music Together" class and has learned many new songs (his fave: Ladybug)
developing a funny sense of humour
started humming and singing (and dancing at times) with no prompting
gives fishy kisses to daddy
still loves his hippo and must have it when he goes down for his naps and bedtime

Thank you for the wonderful times, Auntie T, Uncle P, and lumlum! We miss you!!!

Thank you, mommy!

2009-05-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

Aidan's 2nd birthday celebration at the Aquarium!
He loved the beluga whales and the jellyfish...

I received one of the best mother's gifts that a mom could receive...
her child saying "thank you, mommy!"

It has been one of those very special and touching moments when AC finally grasped the concept of expressing gratitude! He has been very thankful as of lately and at times, he just says "thank you, mommy" out of the blue. It totally melts my heart.

Life at the Chan household has been hectic as we are now preparing for Baby #2's arrival in July and the school year is coming to an end. (report cards time!! yeesh). AC's developing his sense of humor these days where he often finds ways to make us laugh with his phrases like telling daddy that he has three eyes, and then saying "silly Aidan". AC has also been experimenting with many monkey moves at the playground and often times amazes me that he's growing so quickly. Vince has told me more than once that how he would like to just "bottle" this part of AC's life and now I can totally relate to him. I am enjoying watching AC's exuberance of life and his strong yet sensitive personality.

below: Aidan just loves sour lemons!

Baby #2

2009-03-03T16:03:00.001-08:00

We have awesome news to share!

We are expecting Baby #2 at the end of July and we are looking forward to this new phase!! We know that it'll be a lot of work having 2 but just imagine how much more love, joy, and fun we will have? We are most likely going to find out the sex so that we can give him or her a more adequate name and A can also start saying brother or sister rather than just baby.

Here are some of our highlights of 2009 thus far...

Trip to Hong Kong to celebrate the Chinese New Year amongst Vince's family. We are definitely done with travelling as it's a lot harder with a toddler and especially with the time change. It was a trip to remember in many ways, though!
I wrote my first batch of report cards since coming back to work from mat leave.
Dogsitting Sidney! Having three dogs and one toddler was definitely very tiring but we had a wonderful time.
Auntie Lulu's staying with us until she finishes her precepting at SMH. We love having her around and A is always looking for her and wanting to jump onto her bed.
Daytrip to Victoria to hang out with the Huangs, P&P (Peter and Philippa). The day passed by way too quickly but A had a great time with M =)
AC's first two words strung together were: "watching TV"
AC's three words strung together were: "monkeys eatin' nanas"
AC's four words strung were: "bye bye jelly fish" (it could be considered three words since jellyfish is one word...)

hug

2009-01-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

totally mesmerized at the Toronto Zoo

One of A's favourite words right now is *hug* and I absolutely love it especially when he puts up his hands anxiously waiting for the embrace. I figured that I have at least a few more years to enjoy these hugs until he becomes a "big" boy. He's babbling a lot more although often times, we're still not sure what he's trying to string together but for the most part, he is able to express himself either through sign or one-two word(s) sentences. This morning, something really cool happened...

I've been teaching Aidan to say "Aidan" and he finally got it, then my next goal was to teach him to say it after "What is your name?". After a few times, he got it and then we were jumping up and down for joy. I also managed to squeeze in the question "How old are you?" and he can say "Two!" when I hold up two of my fingers. (Although he's not quite two yet, but why not get a head start?)
Our Christmas holidays was really busy but a lot of fun. AC went for his third plane ride to Toronto and enjoyed a wonderful time among his poh-poh, great-grandparents, aunties, uncles, etc. Only mommy and A went as daddy wasn't able to get time off from work.

Other updates include that AC is now in Daycare three days a week as I have gone back to teaching. I am currently teaching Grade 6 at Moberly on Thurs. and Fri, and I am also teaching Resource at Begbie on Tues. I am really enjoying the balance between being mommy and a teacher.

A and his great-grandparents in TO

11 teeth

2008-11-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

in Maui (Oct. 2008)

The wait has been over! AC had four teeth for the longest time and we were wondering why it was taking so long for the others to erupt. We actually made an appt. with a pediatric dentist and he suggested that AC should get his gums cut in order for the other teeth to come out. We thought that it was quite an aggressive approach and after consulting other dental professionals, we decided to wait for his teeth to come out naturally. One by one, his molars came out and he now has a total of 11 teeth, with five on the bottom and six on top.

We should also mention that AC was teething at the most inappropriate time: during our vacation in Maui. He ended up waking up at least a couple of times during the night and thus made us lose a lot of more sleep than usual. But overall, our trip was very memorable and eventful (of course, other than the teething incidence, we managed to do some fun stuff like hiking the Haleakala crater, hanging out at all the beautiful beaches and we even spent time with our friends M and P who happened to be there at the same as us). Vince was very sweet in planning this trip for my BIG 30th birthday!

AC has been very chatty lately and we still can't really figure what he's saying most of the time but it's quite entertaining attempting to see what he's trying to communicate. We realized that he really, really loves our mutts as he kept mentioning them during our Maui trip. AC enjoys bossing Rylee around and tells her NO when she's doing something bad (or good depending on his mood!).

Goodbye Summer!

2008-09-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

BEST waterpark: Steveston

As summer draws to a near, we are slowly getting back into the swing of things as we put away our tanks and shorts and pull out long sleeves and pants. We will definitely miss the warm summer days (although we didn't have too many of the HOT, hot ones this year) but nevertheless, it was nice to just hang out at the parks and bbq. We look forward to the beautiful changing colour of the leaves and for a new school year ahead of us. Here is a list of our summer faves...

Little A's Summer Reads
The Bear Snores On written by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman
I love you through and through written by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church

Mommy's Summer Reads
The Chamber by John Grisham
Between Parent and Child by Haim G. Ginott
The Eighth Promise by William Poy Lee

Dada's Summer Reads
any book by Tad Williams

Our Family Adventures

Maplewood Farm
PNE in the rain!
playing at various water parks throughout Vancouver and Richmond
outlet shopping in Tulalip with Poh-poh who visited us for three weeks
trail running in the UBC Endowment lands

White Rock

all geared up for A's first rainy PNE day!

Fifteen months report

2008-06-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

We have had a rough couple of days and nights as Aidan's been super fussy with a fever, and lots of drooling. Could it be teething? We're still waiting for something to erupt! This happened just in time of Auntie Lulu's visit from Calgary =) We went out for dinner at Toshi's last night and we were only able to sit down for less than half an hour before we made an early exit. Aidan usually loves eating out and has not caused any problems for us....so I guess it's not bad for his first time in 15 months.

Here's a quick update of what the little guy has been up to lately:

AC is one affectionate fella as he enjoys giving people hugs and kisses
can identify his head, ears, tongue, and nose (likes to stick his finger UP his nose!)
has an impressive upper body strength as he manages to pull himself up onto everything including the toilet (he would put the toilet seat down first before climbing, of course)
loves to go to the beach and dip his feet into the water and play with the seaweed
had a great time in June because he had lots of visitors: cousin Angigi, Auntie Cynthia and Auntie Lulu. he also watched mommy race her first 1/2 marathon after giving birth...
is beginning to exert his needs and wants with screaming (grrr...) and we are constantly trying to teach him to ask for something nicely
is learning to be more gentle... (this sounds like a PLO, for those who are teachers, you know what I'm talking about)
enjoys slurping up all kinds of noodles like lai fun, ho fun, spaghetti
rocks are his utmost favourite "toy" right now. he finds small holes and puts the rocks into them....he even managed to put one into our door holey thing.

hanging out at Jericho beach

with cousin Angigi at the airport

going down on a very BIG slide and having loads of fun

Our Victoria get-away!

2008-06-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Aidan is running really fast around the ferry terminal

For Father's Day, I attempted to plan a surprise Victoria get-away to visit our dear friends, G and A, and their little girl M. I was so close to have successfully planned it but due to my forgetfulness, Vince found out when he saw that I had googled "Victoria weather". I am not a very good liar so I ended up having to tell him my elaborate plans. We had a wonderful time away and we soaked in the sun as we lazily hung around G and A's porch while our kids napped. It was really great to be amongst friends and to be able to celebrate such an occasion as Father's Day. It made us realize how special it is to have friends who truly love and understand you completely. How we wish that we lived closer together!

Aidan gives cutie pie, MH a big hug and a kiss!

Favourites

2008-05-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

My current three favourite things are:

spending time together as a family (doesn't matter if it's just lazily hanging out in our living room with the dogs or going out for a hike, time together is precious)
when Aidan gives me a BIG bear hug
reading to Aidan when he brings me his selection of books

Aidan is beginning to really love reading! Yay!

Happy 1st birthday, Aidan!!!

2008-03-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is officially ONE today! It's hard to believe that a year ago, AC came into our world and has enriched our lives in so many ways. We had a few busy weeks with Poh-poh and Auntie Lulu visiting us and then we drove down to Cannon Beach with the dogs for a special family trip.

Here are some highlights:

Aidan had a special birthday party at Lumlum's party room with his little and big friends. He was absolutely mesmerized by all the balloons. We were sooo happy that Auntie Lucia made it out just in time for the party from Calgary.

AC has four teeth now, two on top and two on the bottom.

It's been a lot of fun watching AC dance and bopping his head up and down. We still need to catch it on camera.

First words are: mama, dada, dog, and tung (light in cantonese).

First signs are: eat, water, milk, and brushing teeth.

AC has a lot of energy for such a little guy (he's in the 10th percentile for weight and in the 20th percentile for height). If you ever come over, you would find him busy sweeping the floor with a real broom, attempting to walk the dogs holding onto their leashes, and getting into trouble (taking books out of the bookshelf and touching the dirty shoes!) Needless to say, our lives are consumed by this twenty pound child =)

Walking before teething

2008-02-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

Life has been quite busy and fun lately as Aidan is now walking! We couldn't believe that our toothless little guy was walking at ten months. Just shortly after walking, his bottom teeth finally sprouted and we were actually more excited about the teeth than his walking because we have been waiting for them to come out for so many months. The teething experience was not that great as the sleepless nights emerged once again. We tried everything from cold cloths, teething rings, teething tablets, to teething biscuits but the only thing that really worked for us were these vanilla biscuits from Choices called "Healthy Times". The Hyland teething tablets seemed to somewhat help, as well. I cannot believe that this teething business will go on until he's two or so.

We dedicated Aidan in February at Tenth Avenue Alliance and it was a very special moment for us as it reminded us what a good and perfect gift we have received from above. We have also been doing a lot more activities with AC like snowshoeing, swimming, going to playgroups, playing with sand and pebbles, and eating out for dinner. Both Vince and myself are really enjoying this new stage of AC's mobility =) It's hard to believe that AC is turning ONE at the end of this month!

I have also been doing some reflection upon my identity as this past year has been somewhat of a whirlwind. A good friend of mine, T. has been sharing with me what she's been learning at the Regent mom's group and it's been such a blessing. I know that I am first and foremost a child of God, and then a wife, mother, teacher, etc. It's hard to remember that order as being a mom seems to have taken first place over every other aspect of my life. One challenge is to disassociate myself from Aidan and still find time to do things that I love and enjoy! I would love to get back into running again so that is why I am really considering running the Scotia Half Marathon. I'm afraid to sign up because I know that I need to start training soon and I'm wondering where I will find the time and energy to do that? I will just have to make the time, I suppose.

the new park on selkirk is awesome esp. when we go with J & M.
we will really miss them when they move to Richmond!

Auntie J takes the best pics and this is one of them =)

snowshoeing at mt. seymour with the dogs

Nine months report

2007-12-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Vince asked me the other day, "Do you remember how Aidan was like when he was a newborn?". I sat there thinking and tried to remember how he was like but found it really hard. It feels as though some of the memories have faded away especially during first few weeks of Aidan's life when everything was like a big blur. Days and nights were all mixed up as I recall being in my pjs all the time ;) Then Vince's second question was: "Are you ready for another one?", and my immediate response was "NO!". I think that it would be nice to wait for a bit longer so that I can enjoy taking care of just one child. I guess it's all in God's timing, right?

We've been very busy lately with baby proofing our house as Aidan is mobile now. He's quite the speedster when it comes to crawling and he is also cruising along the walls and the sofa. We've been anticipating his first tooth since a few months ago but, nothing still! He's got the cutest toothless grin, though.

Here are some fun and interesting stuff about Aidan's nine months report:

loves...

playing with daddy
eating food esp. arrowoot cookies, and turkey soup
giggling to himself (he sort of sounds like Beavis)
looking at lights and in the mirror
going out for walks
going to places where he's not supposed to like the TV and the fireplace
touching Rylee's soft ears
meeting new people
to jump and jump in his jolly jumper

dislikes...

getting changed
being held/restrained, or strapped into his car seat
naps because he would rather play all day long if he could

Aidan's developing a sense of humour. These are some things that he thinks it's funny:

when mommy puts her hair in a turban
looking at pictures of his friends and of himself
playing hide and seek

We hope that you all had a wonderful time during Christmas and
we wish you a Happy New Year!

We went swimming for the first time at Marianne and Alan's new house!
Aidan was quite scared and hung onto me like a baby gorilla...

Family portraits by kidsphoto

2007-12-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

The AC experience

2007-11-12T19:09:00.001-08:00

AC along with mommy took his first flight at the end of October to visit his grandma, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. We flew with Air Canada and despite of how tainted their reputation may be, we were surprisingly pleased with our flight experience. It was great to receive extra care and attention when traveling with an infant. On our way to Toronto, our flight attendant was so helpful that she kept on checking up on me and making sure that I had a pee break during the flight. And during our way back to Vancouver, I was thankful by the surrounding people as they played and entertained Aidan. I am really proud of my baby because he did so well on both flights =)

We both got sick right before going to Toronto so we ended up staying at home a lot to recuperate. It was wonderful to have my mom take care of us in terms of cleaning and cooking! What a great vacation! We also celebrated AC’s great-grandpa’s 85^th birthday and that was very special. During our two week stay, AC learned a lot of new stuff that I kind of felt bad that his daddy wasn’t there to witness them. Some of his new stuff include commando crawling, pulling himself up and sitting up on his own from his back or tummy. It was really neat to see him learn so much in such a short period of time. My days of rest are over!

Another special occasion was getting together with my RHCCC friends, Jenn and Becca. AC was able to meet Jenn’s kids and they played so well together that it makes me wish that we lived closer to them. Perhaps in a few years, we might consider moving out East. We shall see what God has in stored for us.

We definitely miss having my mom, Jessica and Nick around and we hope that we can go back another visit soon although daddy may not agree as he lived as a bachelor eating pizza for dinner.

AC with Uncle Nick

he loved poh-poh's nudges...

AC loves his Tai-gung (great-grandpa)

Jessica yiyi is the best b/c she takes such great care of AC. She's his human toy!
We also took him out for his first Trick or Treat experience around our cul-de-sac.

Here are some "traveling with an infant" tips:

-Bring some new toys for baby to play with. He/she might be entertained by everyday things like water bottle, paper, etc.

-Use a soother, bottle or breast for baby to suck on to alleviate the ear pressure during take off and landing.

-Borrow whatever you can from friends or family at your destination so that you do not have to lug so much around. My friend, Jenn, was so gracious in lending us her car seat, high chair, exersaucer! My mom also helped me by purchasing diapers and baby shampoo.

-Check in early so that you can get the bulkhead seat or an empty seat so that you have more room for baby. I found that having the extra seat was much better than the bulkhead b/c AC played on the seat and I even changed him right on it rather than lugging everything to the small, claustrophobic washroom.

Aidan's Many Firsts

2007-09-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

Today, our little munchkin is 6 months old! During the last while, we have been able to witness some of his new stuff. Here's a list of Aidan’s many firsts (in no particular order):

Discovery of his toes
Knows his name
Learning sign language with Markus & Erin
Going on a swing
Face recognition
Sitting on his own
Finally meeting Uncle Herwie
Eating solids and producing super stinky poos
Proficient at rolling back and forth
First road trip to Victoria to attend Henry and Tiffany’s wedding
Shopping in the States
Daddy using gel on Aidan’s for church one day…
First prescription for his eczema
Purposeful reaching
Patting other babies and his own reflection
Trying to imitate sounds
Loves to make chewing movements

Babytime!

2007-09-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Singing "Baa baa black sheep"

This past Friday, we went to the Cambie Library in Richmond to take part in something called "Babytime". It's a program aimed at pre-walking babies which uses rhymes, songs and stories to engage the little minds. Aidan looked more confused than entertained but it was good anyways, just to expose him to different things. I truly endorse the Richmond Public Libraries even though I live in Vancouver because they have many different programs and new resources that enhances the love of learning and best of all, not only are they open right now (all VPL branches are closed due to the ongoing strike) but all the programs are free. You can join the RPL even if you are not a Richmond resident.

I've talked to some of the RPL staff and they've told me that they have renovated many of their branches by using Chapters as their model. Hence the nice leather seats, funky signs, good lighting, and tasteful colours all create a nice, and calm ambience for all library goers. We get many of our movies from the library, too! Just place an order and you can get some of the newer movies. I have to thank Phil and Claire for introducing me to the RPL!

Go to their website to find out more...

http://www.yourlibrary.ca/aboutus.cfm

Doing actions with Daddy

One really cool resource for babies is the "Baby Theme Boxes".
Themes include "Celebrating Diversity", "ABCs", "Counting", etc. and
each box has eight books related to the theme along with
a stuffed animal and songs & rhymes!

Four months report

2007-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Physical development:
-loves to gaze at different things such as himself, Spongebob Squarepants, and the colourful teddy bear blinds in his room.
-discovered his hands and feet
-holds hands together =)
-already weighs just over 15 lbs.

-shows interest in colours esp. yellow
-loves to play in his exersaucer from the Tsangs

-loves to grab anything and everything...and yes, he then puts it right into his mouth.

-sleeps with his hippo and thrashes it around

Social/Emotional and Language development
-laughs hard when tickled
-squeals with delight
-babbles about a lot of things

One interesting fact about Aidan is that he has free earlobes while both mommy and daddy have attached earlobes. Who wants to figure out the genetic puzzle? =)

Look at who's bringing home the bacon?

2007-07-11T19:50:00.001-07:00

our little breadwinner ;)

We had quite the trek today as Claire, Markus, Aidan and I took the bus to take part of an audiology test entitled "Maturation of binaural hearing". The purpose of this project is to investigate brain responses which are recorded non-invasively from small disk electrodes placed on the infant's scalp. The whole process took about two hours per baby! Aidan did a great job throughout the whole time and the best thing of all is that he made $20. Yeah! He also passed the testing which means that his hearing is just fine and dandy. (I'm sure that Auntie Praise would be so proud). I must say that I'm very proud that we made it to and back from UBC all in one piece and both babies behaved exceptionally well even on the bus. Upon arriving at our stop, we went to 7-eleven to redeem our free slurpees!

If you're reading this and it's still July 11, go to 7-eleven because it's their 80th anniversary and you get a free slurpee. =)

Changes

2007-06-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

When we first got married about five years ago, we were both shocked at some of the adjustments that we had to make in order to make our relationship work. We had to let go of some of our insane expectations of one another (well mostly, IC had to learn to just let VC be him rather than changing him into someone who he isn't). It's funny to look back as IC used to get really upset when VC would not pick up his shoes and line up them in a nice neat row or even wash the dishes right after dinner. As the years passed by, we have actually influenced each other to become better individuals and surprisingly, we have come to meet in the middle...

Now enters Aidan into our lives and more changes occur. In the first couple of months, it was quite the whirlwind as we sort of knew what would get ourselves into but when he finally arrived that was another story. We thought that we were prepared as we read many parenting books and talked with various friends....in the end though, none of that really prepped us by having a new life to raise. Sure the cliche is that "having a child changes your life forever" and yes, it is very true and it is an amazing feeling to have this helpless babe gaze into your eyes but the scary part is "What if I mess up? I really don't know what the heck I'm doing". Being parents have truly taught us the essence of grace, mercy and sacrifice. We know that we will make mistakes but in the end, there's grace and mercy.... (phew). This love that we have for Aidan is perhaps the closest that we can describe of God's pure, unconditional and sacrificial love. There's nothing that we wouldn't do for our little guy. It truly amazes us that God loves us even more than we love Aidan. This song by Third Day describes it perfectly:

Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings

Aidan's Chinese Name

2007-06-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mah-mah and Yeh-yeh, Aidan has a Chinese name!

In case you don't know how to read it, the pin ying is: Chan Zhi Cheng.

Zhi: determination, ambition

Cheng: accomplishment, success

All in all, we hope that he will grow up to be an individual who is determined to accomplish whatever goals that he sets up for himself.

Extra thanks to Uncle Josh for getting the info on Aidan's name and even typing it for us. Mommy and Daddy are not very good at the Chinese stuff although we both went to Chinese school.

It's All Worth It!

2007-05-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

After many sleepless nights, breastfeeding Aidan every 2 to 3 hours, endlessly changing him, constantly washing his clothes and diapers, listening to his frantic 6 week peak cries and fussiness....

AIDAN FINALLY SMILED!!

best pic of him smiling thus far...it's hard to capture it

my fave pic of Aidan!

One month report

2007-04-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Our little Aidan is now officially one month old! Some of his most recent accomplishments include:

Superb peeing aim. During one of the diaper changing experiences, Aidan had such a perfect aim and managed to pee right into his own mouth! He also does this "blue steel" look whenever he pees.
Amazing sucking capability. We were both quite scared in the first few days when Aidan was born as his weight dropped 12% b/c he was not latching on properly and the poor little guy hardly got any milk into his body. Thankfully, by the fourth day, he managed to suck and from thereon, became a sucking monster, sometimes, needing feeding almost every hour. Poor mommy!
Portability. We've been able to bring our easy going and very portable baby out on what we call "field trips". Some of them include: Easter Sunday Service at Tenth, Chapters, Richmond Library, Doc's office, & Kushnir's house in Tsawwassen for yummy Ukrainian lunch.
Tracking. By his 3rd week, he was able to track some objects and he turns to look at the person who is talking esp. if it's mommy. He's been smiling more but we don't think that they are true social smiles yet.
Good taste in music. When Aidan is in distress, mommy would play Norah Jones and he calms down immediately especially when he dancing with her. His fave tracks are #1 Don't Know Why and #3 Cold, Cold Heart.

photo session with auntie lulumonster

2007-04-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah, Auntie Lulu came to visit Aidan on Sunday took tons of pics! Here are some of them...

lulumonster with milomonster

look at the bags under my eyes...

give me sum lovin'

a bit crusty...but look at his big eyes!

Behind the Name

2007-04-04T04:32:00.000-07:00

We chose the name Aidan because we really liked its Irish meaning of the "fiery one" and it is also the name of a Celtic Saint who lived during the first century. It is our prayer and hope that our Aidan will also live an exemplary life of God's love, grace and mercy.

Here is some more information taken from the Celtic Daily Prayer book on Saint Aidan:

Aidan came to Lindisfarne from Iona in 635 at the request of King Oswald. he was a man of deep prayer who mediated on the words of Scripture, equipping himself in quiet for an active and highly effective apostolate. He remained at Lindisfarne for 16 years. in 651, Aidan was taken ill at Bamburgh and died. Cuthbert who was at that moment looking afater his flock of sheep on the lammermuir hills, saw a vision of angels taking Aidan's soul to heaven.

Why does Aidan mean "fiery one"?

It could be that in 651, a pagan army attacked Bamburgh and attempted to set its walls ablaze. According to legend, Aidan prayed for the city, after which the winds turned and blew the smoke and fire toward the enemy, repulsing them. Now that's pretty cool!

As for the middle name, Cooper, we just thought that it would be fun. It is actually a last name that has been used for a first name. We thought that it gave Aidan's name a nice ring with Chan! It also has some fun nicknames like: coop, and mini cooper (thanks, Viv!).

So here you have it:

Aidan Cooper Chan

Rylee and Daddy snuggling with Aidy

Going out for a walk with the doggies to DQ!

Yipee, story time =)

Our little burrito

Hello World!

2007-03-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

It is with great joy that we announce the birth of our son...

Aidan Cooper Chan
March 27, 2007
7 lbs 6 oz
51 cm

Aidan was born at BC Women's Hospital after a speedy and natural delivery at 22:50 in the Cedar Room #10 (this is one nice birthing room!!). We are in parental bliss as we are still enjoying listening to his crazy cries at night. We are very thankful for Aidan's safe arrival! Take a look at his full head of black hair...

hanging out with mommy!

Aidan's 1st bath: Daddy's a super nurse!!!

Wzup!