Calliope

Meet Calliope Josephine Chan. She was born February 23 at 6:59 in the evening. She wasn't scheduled to come out until February 27, but the little girl was just hell-bent on stealing her brother's birthday. Let the sibling rivalry begin!
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We choose the name "Calliope" because it means "beautiful voice." We named her "Josephine" after the woman who has done more to help me in my own journey through motherhood than anyone else - my mother, the strongest, most selfless, and most loving person that I know.
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I'll be back later to write more about her hectic first week of life. For now, I need to go catch a few zzzzz's!

Congratulations, Leon and Claire!

Cristian Ren-Jie Liu was born to my little bro Leon and his wife Claire on February 19 in Singapore. He weighed a healthy 7.5 lbs and had a full head of wavy black hair. Congratulations, Ree and Claire!

Belly Dancing

It's hard to believe that in less than a week, the little creature that's been growing in my belly since last June will be an actual child I'll be able to hold in my arms. Part of me is ready for this journey to be over. So long, swollen feet! Bye, bye, backaches! Adios, rude comments about how huuuuuuuge I've gotten! On the other hand, I know that the real trials start once the pregnancy is over and the baby is out. And does the baby ever want to get out! I mean, does it look like my belly can stretch much more than this?
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It's like I turned into a giant, flesh-colored watermelon on toothpicks. Actually, replace "watermelon" with "bag of cats," because sometimes that's what it looks like.

Frightening, isn't it? I don't know about you, but it makes me think of a certain scene from a certain movie involving an alien and Sigourney Weaver.

Before the big day arrives, we're cherishing our last moments with just the Boo. Yesterday, we took a stroll to the neighborhood farmer's market with our buddies the Bowens. Once there, Benjamin and Nolan met up with fellow Playa Vistans Aaron and mom Winnie. Together, the three boys grooved out to the tunes of a street performer.

Later on, Benjamin took his Plasma Car out for a spin. He had a blast, giggling even as he hit a ditch and almost toppled over into the bushes. It was great to hear his laughter and see the carefree smile on his face.

Although I'm certainly worried about how Vince and I will adjust to what life will be like with two kids, I'm almost more worried about how Benjamin will take to it. After all, he's been used to being the only baby in the house, the one on whom all attention is focused. He hasn't had to share anything - his toys, his space, or his Mommy and Daddy.

I'm sure Oliver can tell him a thing or two about that.
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The Boo Turns TWO (and more February birthday madness)

February is a busy month for our family. Vince's birthday is in February. Benjamin's birthday is in February. Vince's nephew Tyler's birthday is in February. Valentine's Day is in February. Chinese New Year (usually) falls in February. Now we have the upcoming birth of my brother's first child, not to mention the imminent arrival of our own daughter. February's shaping up to oust December as the most festive month of the year!
. Vince's birthday was the first February event to be celebrated. We marked the occasion by indulging in a sumptuous family-style dinner with a few of our closest friends at nearby Mosto Enoteca. We took a leap of faith by allowing the chef to choose each dish for us and were not disappointed; the meal was one of the best to be devoured ever. After three-and-a-half hours of sheer gluttony in their private dining room, we rolled out of there, happy and sated.
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The next evening, we drove down to Long Beach to celebrate Tyler's third birthday at an indoor playground.
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Although the Boo was the youngest one there, he had a great time. Never one to let his Liliputian stature hold him back, he jumped right into the fray, swimming in the ball pit, bouncing on the mini-trampoline, and playing "follow the leader" right along with the big kids. He also shocked us with a demonstration of his surprising upper body strength:

Maybe we should sign the kid up for gymnastics classes!
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In order to avert a potential conflict with his sister's birth, we celebrated the Boo's birthday a few weeks early. So last Saturday morning right after he woke up, we gave him his birthday gift, a bright green, pint-sized running bike. Also known as a balance bike, running bikes have two wheels and no pedals. The idea is that the child will propel himself with his feet and get a sense of how to balance the bike as it moves without the help of training wheels.

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With the help of Daddy and Hao Gong, the Boo was able to tool around on his bike. Kind of.

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We went across the street to Nolan's place, where Benjamin let his best friend take his new wheels for a test drive, too.

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Later on, we got ready for Benjamin's birthday party. Our original plan was to order pizzas for our guests, but when my mom got wind of that, she made a horrified face. She sniffed that her precious grandson deserved to have something better than mere take-out for his second birthday party. So instead of pizza, my mom cooked up a big batch of Chinese-style fried rice from scratch. And if that wasn't enough, she also whipped up a huge tray of stir-fried noodles!

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While my mom was cranking out fifty pounds of Chinese cuisine in our kitchen, I headed down to the toddler playground to stake a claim. My faithful friends Deb and Julie were there to help me out. Together, we blew up monkey balloons, arranged the monkey goody bags, and set up the monkey pinata. Did I mention that the theme of the party would be "monkeys"? I'd even had a special monkey birthday cake custom made by the talented Elizabeth Lam, the same pastry chef who'd crafted Nolan's birthday cake several months earlier.

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The guests arrived shortly after, and soon the party was in full swing. Although February had been plagued by cold, wet weather, we were blessed to have clear skies that day. Benjamin seemed to understand that the fuss was for him, and seeing him joyfully running around with his little friends made me so happy that I thought my heart was going to burst.

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As the sun started to go down, we gathered around and sang "Happy Birthday" to Benjamin.

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In the spirit of the celebration, I put aside my food tyrant ways and allowed Benjamin to have a cupcake. We won't talk about what it did to his tummy the next day, but he sure did enjoy eating it at his party - and wearing it on his face!

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It's hard to believe that our little boy is growing up. It seemed like just the other day that he was born, and in the blink of an eye, two years have passed. In a a few short weeks, Benjamin will have a little sister, and he'll no longer be the baby in our family. But until then, I'll hug, hold, and celebrate Benjamin. Wonderful, beautiful Benjamin.
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Hao Po to the Rescue

As soon as she heard I was expecting again, my mother booked her ticket to Los Angeles from her home in China. Just as she did when I was preggers with the Boo, she planned on helping me out in the weeks leading up to the birth and for the month after. Then, when she found out I was exhausting myself out to the point that I was racking up frequent flyer miles in the maternity wing of the ER, she pushed her arrival date up - way up.
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For most couples, the thought of your mother/mother-in-law unexpectedly crashing with you during one of the most stressful times of your life might be enough to make you run for the hills, but not us. Vince and I knew that her arrival would bring us the relief we needed. Yes, she's not as spry as she used to be. And yes, the woman can be, um... Idiosyncratic. I mean, where do you think I get it from? This particular brand of crazy runs in the family! But even so, my mother likes nothing more than to be a mother. When she's with us, she cooks our meals, she takes care of Benjamin, and she helps me clean. And all she wants in return is to watch Wheel of Fortune at night.
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My mom arrived several weeks ago, and within days I was feeling better. The contractions lessened, my back stopped hurting as much, and I stopped being as much of a cranky b*tch to Vince. The Boo's been having the time of his life, too. Suddenly, he has a second person there to love him, play with him, wipe his butt, and feed him his favorite treats. Like Pinkberry.

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Even more than Pinkberry, however, Benjamin loves to eat Hao Po's cooking. Check out what happens after he inhales his first helping of her Chinese BBQ short ribs. The two things you'll hear him repeating are mo (Benja-speak for "more") and mei you (Chinese for "no more"), as in "give me MORE because there is NO MORE."

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Wow, cool it there, Benjamin! If you keep that up, you'll wear your Hao Po out. Luckily, Hao Gong arrived just in time to give us all a break!

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Lilies for Lily at Lilly's or My Surprise Baby Shower

Several months ago, me and my two mom friends Julie and Sheila started up a weekly ritual: each Friday, barring illness, travel, or other circumstance, we meet at the local mall for lunch with the kids. It's a fun tradition which allows us to get the kids together to play while also squeezing in some mommy social time.
.It's also extremely exhausting. Benjamin, Nolan, and Kayla are a rambunctious crew, and they feed off of one another when together. This makes for a lot of yelling, chasing, and cajoling on the part of us moms. Julie said that after our Friday lunches, she often feels like she's run a marathon!

One day, Sheila suggested that we meet up some weekend for a relaxing brunch sans offspring. Of course Julie and I jumped on the idea, and we decided to have our moms-only brunch in late January at a French cafe in nearby Venice called Lilly's. Parking in Venice can be a nightmare, so Sheila picked us up in her car, and the three of us headed to what I thought was going to be a mellow meal with two friends. We valeted the car and walked into the restaurant, where I saw this:
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A surprise baby shower! Can you imagine my shock? In case you can't, here's a visual:
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I was so shocked that I nearly peed myself! Everything was so lovely, from the lily-themed decorations and favors to the Sprinkles cupcakes. The masterminds behind this surprise? Deb, Julie, and Yvonne. The three of them had been planning this little shindig for quite a while, and they'd managed to keep it a secret from me!
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Even though the shower was supposed to be more of a "sprinkle," there was a veritable downpour of gifts. As a special touch, each person brought a book for big brother Benjamin to read.
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Clockwise from left: Co-conspirators Deb, Julie, and Yvonne; Neighbors and fellow moms Monica and Shelby; Vince's Mom and Vince's sister Adele; fellow mom friend Brooke and neighbor/mom friend Holly; neighbor and mom friend Sheila; friend Jeni and high school BFF Jen.

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The greatest gift, however, was seeing my dearest female friends gathered in one place to welcome my soon-to-be born daughter into the world.

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After the festivities concluded, I hugged my girlfriends good-bye, and Julie and I piled back into Sheila's car for the drive home. My head still reeling from the events of the morning, I was caught off-guard for the second time by yet another surprise:

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As though planning such an amazing shower wasn't already enough, Julie, Deb, and Yvonne pitched in and bought a bassinet for the baby! Tucked inside the bassinet was a box full of newborn necessities from one of my favorite stores, The Pump Station.
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I was overwhelmed by their thoughtfuless. What had I ever done to deserve such a caring group of friends? I was truly blessed to have them, and my daughter will be even more blessed to have them in her life as loving aunties.

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Seeing Double

With the birth of Baby C just around the corner, we decided it was time to upgrade our ride. Well, to upgrade Benjamin's ride. As much I loved my City Mini single stroller, I knew that having a toddler and a baby at the same time meant that I - and my back - would be better served with a double.
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Due to the fact that Benjamin and his best bud Nolan were inseperable, I'd already had a chance to see a few "doubles" transport options in action:

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As cute as these options were to behold, none of them quite did the trick. I needed something leaner. Something less bulky. Something specifically designed for two kids that didn't run the risk of one inadvertently being flung with a quick turn or stop. And that's where the Phil and Ted's double stroller came in.
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The Phil and Ted's line features a new breed of stroller- a double stroller with the footprint of a single. The side-by-side double strollers we'd tried were just too cumbersome. And being the clutterphobes that Vince and I are, we didn't want to deal with storing both a double and a single stroller. So I sold my beloved City Mini and ordered a Phil and Ted's V2 sport double stroller in basic black.

.As soon as it arrived, the men in the family got to work putting it together. The stroller came with a free bassinet attachment, which Benjamin claimed for himself by way of having an accident while sitting inside it. Well, I assumed it was an accident, but Vince claimed he was marking his territory.
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We took our new double stroller out for a test drive with - who else - Nolan. He enjoyed sitting in it so much that Julie - who is due with her second baby in July - went ahead and ordered the exact same stroller! After it arrived, and I cruised over to her place with my own Phil and Ted's for a walk. I thought it would be adorable to push Nolan and Benjamin around in their matching strollers, but they had something else in mind. Much to our amusement, we discovered that the boys still preferred to cram themselves into just one of the strollers.
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I suppose we'll be putting the two newborns in the other one!