Calliope's First Christmas

A friend of mine once characterized parenthood as "long days, short years." Yes, the days can feel long. Today, for example, was veeeerrrrry long. Maybe it was because it began at 5:30 am when Calliope woke up (woke up for good, that is - she'd already awakened previously just to say "Wassup?" at 1 am and then again at 3am). But then the years seem to flash by. I feel like it was just the other day I was washing and folding newborn onesies in anticipation of the birth of a baby who would be so small that he wouldn't be able to wear them until he was three months old. Now, that same tiny baby is a raucous preschooler who enjoys stomping in puddles and tormenting his little sister. And his little sister... Well, once she was born, time moved from light speed to warp speed. The past ten months have been a blur of milestones, birthdays, and holidays. And now it's Christmas. Where did the time go? Thank God I have a camera (or three) to overdocument every single moment, or I might think that it was all a dream.

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Since becoming a family, Vince and I have developed a few holiday traditions. Each year, we send out our holiday cards right after Thanksgiving. Each year, we add a new ornament to the tree that consists of a picture of the family inside a frame with the year on it. But one of our favorite traditions involves going out for a holiday dim sum with our dear friends and neighbors the Bowens.
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This tradition started the first year we met them. Benjamin was 10 months old, and Nolan was just over a year.

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It continued the following year when the boys were about two.
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Now, it's not just the two boys anymore. It's three boys, along with a little girl. In another year or two, there might be another little boy or girl in the mix. Just kidding, Vince! I know you said the baby factory's closed.
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Despite the changes, some things do stay the same!

. Another wonderful tradition we have is spending time celebrating Christmas with our good friends Deb and George. They come over to our place to share a meal and also to spoil the kids rotten with too many presents.
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This year was no different - they came over for brunch on Christmas Eve and brought with them a ridiculous amount of gifts!
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Although the kids loved the new toys, what they really enjoyed was just hanging out with their favorite auntie and uncle.
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We spent the rest of Christmas Eve getting ready for the big day to come. That evening, we attended a candlelight service at my in-laws' church and then came home to relax.

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Rather, I relaxed, and Vince used some very un-Christmas-like language while attempting to assemble what was to be the kids' big gift.
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All that sweating and cursing was not in vain - their faces lit up when they saw the beribboned wagon on Christmas morning. We actually had to persuade them to get out of it so they could open the rest of their gifts. Actually, Benjamin was the only one we had to persuade. Calliope had no idea what was going on.
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Being only 10 months old, we expected her to enjoy the boxes and wrapping more than her actual gifts, but she surprised us by really taking to her new Remo floor tom.
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Benjamin's favorite gift was his Zoob set. He got to work right away building himself a little car.
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Calliope enjoyed playing with the Zoobs, too. Only she didn't build a car; she built a toothbrush.
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Later, we took the new wagon for a stroll around the neighborhood. There was almost no one out, and it was so quiet and serene. The only sounds were those of the wagon wheels turning on the hard concrete, Calliope giggling in her seat, and Benjamin giving us a running commentary on everything he saw. "Mama! Look!! A tree! A big tree! Mama, a car! A big red car! Car go VROOM! Oh, Daddy! DADDY, LOOK, A SQUIRREL! Squirrel go JUMPJUMPJUMP--" Ok, nevermind. Let's go back to that serenity.
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That evening, we went to Vince's parents' house for Christmas dinner. After stuffing ourselves silly with ham and sweet potatoes, we opened gifts. Tons and tons of gifts. It felt like each of us had a veritable mountain of gifts to get through.
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The kids definitely had fun unwrapping all those presents, but I think what they really enjoyed was just spending time with one another.

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So I guess I've learned a few lessons this Christmas...

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Lesson #1: Holiday traditions are awesome. Let's keep 'em going!

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Lesson #2: The presence of loved ones mean far more to us than their presents, which is a good thing, because...

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Lesson #3: Sharing Christmas presents can be difficult. For some of us anyway.

Happy Holidays, everyone!!

Little Old Friends

After Benjamin's birth, I signed up for the SAHM's version of Match.com: Gymboree. As you may recall, we were in the same class as another mom and baby, Catherine and Lucy. Benjamin was about six weeks old, and Lucy was about four months old. At that time, our playdates were easy to schedule, but then naptimes, doctor visits, baby classes, and life in general got in the way, and it became tougher to stay in touch.
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Flash forward two years. Both Benjamin and Lucy are in preschool. Since both kids would be on winter break at the same time, we decided that the time was right to finally get together. Brooke and Presley, two other alumnae from the same Gymboree class, joined us for our long-overdue reunion. We met at Cath's gorgeous house in Santa Monica. Though it had been a long time since the three kids had hung out together, they had a great time.
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At the end of the playdate, we lined them up against a wall and snapped some pics. We marveled at how these same three preschoolers used to be incapable of doing little more than lay on a blanket and drool.
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It's amazing how much things can change in just two years!

Broadway Baby

Last week was the yearly holiday celebration at Benjamin's preschool. Parents were invited to attend, and we were treated to coffee, breakfast, and a musical performance by the students. The kids had been preparing for weeks, but the actual songs were to be a surprise for the parents. I tried asking Benjamin what he'd be singing, and he replied, "The Calliope Song." Hmmm... Either he's pulling my leg, or he hasn't been paying attention in class.
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Before the show started, Benjamin and Nolan sat excitedly with us in the audience. I sensed they were a little nervous. Were they getting pre-show jitters? Were they anxious about singing in front of such a large group of people?
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One person who had no problems whatsover getting up in front of a crowd was Calliope. Here she is shamelessly flashing her chubby diaper butt for all to see. It's not that kind of a show, Calliope!

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Pretty soon, it was showtime. One by one, the kids lined up on the stage and began singing. Rather, most of the kids began singing, and a few of them - including Benjamin and Nolan - stood there looking like deer caught in headlights.
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Maybe they were being stunned by the flashbulbs of the parent paparazzi.
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Fortunately, it didn't take long for them to loosen up and get into the holiday groove. My favorite number was a rollicking preschool version of "Jingle Bells," complete with accompanying hand choreography.

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After the show was over, the kids took a bow and exited the stage. Benjamin, however, returned to perform a solo encore consisting of a series of intricate dance moves that ended with his butt high in the air. Hey, Benjamin - like I told your sister earlier, it's not that kind of show!

Non-Stop November: Part 3

Calliope watches her Uncle Ree slay some bad guys on the Xbox. Yes, Calliope - boys will be boys.

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The month of November was a busy one for the Chan Clan, but by far the coolest thing that happened in the midst of all the madness was that my little brother Leon (AKA"Ree") came to LA for a visit. When I found out that he would be spending his first Thanksgiving as a father alone (his wife and son were on an extended stay in Singapore with his in-laws), I told him he should come to LA to be with family. So he booked his flight and arrived on Thanksgiving, just in time...

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...to take this picture of Vince's family. Thanks, Ree!
. Of course, the purpose of his visit was not only to serve as Chan family photographer. Leon was also here to meet his niece for the first time. As soon as he saw her, his voice went up about five octaves, and he squealed "Aw, Calliopeeeeee!! Hi, Calliopeeeeeeee!" It was as though he was going through puberty all over again. He was so smitten by her chubby cheeks and dimply drooliness that he called his wife Claire to inform her that they would not stop having kids until they had a daughter. Sorry, Claire!

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The day after Thanksgiving, we headed to the malls for some Christmas shopping. While I ran around scoring Black Friday deals, Leon bonded with the Boo and Calliope. They took to their Uncle Ree right away, which I think was due in part to the fact that he was willing to shell out seven bucks for that double-decker fire truck stroller that I've always been too cheap to pay for. Gee, thanks Uncle Ree - way to make Mommy look like a cheap bastard.

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We also took my brother to Third Street. We started out on the Promenade, where we ran into some friendly Santa Monica Firemen. Look at how hot they look... in all that heavy gear.

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For lunch, we stopped at a fancy-ish restaurant where I got distracted and accidentally dropped Calliope on her face. Luckily, she was fine. In fact, the above pic was taken after she fell. See how happy she looks? Water under the bridge! The only thing that was damaged by her unfortunate spill was my credibility as a mother. I swear I saw another diner pull out her cell phone and dial CPS.
. On Sunday evening, it was time for Uncle Ree to board his plane and head back to Kansas City. I think Benjamin was pretty bummed. He'd gotten used to riding up high on Leon's shoulders. Sorry to disappoint you Benjamin, but I don't think it would be a good idea for Mommy to try doing that. She might get distracted and drop you on your face.
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So that wraps up the third and final installment of my November recap. Yeah, yeah, I realize that we're already halfway through December, but give me a break - last month was a killer! It took me a good two weeks to recover from my November madness and finally feel like I'm ready for the holidays. Christmas, here we come!

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Non-Stop November: Part 2

One of the reasons why this month is so busy for us is because we know a lot of people with November birthdays. That's a lot of Scorpios, which means that's a lot of parties, because if there's one thing that we Scorpios love, it's partying. Yeah, baby!

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The first birthday we celebrated was my best friend Deb's. Now, Deb and I go way back. Waaaay back. Back to the days when Deb was still working at CBS and I was still dating white guys. Then, we used to really do it up on our birthdays. And though eventually she quit working at CBS and I stopped dating white dudes and started dating hot Chinese accountants, we continued to celebrate our birthdays in high style. Here we are at our joint birthday party in 2005:

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Look at those drinks! They're the size of our heads! No wonder I look so... happy in these pictures.

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Clockwise from top left: Benjamin, Matt, Jay, Baby Vivi, Vince, and Calliope; the Boo with Auntie Deb; Brian and George at the grill; Calliope and Deb
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Even though our birthday parties involve fewer kamikazes these days, they're still a whole lot of fun. I would say that they're even more fun than they used to be, because now we have more people to celebrate them with. Small, chubby people named Benjamin and Calliope. Here we are celebrating Deb's birthday with a poolside barbeque.
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The next November birthday we celebrated was buddy Nolan's. He had his party at a nifty indoor playground called The Little Barn. We all dressed up in our farmy best and had a blast sitting on bales of hay (the Bowens, above left), getting hugged by James (Calliope, above right), and shoveling imaginary piles of manure (Benjamin and Sydney, bottom).
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After The Little Barn, we headed to Pasadena for yet another birthday celebration. This one was for Cecilia, the daughter of Vince's old fraternity brother John. The party was also a joint baby shower for John's wife Nina who is expecting their third baby. Bravo, guys, bravo! Or should I say, brave, guys, brave!

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A week later, we attended the birthday party of siblings Maxwell and Novella. Like Nolan's party, theirs also had a theme: ninjas. Never one to turn down an opportunity to appear publicly in costume, I made sure that all of us dressed up. Even Calliope went as a little baby ninja.
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Vince's ninja gear helped him to run this obstacle course at lightning speed. You can see that he's a hair's breadth farther ahead than his competitor, Max and Novella's dad Sammy, who is dressed as a mere civilian.
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To round out the ninja festivities, there was a big ninja pinata (a ninjata, perhaps?). Most of the kids had a great time whacking the bejesus out of it, but Benjamin seemed disturbed by the whole thing.
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At the end of the month, we celebrated one final birthday - mine. Yup, yours truly turned 35 last month, and my girlfriends Julie, Mona, Deb, Tanya, and Brooke surprised me with tickets to see a show fitting a woman of my age: the national tour of So You Think You Can Dance. After all, nothing says, "God, it's good to be 35!" like watching a gaggle of limber young twenty-somethings spin, flip, and contort in ways that I haven't been able to since W's first term in office.

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The day before my birthday, Deb gave me yet another surprise: she'd taken the songs that I'd written for my kids - "Benjamin Baby," "The Booby Song," and "Little Calliope" - and written instrumental scores for them. Her husband George designed CD covers, and their roommate Brian mixed the tracks. I was floored by their collective talents and completely touched by their thoughtfulness. It was one of the sweetest birthday gifts I've ever received. Thank you, guys!

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On my actual birthday, Vince treated me to some shopping at Century City Mall. I wound up buying myself two shirts, but the real treat was watching him juggle both kids in a crowded public place so that I could shop in peace. I have to admit that it was hard to contain my glee at watching him sweat under the pressure. YES! Feel my pain!

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I guess it wasn't that nice of me to laugh at my hubby, especially since a few days later, he threw me a terrific birthday bash. It was at a karaoke bar where we got to enjoy sushi, sake, and the vocal stylings of Shawn Bowen. The only way the evening would have been more perfect is if the waitress would have carded me for my drinks. Perhaps that was asking for a bit too much, but a girl - or a 35-year-old mother of two - can dream, can't she?

Non-Stop November: Part 1

I've been a slacker when it comes to posting on this blog lately. I'd been consistently writing about every painfully minute detail of my life to the tune of two or three posts a week, but it's been over a week since my last post. The reason why I haven't been able to maintain my usual level of virtual verbal diarrhea is because the month of November is nuts for me. NUTS! We know about a dozen people who were born in November (yours truly included!), which means that there are a dozen birthdays to celebrate. Add to that the fact that holiday madness starts Thanksgiving weekend, and the result is that I've had no time to do anything - include clean my house, take a shower or write.
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In the midst of all the madness, we still managed to fit in time to go to playdates. We kicked off the November craziness by meeting up in Ozone Park for a playdate with other families from our preschool.
. Calliope was still too little to play on the equipment, but Benjamin's classmate James kept her company on the sidelines.

.Not wanting to make her feel left out, I made sure that to take Calliope to playdates that she could participate in, too. One of the days her brother was in school, we met her friend Travis for a magic show at the local mall. I personally found the magician to be a bit odd...
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...but Calliope and Travis didn't seem to mind him one bit!

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We enjoyed hanging out in our fair hamlet of Playa Vista, too. One balmy Sunday afternoon, we met our friends the Lais and the Keefers at what I like to call the "Body Jewelry Playground."
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And there's that James with Calliope again! Hmmm... Two sightings together in a single blog post. I wonder if I need to keep an eye on these two. I'm sure you're thinking that Calliope is a little too young to be getting into boy trouble, and you're probably right. After all, I was at least ten or eleven before my parents started worrying about me.
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Stay tuned for more on our Non-Stop November!