My first steps

I took my first steps on December 14th, just one day after my 10-month 'anniversary'. It was a Friday so Daddy had the privillege of being the one who witnessed it first. 

When Mommy got home from work that evening, she was so happy to hear about my big milestone. Daddy was trying to get me to demonstrate it again; however, I was so eager to see her that I quickly chose the 'short cut' - I got down on my four and started crawling towards her!

The next day Mommy got to see the real thing as I was cruising around the coffee table and around the queen bed in one bedroom. (As you can see in the picture, I was actually 'admiring' myself standing on my feet in front of the mirror!)

At one point, she took a video of me walking and when all is counted, I had made as many as 16 steps all on my own in that several seconds. 

Grandma said Daddy started walking when he was 8 months old. Ok, so I'm two months behind; however I'm already playing with the famous iPhone and iMac, and even have had my first overseas trip to the Netherlands two weeks ago! These are definitely where I'm way ahead :-)

By the way, this time next week I'll be in a plane heading to India, and then Vietnam, to see my families there for the first time. I can't wait to be there! 

(To my aunties in Vietnam: Mommy has been missing you both so much. It's been two full  years she hasn't seen you. Beware of her when you see her at the airport. Her bear hugs may make you scream in pain!)

My first fever

It's been a long time my Mommy has written a post entry for me. She's been so busy between work and me that she bary has time to do anything else. I can't complain though, as I love to play with her when she's back from work. We can't seem to have enough of each other during those few hours everyday...

Anyway, I've been having this fever since the past Sunday. Mom woke up in the morning and without a thermometer she could tell I was much warmer than usual. By that evening, my temparature soared to approx. 102F. Mom and Dad had quite a panic - it's †he first time this has happened to me and they didn't quite know what to do except for calling my doctor for an urgent appointment on Monday morning.

When I saw Dr. Moureaux, I started to cry when she examined my ears, nose, etc. My body was aching and I just wanted to stay in my Mommy's arms. I also had to pee so the doctor could test my urine sample. For some reason, I couldn't pee for more than an hour. Poor Mom and Dad having to wait so long... Finally, Dad had a trick. He took off my socks, and use a wet wipe to wipe my feet. It worked! He's quite a smart guy! Luckily Dr. Moureaux said all was fine after examining my urine sample.

Since then I've been pampered even more... Everyone in the family - Daddy, Mommy, Grandpa, Grandma - wants to make sure I have all I want and that I don't cry. I think I've leveraged this new found power quite well :-) Daddy said I've been spoilt. Mommy admitted that she herself had claimed being sick from time to time, just to get some special treats from her Mommy. Oh well...

My first tooth has finally arrived!

Mommy came home from work today to a big suprise - the much anticipated arrival of my very first tooth.

Grandma was very proud and happy to announce the news to Mom and Dad. Mom was lucky to have a glance at the growing tooth right away. Daddy was eager to see as well and he was trying to make me laugh. However my cute tongue got in the way and blocked the view of the tooth when I laughed so that effort went no where. He then had to serve his fingers up for me to bite on so he could feel the tooth.

This tooth is in the lower left hand side. Some more will probably come soon. Even without teeth I'm already tasting so many foods - chicken, beef, sweet potatoes, bananas, ice cream, creme brulee, etc. Now that I start to have teeth coming I'm eager to take on even more new tastes and textures.

(Disclaimer: This picture here is just one of the latest ones I have, not a photo taken today. It's hard to see my first tooth as it is just making its appearance. You'll have to wait for some time till I can post a photo of it here.)

First time on the beach

I must have been one of very few babies who have ventured to the beach at only 4.5-month old.

It was on Saturday July 1st that Mom and Dad brought me and my Grandparents to Asharoken (Long Island, NY) to visit Arleen and Martin. Asharoken is a beautiful village right by LI sound. Everything is so quaint and pretty, including the Police station and the Fire Department house. Each house has its own private beach. Martin's house also has a really nice backyard overloooking a bay where you can see the tide comes and goes twice everyday. It was here that Mom and Dad had their wedding back in August 2002.

The day was beautiful with lots of sunshine and cool summer breeze. Not long after we arrived, I found myself sitting on papa Martin's lap and enjoying time with him on the hammock. Zachary and Gabriella - two of Arleen's and Martin's grandchildren - were running around playing with so many toys in the garden.

After lunch, we headed to the beach. Papa Martin first put my feet into the water. The water was still quite cold. (It often takes several months after the winter for the ocean to warm up). However, I enjoyed hearing the sound of the waves for the first time in my life, and looking at the little waves rushing onto the shore. Zachary and Gabriella were eagerly cheering around me as well. They seemed to be just as excited seeing me experiencing the ocean for the very first time...

It was so cool to have all the beach to ourselves - just the four of us. Oh, and Mom and Dad as well so that made six of us. Time flies... Just about a year ago Mommy was swimming here; her tummy was still small at the time as I was only a few-week-old fetus then. Now I'm here excitingly jumping up and down, testing the water and the sand with my own little feet already. I can't wait to go back here more often while the summer is still here.

4th-month well-baby visit

I met my pretty French doctor, Dr. Moureaux, again on June 13th for my 4th- month visit. Daddy was in Dallas for a training so Mommy took me there with my Grandparents.

We arrived in the city almost an hour early so we took a walk in Central Park. It was so good being in the park again, seeing all the strollers with beaming parents and grandparents around, breathing the fresh air. In the Great Lawn a stage was being set for an Opera performance in the evening. Too bad we are not 'New Yorkers' anymore so it would be difficult to stay for the performance! We also took lots of photos. The park was not as stunning as it was several months before with all the cherry and white pear blossoms; however it was still very beautiful.

When we arrived at Dr. Moureaux's office, I got my weight, height, and head circumference measured again, as usual. I now weigh 17 lbs 10 oz; measure 26.5'', which still put me at the 90th percentile. Dr. Moureaux was very glad. She kept saying, 'oh the boy is so big; he is growing very handsomely.' When she saw me craning my neck on the examine table, she told Mom that I would be able to roll over soon. Mom smiled telling her that I had already mastered this trick for the past two weeks.

Then came the most fearsome part of the visit - the immunization shots. I was too excited looking around and too busy smiling and cooing with Dr. Moureaux so I didn't bother to suck on the special pacifier which was filled with sugared water that Mom had prepared for me. Thus, the shots came with such a pain that I screamed and cried. Tear drops were rolling down my cheeks and the crying was so loud that Mom could harldy talk to Dr. Moureaux. Grandma had to take me outside to the waiting room to comfort me. Perhaps it was also more painful because Daddy was not around this time to console me. He was very worried about all the shots that I would have to take this time and had called Mom several times to see how I was doing.

Like the last time, I have been doing quite well this time. Except for somewhat higher-than-normal temperature in the morning, I still laugh and play a lot. The only thing I haven't been able to do is rolling over. It's still a bit painful on my thighs where the shots were injected. Just need to wait a few more days, I guess...

Rolling over for the first time

Last Friday (June 1st) marked the first time I have been able to roll over.

My grandparents came here from India just few days before. They were standing in the new apartment we've just moved into, talking to Mom and Dad and watching me playing on my GymMini when all of a sudden they saw me lying on my side trying to roll.

I've been trying this new thing several times without success so I thought this would be just another try. Suprisingly, this time I made it. Once I was on my tummy, I heard a round of applause from the 'spectators'. They were thrilled, especially my grandparents, having witnessed this big milestone. From that day on I've been enjoying this new found fun so much that I even try to roll when Mom puts me on the changing pad, making it so difficult for her to change diaper for me...

I've also been 'eyeing' the lunch plates and dinner plates very keenly as well. One time I even grabbed Mom's spoon, then tried to grab some rice to put into my mouth. Mom said this was the sign that I might be ready for solid foods soon. Can't wait to taste what life has to offer beyond the same old milk and formula I've been having for months now!

Grandma Arleen & Grandpa Martin

Mom and Dad brought me to Grandma Arleen's and Grandpa Martin's apartment in the East Village last Monday for a dinner with them. This was the third time I've been there. The first time was when I was exactly one month old. We arrived there at exactly 9.05pm, the time I was born, and the visit was a nice surprise to them. The second time was about several weeks after that. They 'volunteered' to baby sit me so Mom and Dad could have a nice dinner out, just the two of them. They went to Alta, Mom's favorite tapas restaurant at the corner of 10th st. and 6th Ave, while I was enjoying my time playing with Arleen and Martin.

Arleen & Martin are very special to us. They are our family here in the US, and they love Mom and Dad as their own children. Papa Martin even insists that I loook like him :-)

Whenever someone asks what has brought us together - an American Jewish couple and an Indian/Vietnamese Catholic couple - we often smile and start with, 'It's a long story...' All I can say here is that when Mom and Dad met them for the first time back in 2002, through a connection with Uncle Peter - Dad's brother in Indonesia, the four of them immediately felt in love with one another. Dad often jokingly 'complains' that Arleen and Martin fell in love with Mom and since then Dad's role has been chauffeuring Mom to see them every now and then.

Since then they have been with us in all of our milestones as a family. They hosted Mom's and Dad's wedding in their weekend house in Long Island; they joined Mom and Dad to Vietnam soon after to attend their wedding in Vietnam; they were there in the Labor and Delivery room with Mom and Dad waiting for me to be born; they were the first ones in the family to hear me crying upon arrival; and they called Mom and Dad almost everyday in the first several weeks thereafter to make sure we were doing ok.

I feel very much at home whenever I'm with them. I'm looking forwards to this summer to visit their house in Long Island and play on the beach with Papa Martin, together with all his grandchildren and especially with Adam who was born just 3 months ahead of me. (Mom actually bought two sets of identical HBS body suits with matching socks - one for me and one for Adam. You can see my photo in it here.) By then my grandparents from India will also be here and I'll be the happiest baby on earth with four grandparents by my side!

One month 'anniversary' of my first immunization round

This time a month ago I was sitting on Daddy's laps crying after getting 3 immunization shots in one well-baby visit.

Mom and Dad were quite anxious before the visit; especially Mom. She was anxious even a month earlier when the doctor told her that I would get my first round of immunization in the 1st month visit to the office.

Coincidentally, Mom and Dad read an article titled 'Just a spoonfull of sugar...' on the Wall Street Journal on April 2nd, which mentioned a tip that giving an infant a spoonful of sugar (dissolved in water, of course) right before taking the shots will help reduce the pain significantly. And so they did. They brought me to see Dr. Moureaux, 'armed' with a special pacifier designed for giving medicine to babies (they filled it with the sugared water in this case) and a bottle of Tylenol infant drops.

The first shot came as a surprise to me as I never felt something like that before. I was a bit shocked but didn't cry much as I didn't quite understand what was happening. The sugared water must have helped as well. The second one 'taught me' the 'strange' feeling I felt was in deed a painful feeling. My crying then was a bit longer; but again the sugared water helped. Just as I thought it was over, Dr. Moureaux gave the third one. This time I screamed!!! Luckily, that was the last one. The intense sweet sensation (also was very new to me) from the sugared water soon comforted me again.

The bandages that I had afterwards were actually quite cool. They had Elmo image printed all over. It looked as if I had Elmo tattoos on my legs! (You can see the Elmo image if you zoom in on the photo.)

Mom and Dad were afraid that I would had fever following the shots; however, everything went well and I only had to take Tylenol drops three times or so to soothe the uncomfortable feeling. Dad said I was very strong and I must have killed all the bacteria/viruses instantly!

The next round will be a month from now. Dr. Moureaux said that till I'm 18 years old, I'll probably get a total of 15 shots or so. Oh well... The only thing that makes me feel better is that everyone has to go through these and they have all survived!

Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day today! Dad and I went out to shop for a gift for Mom this afternoon; while she thought we were just out for a walk as usual. She thought we had forgotten about this occasion; even she herself used to forget she was now a mother, till Arleen reminded her the other day. (Arleen & Martin Richter are two very special people to us. I'll have a separate blog entry for them at another time.)

We bought a very nice top for Mom from Victoria's Secret. Dad even helped me write on the bag the line 'Happy Mother's Day'. You can imagine how the handwriting of a 3-month-old boy looks like...

When Mom opened the door for us, she couldn't believe her eyes. There I was, happily sitting in the Baby Bjorn carrier, carrying the Victoria's Secret bag in my hand. She was so touched to see how the two men (ok, 'one and a half' then, to be exact :-)) cared so much for her, and how this has really made her feel so appreciated as a Mother. She gave me and Dad lots of hugs and kisses. It's great seeing her so happy!

My first 12-hour sleep at night

Mom was elated this morning when I woke up at 7.15 am and she saw all the feeding bottles still on the rack - a sign that Dad didn't feed me last night around midnight as usual. My last bottle yesterday was around 7.30 pm, right after Dad gave me a bath. Wow, I'm really a BIG BOY now, sleeping for 12 hours straight!!!
Just a month ago, in my 2nd month's visit to Dr. Moureaux, she said that I should be able to sleep about 10 - 12 hours at night by the time I reached 3-month mark. Mom and Dad was in disbelief, as that sounded too good to be true, given that I still had 1 - 2 feedings at night back then. Tomorrow I'll be 3-month old; so Dr. Moureaux has it absolutely right.
Mom was so happy; at the same time a bit worried that I was very hungry. I was, in deed. I finished all the 7 ounces she gave me; while I only took in 6 ounces at a time before.
By the way, I take timing and scheduling very seriously. When Mom was close to the due date, Dad prayed that I would give him time to complete his project which was going crazily hectic at that time. The project finished on Feb 12th; at 2am on Feb 13th Mom had water broke. Dad got exactly what he wished for; the only thing was that he had no time to rest. After several nights of having conference calls with his colleagues in Asia working on the project, he was in for a long string of almost sleepless nights with my arrival.
Also talking about staying on schedule, my feeding times are very predictable: 7 am - 11 am - 3 pm - 7 pm - 11 pm. Of course there are some 15 - 30 minutes plus or minus around each time but in general I'm very on schedule. Mom and Dad often joke that they don't need to have clocks in the apartment anymore! Now that I can sleep much longer at night,I can take in more each time (7 - 8 oz) so I can drop the 11 pm feeding. It just takes a bit longer to drink more; and I need to have some play time about half way through. I love that though - stretching my arms and legs, having my little massage, cooing and playing with Mom and Dad, or sometimes just snoring :-)
p/s: In the picture you see here, I was having the 'micro fiber' blanket (a gift from Vankatesh and Vanitha in Toronto) on me and a pacifier in my mouth. These two are often my companions in nap times. They give me comfort in the beginning; however, I often spit out the pacifier and kick the blanket off after a while. And I don't want to tug my arms underneath the blanket. Never ever. No matter how hard Mom and Dad try to wrap the blanket around me, I often pull my arms out and put them on top of the blanket right away.

Cherry blossoms in Central Park

I saw cherry blossoms for the first time in my life (:-) the Sunday before last, when Mom and Dad took me to Central Park for a walk as usual.

The park seemed to glow in the vibrant colors of so many cherry trees blossoming at the same time. Most of them were in pink while a few were in white. They all looked like beautiful princesses showing off gorgeous gowns.

Spring came a bit late this year. There were few cherry blossoms earlier in April but the unusually cold weather then soon shut them off. Now, after several weeks later, the cherry trees were so eager to come out, and so quick to come out, that the park was transformed literally overnight.

There were so many people in the park that day. They were all beaming with smiles and laughter. I heard Mom humming the song 'It's a wonderful world'. It is, in deed.

Nice Matin & Central Park

It's been cold and rainy in the past two days, after wonderful weather Spring brought us last Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately, Mom and Dad and I have taken full advantage of the weekend and have had great time.

We spent Saturday apartment hunting in NJ. It was nice to see so many different places and meet so many people. I really like the place Mom and Dad have selected. It has a big beautiful swimming pool and Mom has already been very excited about playing with me in the pool.

The best part was Sunday though. We went out for brunch at Nice Matin, a French restaurant in our neighborhood. It has great food, very friendly (and good looking) staff, charming decoration; thus is always crowded in the weekends. We were lucky to have a table after only 10 minutes wait. It was great sitting by the window enjoying sunshine and watching people basking in the excitement of the newly arrived Spring season. Mom had a crab meat salad and a glass of freshly made lemonade with a hint of mint. Dad ordered steak and beer - his favorites for brunch time. We all knew that we would be moving out of this lovely city soon so were all enjoying every moment in this last several weeks as residents here.

After brunch, we headed to Central Park. Daddy put me on his laps and we sat by the lake watching people boating, horse riding, bicycling, jogging, etc. Michelle, my cousin in Indonesia, is very fond of taking a horse ride in Central Park. Uncle Peter, though lamenting about the $40 or so it costs for each ride, has always been very happy to treat her to some whenever they visit New York.

While Dad and I were enjoying our guys' time together, Mommy was busy talking on the phone with aunty Thang, who was calling from Vietnam asking her about things to prepare for her trip here in July. She will start her 2-year MBA at Carlson School in August. I can't wait to meet her. The other aunty I have in Vietnam, aunty Thu, will probably be very 'jealous' not being able to see me that soon. Mom loves them dearly and so do I. I'm looking forwards to the day when I can go to Vietnam and see Mom's family there. Mom and Dad are aiming for this coming Christmas-New Year season to bring me there. I can't wait...

The first time I've played with a toy

Mom was in for a nice surprise today when I played with a toy, actively and fully engaged, for the first time.

It was past noon and I had just had my 'lunch'. I was lying on the Maclaren rocker, happily enjoying the vibration that was gently rocking and massaging my body. The rocker's toy bar has 3 stuff animals: from right to left - an elephant with purple ears and tail, a puppy with blue ears and tail, and a rabbit with pink ears and tail. Each would make rattling sounds when it is touched. Often Mom would just swing them one after another while lulling me to sleep, and I would just passively look at them or even ignore them altogether.

However, today, for the first time, I reached out with my right arm and used my own hand to swing the elephant, imitating what Mom was doing. To Mom's delight, I did that repeatedly, clearly enjoying the rattling sounds I was creating with every swing. Dad also noticed that and he was equally surprised and happy. He asked Mom to try the rabbit on the far left and see if I would use my left hand as well. The rabbit for some reason (manufacturing defect?) doesn't make the rattling sound so that did not catch my attention.

Later in the afternoon I also used my hands to grab Daddy's T-shirt's V-neck, pulling it repeatedly to get his attention. He was busy talking with Mommy at the time and didn't notice that I was making a lot of lovely cooing sounds to him. Boy, it's tough to try to turn his attention away from the beautiful women he seems to be always busy talking to. However, at least I got to practice using my hands in different ways...

Dr. Farris Fahmy

Last Saturday Mom and Dad brought me to see Dr. Fahmy in his office at 161 Ft. Washington Ave., New York, NY 10032. He is Mom's Ob-Gyn doctor and was the one who helped deliver me.

It was interesting being in the room where Mom has been to so many time over the past year for prenatal check up. Dad pointed to the stethoscope and told me about the exciting moment back in July last year when they first heard my heart beats in this room, soon after they came back from a vacation in Dominican Republic. Dad said that Mom had a good laugh when she first heard my heart beats as they were very fast and she found it amusing. She only knew by then that fetal heart beats are much faster than those in an adult. 10 times faster, I think...

After a while, Dr. Fahmy walked into the room and he was so happy to see me. Finally, here is the little one who gave him a headbutt from inside the uterus when he was checking Mom's labor progress. Dr. Fahmy then joked and said I was like Zidane :-) He told Mom and Dad he was not surprised at all that I've become such a big boy (I'm currently at 90th percentile of babies my age in both weight and height, as measured in my 2-month well baby visit recently) since I was very strong and healthy the whole time I was inside Mom's tummy.

I felt so good when he held me against his chest. Isn't it cool being held by the very person who delivered you to the world?

My first Easter

The past two days were so exciting and memorable for me...

It started on Good Friday when Mommy brought me upstairs to Beth's apartment, upon the enthusiastic request of all the ladies there. There must have been 12 of them or so, all very pretty and sweet. Beth Kelley is one of the sponsors for Mom and Brooke Davey as they embark on the RCIA journey, and yesterday she was having these ladies in her Rosary group over for praying. It was the first time I had ever been surrounded by so many people, especially so many ladies. One of them was having a crush on me (and I have to say I like her too). She was holding me and rocking me slightly from side to side, and I really enjoyed resting my head on her shoulder. Before we left, Beth gave me a very cute body suit with an embroidered image of the Noah's Ark. Mom said she would dress me in this lovely outfit the next day to attend the Paschal Vigil at 8pm, when she would receive Baptism, Confirmation, and the First Communion.

Then came the important event - the Paschal Vigil. The church (Holy Trinity Church of Manhattan, at 213 W 82nd St., New York, NY 10024) was very dark when we arrived and everyone was very quiet. I also tried not make any noise. Mom was busy rehearsing with Gary Gushing (the 'teacher' in the RCIA process) and Brooke and Liz at the altar. She seemed a bit nervous but was beaming with excitement. After a while, the whole church was lit up by numerous candles, which were lit up from the light of the Paschal Candle. It was such a beautiful scene!

I was quietly soaking in all the details of the event, till the choir started singing. I've been to church several times so I'm used to the choir singing. However, this time there were drums and trumpets and harps and so many other instruments playing and the music, though joyful, was too loud for my tiny ear drums at times. Poor Daddy, having to bring me outside whenever I cried too loud... Druanna, another sponsor, wanted to make sure Mom didn't get too anxious so she kept telling Mom that I was very cute even when I cried. (By the way, this is the link to the portrait of me when I had my first tear drop. You can see how cute I am :-)

After the ceremony, all of us (Gary, all the four sponsors - Beth, Bill, Druanna, John, Brooke, Liz, Mom, our families) attended a celebration prepared to welcome the newly admitted members of the church. I met the lady who fell in love with me at Beth's apartment again. This time I was busy getting to know so many people that I didn't really have time to spend with her. Father Koterski first picked me up and held me close to his chest when I was crying. I was feeling a big overwhelmed at first by the presence of so many people. His deep voice quickly calmed me down. Then Druanna held me in her arms for a while. She was the one who had lovingly knitted me a pair of socks. These were her first baby socks and I feel very grateful for the gift. Then Beth also had some time holding me, before I landed on Monsignor Leonard's arms. He was the one who conducted the whole ceremony and performed all the three Sacraments for Mommy, as well as for Brooke. I felt very honored being held by him. Then I was back into Daddy's arms, busying charming Brooke's Mom - a very elegant lady - with my cooing and smiling. Brooke and Greg, who were to get married in 2 weeks from now, looked absolutely happy and excited. I wondered when it would be my turn to have a bride and to plan for my honeymoon :-)

We didn't get home till around midnight. Mom seemed to be happily 'jealous' that I had 'hijacked' all the attention from her (and from Brooke and Liz for that matter) at the celebration. Daddy kept saying I was such a lucky guy having had such a memorable and meaningful first Easter. That is not to mention that I went to this Holy Trinity Church on the very first Sunday of my life, followed by St. Patrick's on the second Sunday of my life (to attend the Election of all Catechumens in New York). Bill, one of the sponsors, used to joke that my next church visit would be to Rome!

In deed, I do feel very blessed. Mom started conceiving me in late May last year, soon after she contacted Gary to join the RCIA. And now, as I was approaching my 2-month-old milestone, her RCIA journey reached the pinnacle with the Easter celebration and Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion for her. I'm glad I've been with her throughout the journey!

For more photos from yesterday's celebration, please view my Easter 2007 album.

Daddy's new 'laptop'

Mommy often says that I'm such a Daddy's boy. I love sleeping on his chest for my evening nap, lying on his laps and playing with him in the morning, or just sitting with him by the window watching the hustle bustle outside - all the restaurants that line up our block and their patrons, most of them young families with kids. Daddy thinks I can just sit here and check out the 'chicks' - the little girls passing by in their strollers.

Daddy is very good in taking care of me. He knows exactly what I want most of the time. He can give me a bath all by himself; followed by a full body massage with baby oil. He rocks me to sleep in no time. Mommy, while is very grateful for this, also worries that she may have a hard time entertaining me if he ever goes on an extended business trip. At least for now he works from home so I have a lot of Daddy's time with him.

A rainy day

It's been raining since early in the morning today. That means Mommy and I won't probably go to the park, or she will need to wear me using the Baby Bjorn so she can free up one hand to carry an umbrella for us.

I love being snuggled inside the Baby Bjorn and being so close to Mommy's chest that I can hear her breathing just like what I did when I was inside her tummy. However, Mommy still has a bit of a lower back ache so she can't walk all that long wearing me. Often we would just walk a few blocks down on Broadway if I'm not in a stroller.

Talking about the neighborhood... Mom and Dad already feel sad that we'll have to move to a new place by end of May - a bigger place so I can have my own room, and my grandparents from India can come visit us for a few months. It's often the case that people move out of Manhattan when they have babies, as apartment renting here is quite expensive, and often too small to have space for all the stuff that comes with a baby. You know, infant car seat, stroller, rocker, bassinet, changing table, etc.

The neighborhood is lovely so I'm sure we'll come back to visit it quite often. Mommy already plans to enroll me in a swimming class at the JCC on 76th St. and Amsterdam once I'm 4-month old. That's the minimum age requirement. She loves swimming and I can't wait to try it out as well. We are both Aquarials so perhaps that's why we like swimming...

My first post

Hi,
This is my first post that Mommy has helped me to write. I'm exactly 7 weeks old today (April 3rd, 2007).

Mommy and Daddy are thrilled with things I can already do at this age: walking the whole length of the diaper changing pad (with Daddy's support, of course), turning my head to the direction of sound (especially Mommy's or Daddy's voice), winking at girls :-) (see picture), charming all the ladies I've met in the neighborhood whenever Daddy takes me out for a walk (or maybe they are just charmed by Daddy?!), smiling and cooing especially in the morning, dancing with Daddy to the music in his iPod, etc.

It's already spring time so Mommy often takes me out to Central Park for a walk. Two days ago I even had a 'date' with Kate - Molly's daughter. Molly is one of Mommy's best friends from Harvard and her family now is just a block away from us so it's really convenient to meet up with them. Today, however, since Mommy is busy setting up this blog for me, and I am enjoying having an afternoon nap with Daddy so perhaps we won't go to the park today. Or maybe three of us can go for a short walk in the neighborhood early in the evening...

I'm really excited now that I have this blog. Although I can't write (yet) but Mommy and Daddy will help me post news in my days to this blog. This way my family in India, Vietnam, and Indonesia can log in and share news with me everyday.

A week from now, exactly next Thursday which is a bit more than a week - so that I can get to see my charming French doctor, Dr. Moureaux, I'll have my 2-month well baby visit. Mommy is already a bit nervous for me as I'll get 3 immunization shots on that day. She's really scared of needles so she can't even imagine herself getting 3 shots at a time. I'm a big boy. I'll handle them though I might cry a bit. I'll definitely let you know how it goes when the day comes.