What is a snood?

Do you know what a snood is? Mummy and daddy had a great Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Grandma and grandpa were here to celebrate and they played with me throughout the festivities and merriment. Mummy roasted this GIANT turkey! Apparently it was the smallest turkey they could find at T-Joe's but it was still as big as I am! Here I am being held by yeye. He sure knows how to make me laugh.

Here we are after the turkey was roasted. Mummy smeared it in herb butter. Papa looked worried about something called "chol-est-er-ol". What's that? Apparently something required for formation of cell membranes with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic components, but that's a fascinating story for another time...

Here I am looking worried that I'm not going to get a taste of this turkey. And I didn't! What's up with that? Apparently I need something call "teeth" first.

Here's a picture of the spread that mummy put together. The menu included:

-garlic mashed potatoes
-chard and lentil soup
-roast turkey with herb butter and a divine gravy from the drippings
-butternut squash and arugula salad
-yam puree with marshmallow topping
-brussel sprouts with spiced pecans
-brioche with dried cherry stuffing
-pear clafoutis

This all went exceptionally well with a spanish cava that yeye unearthed at the local market. yum! (I'm still upset that I didn't get to try anything, though mummy's milk is still quite tasty).

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! Hope your bellies are as full as mine always is.

Oh yes - a snood is that little dangly thing on the turkey's beak. That's our fun factoid of the day. Talk to you later!

Yeye & Nainai are here!

Hello friends!

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us and that means the fridge is full of lots of potential. Mummy is planning a traditional menu of turkey (pre-brined - thank you trader joes!), brioche stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes (courtesy of our new food mill), cranberry relish, lentil soup, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and poached pears for dessert. What are your favorite dishes for Thanksgiving? We like having lots of food on the table.. or a cornucopia if you will. It makes us feel extra blessed and thankful to be so full. I can't wait to partake in all the festivities - even if I don't get to try real thanksgiving food until next year.

In preparation for the holiday, I have been working on some extra cute smiles and giggles. In fact, every time Papa takes out the camera I flash him one of these:

I tend to get a lot of positive reinforcement for being so sociable. It's such good timing, considering Yeye and Nainai have come to visit me all the way from San Diego. I figure if I smile a lot and be cute... chances are I can pretty much get whatever I want.

What do you think?

Today's post is brought to you by the # 5!

Hello! I apologize for the delay in posts. My main editor was on something called "service" and Papa didn't understand me when I told him how to blog. Actually it was kind of sad since I barely got to see Mama for a whole week! I'm so glad she's back around now. We're having so much fun!
First of all, I turned 5 months! Here I am celebrating with my banana! Did you notice my new lilac bumbo seat? It helps me sit up.

I am becoming an expert in hanging out on my tummy and reaching for things. I especially like to chew on things like this ball. (Thanks Aki and Owen!)

While Mummy was working so hard, Daddy took really good care of me. We played together and he cooked dinner for Mummy every night. He even managed to clean the house. He's a super Papa! I took them both out to their favorite new bakery spot for breakfast on Saturday.

Then my papa and mama got all dressed up on Saturday night to go to something called a gala. Papa kind of looked like a penguin, all in black and white. I thought he looked great. Mama wore a pretty green dress and off they went.
What about me you ask? I got to hang out with Uncle JT for a few hours. We had a good time. Look what letters he taught me about while they were gone:

In honor of my 5-month birthday I thought I'd share a few of my latest clips. I'm really into talking. Here I am trying to explain to my Papa that I'm not little fatty, just big-boned!



And here I am doing my best baby pterydactyl call.



Stay tuned for more updates!

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Can you guess what I am? Here's a joke that's also a hint: "What did the ginger say to his neighbor? WHASSA...BEE?" That's right! I've dressed up as a piece of really delicious sushi! Amaebi (fresh shrimp) to be exact. My costume even comes with wasabi and ginger on my headband. What do you think?
To match me, Mummy wanted Papa to be another chopstick with her, but daddy wasn't so game to dress up for halloween.
Well, regardless, I'm pretty pleased with my costume. If we go out to eat sushi, I plan to wear this. What a versatile outfit! Tonight, we're going to hand out some treats to the bigger neighborhood kids. Maybe in 2 years I can try some of this stuff called "candy"?

Roll roll roll...in my new crib!

More news to report this week! I'm sleeping in a new crib in my own room! Mummy and daddy put together this really nice crib for me with soft sheets and something called a "bumper" so I don't bonk my head on the rails. I really like it, although I think mummy and daddy were kind of anxious not having me sleep in the room with them. Mummy Lei was so nice, she bought the crib for me - I'm going to miss her so much when she leaves this week. Thank you so much Mummy Lei!

I think mum and dad are going to be very sad too - look at this beautiful dinner that mummy lei whipped together! I've been staring more at the food the big people eat, and if I've been good, I get to sit in daddy's lap at the dinner table. I sure like to see all that food! Mummy Lei showed daddy how to cook something called "rum beef" - oh my oh my. I cannot wait!

Here I am in a very "slimming" striped shirt in my new crib. I've even been taking naps in my crib, though usually not without a fuss. Mummy had to resort to the "five S's" today because I was protesting so much. But after my nap, I felt so refreshed and ready to play - I rolled a few extra times just for fun. Mum sure knows what is good for me.

Speaking of rolling, here's a little video clip of me rolling. It's my online "live action" debut! I'm really good at rolling back to front, but I seem to have forgotten how to roll front to back. Soon enough though, the world will be my oyster - and a sweet, juicy one at that.

How 'bout them (Washington) apples?

I've whole-heartedly embraced being a seattle-ite.. and that means I love my rain and my apples!
It was a torrential downpour in the morning, but it seemed to clear so made our way to the farmer's market. The apples were in abundance. I thought I'd do my impression of an apple. How do I look?

As soon as we got there, it started to drizzle and then pour again, but I was safe under my cover. I was totally embarrassed when Mummy and Papa did the very Un-Seattle thing of pulling out their umbrellas. Curiously, lots of other people at the market also pulled out their umbrellas, so it wasn't too out of place.

In the end it was tons of fun and a beautiful fall day even with the rain. Check out these colorful trees (not burned, like in California) as Papa put away our spoils from the day!

When we got home, I couldn't help but inspect all our merchandise. Mummy bought this giant zucchini! It's taller than I am! Feel free to leave suggestions of what you think she should make with it. Zucchini fritters? Zucchini salad? Zucchini bread? Yumm-0.

So this farmer's market had no blue bottle, but Papa is happy it's not a "2-ATM" kind of place, that Aunty Susy is familiar with. I can't wait to take our next outing. I'm ready!

Maybe we can go to San Francisco? Heard I missed Lucy Jiejie's big party with a bouncy house and everything. Happy Birthday Lucy Jiejie!

My Guitar Hero!

Uncle Andy came over for dinner again and we had a grand time. He brought this game called "guitar hero". I've never quite seen my papa so competitive, but he really got into it. This picture shows how serious he is about being a rock star...mama tried it but got "boo-ed" off stage twice. Ouch. Someone ain't got rhythm, eh?

In other news, mummy went back to work this week. It's so sad! I didn't think mummy had to go back to work, she's been at home with me for my entire life, all 4 months of it! I miss her so much when she's gone, so I try to be extra good. Don't I look like I'm behaving well in this photo?

When mummy's gone, a very nice lady named Li Ayi comes to play with me. She's so nice! She speaks to me in Chinese and I think my accent is improving. Coo-er! (she's from the north near beijing)

Mummy keeps saying that 4 month olds are supposed to know how to roll, so I've been working on it. I think my center of gravity is all in my tush, which makes it kind of hard. I'm working on it though!

I'm so happy that it's the weekend. That means that mummy and papa are here with me the entire time! And Mummy Lei gives me a bath every night and I love it - she gets the water temperature just the way I like it. I heard we might be going to a "farmer's market" tomorrow. I'll tell you all about it next time-er. Coo soon!

4 months old!

I'm 4 months old today! Can you believe how quickly time has passed?
It's been a solid 4 months. At the pediatrician's office today, I was 14lbs 7oz (6.55kg for those that prefer metric.)
Given that weight, I feel pretty strong. I can push up my body and lift up my head! Hey Mummy, where are my clothes?

I've also spent a lot more time reaching for things. Look at me holding my frog. I have a really strong grip!

And of course, as it is a milestone month-day for me... here's my banana! I'm trying to taste it here, but am suspicious of my mama trying to take it away from me.

Aunty M-C and Uncle Andrew came from Vancouver to see me. It was great to be held by them. Uncle Andrew loves taking pictures of me with his big fancy camera. I thought I'd give him my happy look.

All in all, it's been a fantastic 4 months... except maybe those shots in my thigh today. Good thing I have some padding there to protect me.
Time for bed. I'll coo more with you later!

Mummy Lei is here!

Lots of news to report this week! Mummy Lei is here from Washington DC! She took a long flight and didn't arrive in Seattle until late at night, but it was so nice to be held by her. My mummy and daddy are thrilled as well - they are getting lots of good food to eat. You can tell how happy I am in this next picture. Thanks to Auntie Jacqui for making me look so hip as I model "small paul." (My parents lack "edge" so I have to rely on others for the hipster factor)

On top of that, I got a new colorful rattle all the way from some of my papa's friends in Scotland. I don't know for sure where that is, but papa says it's across a big ocean. It was perfect because I am working on grabbing things, and I like to shake, rattle, and roll.

And of course, mummy Lei is here - I was taking my nap when we went to this upscale shopping place called "university village". I heard papa saying that mummy and mummy lei could do some serious damage to their credit cards there. What's a credit card? Can I get one?

Mummy Lei has been cooking all sorts of good food to eat. Usually it doesn't last long enough to be photographed, but this duck looked so pretty we had to take a picture. Papa keeps talking about something called "rum beef" and "green mango salad". We went to a new grocery store called uwajimaya yesterday. We didn't bring our camera, but wow! So much fresh fish, fruits, and veggies. I got to see all sorts of fruits that I haven't seen since we moved from San Francisco - it felt like a little bit of Clement street with the durian, star fruits, and green mangoes (just to name a few).

More to come later. I know that mummy and mummy lei will have more adventures with me in the next week. Papa already started work so I'm missing him during the day. So nice when he comes home at night.

Green Lake...monster!

Here's my latest update! Mummy, daddy, and I went to take a walk around this place called "Green Lake". The only lake I've ever seen is Mountain Lake in San Francisco where we used to live. That's where Auntie Kristin, Susy and Uncle Yeeli surprised us with such a nice picnic (see previous blog)! Did you know that Mountain Lake is the last natural fresh water lake in all of San Francisco? How about that!

Green Lake is MUCH bigger. We saw all sorts of people walking around. There were other moms with their kids, lots of dogs (very well behaved, might I add), and even a kayaker or two! Did you hear that auntie Kristin? I started to get hungry near the end of our walk so started to say politely, "Mom, I'm kind of famished. When do I eat?" It always comes out as a "waaaaaahhhhhh!!!!". I've got to keep working on my verbalization.

Then daddy had to start work and I was very sad. Mummy was sad too, but daddy kept mumbling about something called health insurance. I guess it's a good thing he started work again. Phew! I still don't quite understand, mummy called the new pediatrician today and asked about something called "shots". Do those hurt? I'll have to ask my friends Lucy and Zoe (umlaut above the "e"). I seem to recall getting shots a couple months ago, but don't remember exactly.

Last night, both mummy and daddy were tired and didn't want to cook, so they tried out a place near U. Washington called "Jack's Tapas Cafe, Mainly Chinese". Really, that's what it was called! I guess the cook is named Jack, and most of the food is chinese, hence, "mainly chinese". Mummy and daddy loved it! It was food from northern china, which isn't always easy to find - they had a pancake stuffed with chives, and "dao xiao" noodles that are shaved off right before cooking. It smelled delectable! I can't wait to start eating solids...daddy teased me with a juicy looking grape (pu tao) today but I just frowned. Shame on him!

Shushu x 2!

Yi-an Shushu came all the way from Boston to hold me. At first I was a little suspicious, but then I warmed up and we had a great time! He even held me at dinner! I only wish Kristin Ayi could have come. Maybe next time?

Andy Shushu lives just across the lake so Mummy and Papa hope to see a lot more of him. My parents are taking suggestions on how to decorate their long living room space. Andy Shushu thinks a pool table would go well there. Mummy is not sure this will work, but thought it was a unique suggestion.

For dinner we had a delicious spaghetti and meatballs. O wait, I mean they did. Look how satiated they are!

Here's Mummy's recipe for fabulous meatballs:
1 lb of ground turkey
6oz diced pancetta
4 hot italian sausages (uncooked and remove from casing)
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
1 egg
3T finely chopped parsley
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
3T milk

Mix the above in a big bowl and roll into small 1-1.5 inch balls. Bake on parchment paper or foil-lined pan for 30 min at 375.
Papa is usually caught eating them right out of the oven and burning his mouth or you can plop them in marinara on top of spaghetti. They are great snacks or as cold leftovers. They have great texture and are well-seasoned with minimal work since the pancetta and sausage meat are in there.
Oh so divine!

Feed me!

My parents have some issues with transitioning to a new city. Me on the other hand.. my needs are simplified. I thought I was giving my parents very clear signals... I just love to eat. Plus, I have a lot of body to upkeep. I mean look at my folds! Feed me!!!

So I had backed down to sleeping only 6 hours a night, waking up hungry again. It burns a lot of energy to hold up this head! My parents thought it was because we were in a new location. WRONG! Then they got the right idea to feed me 4-5 ounces/feed instead of just 2-3 or both sides from mama, not just 1.

Yup.. now life is good again and I'm sleeping 8-9 hours again. Ahh.. so rested and happy again! I'm moving so fast, my cameraman couldn't keep up and this pic is blurry.

Contented with life, I hung out with Uncle JT. Then I noticed on the table a delicious tikka masala. Hmm... When do I get to eat solids?