Favorite Expressions by Chase:

"Day go, Mama!" = there you go, Mama!

"Uh Oh Me!" = Chase is doing something that is 'uh oh'

"Mon! Mon!" = Come on, follow me!

"Duk!" = Stuck or Truck or Duck... depending on the context

"Oh....My!" = He looks at his mess and exclaims it ;)

"Ase, Ase" while patting his chest = Chase saying his name because he wants something (he kind of put it together with the word 'please' in sign language), now used mostly when he wants to hold Ami :)

"Doo!" = Two, anything more than one is two in his mind... a flock of birds is 'Doo!' and a pair of shoes is 'Doo shoos!'

"Ai Ni" = 'Wo Ai Ni' which means 'I love you' in Chinese

Chase, you are so loving and kind... I can tell even though you are just a toddler. You love your little sister, even though you sometimes want to drive trucks on her head, or sit on her while she is in her bouncy seat.

I love how your hair makes one big curl at the back, while the rest of your hair just goes wild :)

I love how active you are, even though it makes me tired to chase after you. You are so coordinated and agile, I rarely have to worry about you falling or getting into scrapes. I really need to put you into some type of sport or tumbling! I love how you can kick or throw a ball with surprising accuracy. I love how chill you are with sharing toys (for the most part!), or having them taken from you. A calm spirit is a virtue! I understand when you get frustrated sometimes, because you can't do things that Mama can - balancing toys, rolling play-doh into balls, working the tv correctly. I hope I can help teach you patience :)

I love you, you will always be my buddy, my little man, my Chase-boy :)

Password: Chase1

Chase and his Trains from Mel Tsai on Vimeo.

A snippet into our afternoon... Trains, trucks, and conversation with Mama. :)

Ami's got CURLS!?!?!

If I were one of those girls who squealed with delight and danced in little circles, I think I would be doing that right now...

except I am NOT, nor will I ever be...

So I took A BUNCH of photos...

That is more my style :)

We are planning to go to B**Rs tonight (a social event at Tepper), to show off the kiddos to Jeff's classmates and co-workers. And I thought "hey, I should totally wash Ami's hair, because she hasn't had a bath for two weeks." Side note: Please don't assume I should be put under the 'bad mom' category, because hey, babies really don't get dirty, and they cry a LOT when they are naked (at least mine do), so the less baths, the more I keep my sanity, just sayin'.

But anyway, her hair is just kind of greasy from my fingers needing to stroke it all the time, I seriously HAVE to touch her thick black hair every time I am holding her. So after Chase and I got all cleaned up for the day, I decided to give her a quick scrub down. Ami's hair has been a bit wavy, and so I was already thinking in my head how fun it would be if it was curly, but not really thinking it would ever come true, with my stick straight hair of childhood, and Jeff's straight as a Kooshball hair, I figured there was no way...

and then I added shampoo...

and oh my, those curls just started popping up left and right! Thick, tight little curls all over her head! :) I love, LOVE, LOVE them!

I really hope they stay.

I really don't know how to work with curly hair though, I am going to have to get pointers from my friend Kim, who has crazy awesome curly hair.

The sides of her hair are already starting to flatten from even just taking the photos, and I guess it is probably just a matter of time before the top of her head is straight again from me touching her gorgeous black hair.

Please don't go away curls, I really, REALLY want you to stay :)

Two and a Half weeks into it ;)

At this moment....

Chase is running circles in our living room saying "Whoa, Whoa!"

Ami is sleeping in the Moses basket, which is on the chair-and-a-half

Blue's Clues is playing on Netflix - so convenient, and I forgot what a great kids show that was until this week!

I am typing here...

So, I am over two weeks into this whole 'mom of two kids' thing, and I have to say, it is sometimes easier than I expect, and then it is sometimes much MUCH more difficult than I expect. But above all, it is so incredible to have these two kiddos that are so amazing and wonderful.

Chase is doing so well with the transition, he has been a bit more whiny lately (but that was to be expected) and has tried to head-butt and sit on Ami a few times, and for the most part, I am there to stop it before it happens. But in general, he loves 'Bibi' Ami, and has to give her kisses whenever he sees her. It really is so incredibly sweet to see :)

Ami seems to be adjusting to life in our crazy busy house. She can sleep through most things while in her Moses basket, and can sleep crazy deep when I put her in Chase's crib. I think it must be the white noise of the fan, as well as the fact that Chase cannot get at her while she is in the crib ;)

Today is my 3rd day without any help around the house. Monday went fantastic, with the kiddos sleeping great, no real tantrums, and I got to nap while both the kids were sleeping in the afternoon. Tuesday was more difficult, more whining, more tantrums - although Chase's tantrums are really not all that bad compared to most - Jeff had an evening class, so he didn't get home until after 10pm (7am - 10pm was quite a long time to be by 'myself') and I think the worst thing of all was that I wasn't able to get a nap in... And I am still sorely in need of a nap a day, which I keep forgetting, and I also keep forgetting that my body needs to still recover from having a baby two weeks ago. I was so exhausted last night that I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!

Today I made a point to make it to my Bible Study group, and got up at 6am to make it happen. I really hope that I don't have to get up that early to make it to things in the future! Hopefully I will become more efficient and just be able to get up when the kiddos do... which is around 7:30... and another hour or so of sleep goes a long way!

Happy 1 week Birthday, Ami Michele!

You were born at 4:25am

Weighed 6lbs 4oz

19 inches long

with a full head of black hair!

You waited for your Baba to get home from Chicago before you decided to come, good girl!

You decided to come pretty fast though, in only two and a half hours... but Mama is thankful

In seconds you learned how to breath

immediately you recognized your Baba and Mama's voices

within minutes you learned how to nurse

in hours you were aware and calm with your hair being washed

and in an instant you had Baba wrapped around your itty bitty finger

in three days you gave Mama your first smile

after a week, Chase still calls you "Bibi," but now also calls you "Tiny"

you smile in your sleep when he kisses your head

You are so wonderfully and fearfully made

for God knit you together in my womb

and I am in awe at this gift He has given us

You are a miracle

you are beautiful

you are our Ami Michele

and we love you so much!