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Is it really only the end of January? Okay, so I'm posting closer to mid-February - but for many reasons, it has already felt like such a long year! The new year brought on a lot of reflection - what it means to be a family, the dichotomy of being a great employee and a great mother at the same time (is it even possible?), and the neverending goal to get fit!

Family - Papa Wey took a long two week trip to Europe for work, leaving Mama and J to fend for ourselves (almost)! It is definitely different being on the other end of the travel stick, as I found myself missing hubby so, so much. Our family felt so incomplete without him here on the weekends, and to reflect to every night after a long day of work. Thankfully, Grandma Lie could spend some extra time with us post-holiday season, to keep us well-fed, in good company, and reminding us to not stress! Similarly, I think Papa missed the family too despite his busy and indulgent trip, and promised to take us next time! :) Each day, I appreciate and cherish the family that we are more and more.

Work/Life Balance - let's just say, the balance is slowly tipping one way. I've found myself going through more introspection about what I want out of my job, while at the same time, embracing those precious 2 hours I get to spend with J each evenings and on the weekends. Despite being back at work for almost 3 months, my heart breaks just a little every morning when I say goodbye, and even when I turn him in for bed each night. Will I ever adjust or figure this out? I guess we will see this year...

Getting fit - UGH. Baby weight. UGH. Jiggly arms. UGH. It's been impossible getting back into a regular exercise routine during the week. On the weekends, Papa and I try to trade off workout times with each other, but I think to really get down to my original weight, I just have to try and squeeze in more workouts! Those stinkin' last few pounds! And with work stress and pressure, I definitely can't help sneaking in that extra bite of sweet each day! OOF! Oh repeat new year's resolution, will this be the year?

As for little J - well - he is such a star! He brings a joy to us that we've never known, and it is so amazing how he learns all of his new tricks on his own. How does he do that?! In J's 8th month, he has:

- discovered his man parts. yup, bath time is even *more* fun!

- started schooching! he is still refining his motor skills to get to a formal crawl, but in the mean time, he is rolling, schooching, reaching, and stretching to get where he wants to go!

- started getting a little stranger anxiety. he is generally a very happy and friendly baby, but there he has his off-moments when someone just doesn't rub him the right way, and he'll break out in a sporadic cry!

- growing teeth! the first one is here, and the second one is starting to show itself....

- copying our actions. from squishy faces, to clapping, to noises, he is a perky, talkative, hyper little man!

- developed an affinity for wheeeeeel offfff fortune! after dinner time, j enjoys some trivia and shouts out letters with momma - "e!" - "i!" - "j!" -"L!"

- started sitting up on his own. he goes from downward dog to.... seated baby!

Here is a photo summary of the Wey's January!

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It's J's new thing.

And it's hilarious!

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Squishy!

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We can't believe how quickly December came and went. From all of the holiday parties, to our tropical christmas in Hawaii, we had such a blast, and keep reminiscing at all of the fun we had. Most of all, we really enjoyed creating new traditions, all for our little one. It's all just a preview to the fun we'll have this coming year!

J has changed so much in the last month. He is so, so alert, and listens intently to all conversations. He tracks movements like a hawk, and just can't get enough of play! It could have been all of the firsts and loads of food we ate this past month - J has so many new tricks up his sleeve! And oh yeah, on Jan 1, he sprouted a tooth! Above all, J is growing up to be such a HAPPY and smiley little boy, which is all that matters to Mama and Papa Wey. Some new things that come to mind (there are so many now!):

- He loves picking up his toy, shaking it around for a bit, and then dropping it to the side. Or maybe he's playing us?

- He is doing lots of very high push-ups! Sometimes he gets on his knees, and today, he started scooching backwards. Uh-oh?

- He can clap his hands, and when we say "hooray!", he goes "hwayyyyy!"

- He reacts to different songs that we sing - Grandma has taught him a new Indonesian folk song, and when he hears it, he makes this "crrrrrrr" sound because he's so excited!

- He plays around with sounds, "bobbobob", "bllpttt", "momomomo", "dadadadada", "daahhh-deee" (that's the closest he's come to daddy so far), "yayayaya", "gagagaga", "pahpahpahpahpah"

- When we say, kisses, he starts leaning in for one!

- He devours his meals. When he sees us eat, his mouth starts moving, "bop bop bop", and he gets angry "graaaah" when we don't feed him!

And with those new tricks, he's also stopped falling asleep when we're out, and has become such a squirmy wormy! He has been teasing us with stranger anxiety too, but sometimes, I think it's just because he is startled. So far, he's been smiling at all the ladies! In the evenings, it's sometimes hard to say goodnight to him because he is just so much fun. Time continues to fly by, with only 4 months left before he turns 1? Here is to a stellar 2012!

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It's been such a fun and action-packed December, none of us have had a chance to say hi!

In case we missed you, here's hoping your holiday season was filled with all things merry and bright. We'll be updating soon with our (massive) December album, so stay tuned!

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Lil J's been making all kinds of sounds of late, expanding his vocab to B, D, F, M, N, and even gave us a very clear NO. I don't think he knows what he's saying yet, he's just enjoying saying it.  A couple of videos to capture the babbling.

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This month, it was a month of milestones for Mama. I returned back to work (slowly, but surely), and took my first business trip all on my own! Gasp! Each week has just been a constant up and down of to-do's, emotions, and thoughts. Apart from missing Justin terribly, it's taken a few weeks for me to get mentally back into thinking about work and not about little J (when is he supposed to eat, has he pooped yet, what should we play today, ooh, it's nap time!). And for nursing mamas, boy, is it a pain in the butt trying to carry that on in the workplace. I have so much admiration for all of you working mamas, and how you've been doing it this long! Hoo boy!

Apart from that, we made it an extra point to spend lots of family time together on the weekends this month, instead of filling it up with constant activities. Now that both Mama and Papa are back at work, the weekends are all for Justin, playing with him and taking him about to see what new things he can absorb. I find myself squishing and showering him with kisses more than usual now, and am so grateful inside to hear his bursts of laughter. Justin hosted his first Thanksgiving, which was a delicious success! (and he's been loving eating poultry lately too!)

Justin continues to make us laugh, smile, and be thankful for everything that he is (and we are so thankful that he finally started sleeping through the night - HOORAY!) Check out his new moves here!

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Either Lil J is a happy lil guy that is easily amused, or Daddy is funny-looking.

Actually, both are probably true.

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Lil man's starting to make new sounds. I wish I could say they're his first words, but that would mean he calls everything "Buh-buh."  Me. His poopy diaper.  Whoever's on the TV. We're all "buh-buh-buh" to him.

Check him in action.

Where the humping motion comes from, I have no idea.

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Well, it's here. My last day of maternity leave. I knew it'd come quick, but not this quick!

It's definitely with mixed emotions that I return to the office. While I know it'll be good for the family and for me, I can't help but wonder, will J remember me? Will he be missing me during the day? What will I miss when I'm at the office?

We are very fortunate to have found a lovely nanny, who is like family to us now. Though I know J will be in good hands, I can't help but feel sad that this time has passed, and there will never be anything else like it. Mamma loves you little J! Don't grow up too fast while Momma's working k?

peacefully passed out with goh-goh (doggie in chinese) after our long day of play!

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WIth Justin's first Fall, comes many other firsts too! The Wey family went on their first road trip to LA and visit to Disneyland! We had our first "down the leg" poo, and Justin had his first taste of solids, the love affair for food begins! Hooray!

Now that Justin is just about six months, we are definitely enjoying him more and more. He is just a little bit easier to take out and about, and life with him seems just a little bit more manageable. I think I failed to mention in our last post that Justin is *almost* sleeping through the night. He gets up once or twice for comfort, but pretty much goes from 830pm - 7am the next day on most days! Pheu! We are working on ironing out those kinks but with his eczema, I completely understand and just want to be there for him.

With the holiday season upon us, we are looking forward to many more fantastic firsts! Here is all of our fun from October!

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Oh my gosh! It's been 6 months already!

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"you made all those cupcakes for ME, mommy?"

I know I say this every month, but Justin has grown up so much! He's now:

- Rolling over both ways. He rests his head on his arms when he's tired of tummy time, and then just tilts his head to one side and the momentum of his (big?) head brings the rest of his body over. It's so funny!

- Grasping grasping everything, and eating eating everything! Whenever we sit him somewhere, his hands grabs on and does this scratchy-scratchy motion as he explores the world around him. When he sees a toy he recognizes, it instantly goes in his mouth! Nom nom!

- Eating solids! So far, he looooooves sweet potatoes the best. He's also had fuji apples, butternut squash, and rice cereal. (Mommy has been making all of these in large batches, hehe) He makes a funny face when he eats apples because the texture is a bit sinewy. He stares at everything we put in our mouths and was totally staring at his cupcakes today every time we walked past it. Mommy feels bad you can't have everything we eat yet, baby, but soon enough! Future foodie, we hope!

- Bouncing. His legs are strong now and he can go boing boing boing in your lap!

- Facetiming with Grandma and Grandpa Lie. His face lights up when he sees them on the screen. He especially loves it when GM Lie whistles and when GP Lie makes funny faces. It just cracks him up!

- Going for walks where there are trees. Recently, we've noticed that every time trees are blowing in the wind, he'll purr and his eyes will just light up. So funny?

- Seeing new faces and socializing. Every time we bring him out and he sees a new face, J gets giddy with excitement! His legs tense up and he starts bouncing, laughing, and flailing his arms! We hope this keeps up. He's just such a happy, happy fella!

- Aware of what we put on his face. Just like most babies we know, he hates it when we put lotion on his face, wipe his mouth, or pull a shirt over his head. Since Justin has eczema, Mommy has to frequently (re)apply lotion on his face, and she's had to come up with some creative ways to put it on without him wailing!

- Screaming like a baby pterodactyl! haha. He's developed a new sound - this is definitely his sound for distress. When he's hungry. When he's tired. When he's bored. haha.

- Loving his mommy and daddy? When we're by his crib, he'll grab our hands as if to say... "don't leave my side just yet!" Awe shucks.

It's an amazing time right now, and I am so so sad to have to countdown to my first day back at work. Won't he wonder where I am? Will I be able to declare his likes/dislikes next month in such detail? :( I'm overwhelmed with this emotion of just wanting to make him happy, and how can I do that when I'm in the office? I know everyone does it, but will I be able to? I guess we shall seeeeeeeeee.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Justin! We're so excited that you are half a year old! muahmuahmuahmuahmuah!!! squishes! eeeeeeeee!

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I'm not really an angry sort, but sometimes when I screach, Mommy thinks I sound just like an angry bird!

Happy Halloween!

(P.S. There is a head piece that Justin refused to wear, but maybe he doesn't need it with that hair!)

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Well, it sure doesn't feel like it yet with this 70 degree weather, but all pumpkins are pointing towards Fall! (scarily, they say that when an earthquake is coming, the weather becomes all freakishly hot! ak!)

We've been introducing J to some Fall fun at a few local pumpkin patches. He wants to put everything in his mouth these days, and is getting stronger by the day, leaning forward wanting to sit all on his own!

What is he going to be for Halloween? Well, stay tuned!

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He tried sweet potato solids for the first time this week, and he totally devoured his portion. These days, he's been impatiently yelling for more! It's so cute (and messy) to see little J eat!

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...and inspired by Halloween!

Stay tuned for more of Baby J's tricks!

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Over the past month, J's personality has been shining through more and more. He loves to laugh and rolled over for the first time while we were in Singapore! Oh! And in case you were wondering, yes, we have cut his hair. Five times already!! Some of his other loves:

- when you make funny faces and air kisses at him; he'll just crack up

- wind in his hair, it makes him giggle!

- grabbing his toys and putting anything and everything in his mouth

- playing with his feet, leaning to the side, and then rolling over!

- staring at his hands, and then realizing where his thumb is, putting it in his mouth with much satisfaction!

- mouth farts against his feet, belly, or neck! we have a ticklish one!

- babbling at himself in a mirror; his favorite place to do this lately is in the car!

- being in a crowd; we might have a social one on our hands. he really doesn't like being alone and will start shrieking if he thinks he is! being around lots of voices and people makes him happy!

- seeing food come towards him. when you show him his bottle, his mouth goes, "aaaah". haha!

Here are all of our September adventures, including our trip to Asia!

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Singapore was not much different - we caught up with lots of family and friends and just took each relaxing day at a time. Mommy learned that nursing Justin on the up and down of flights was the best way to go, because JJ had a not-so-glamorous meltdown moment on the descend to Singapore when we used a bottle. It ran out just in time, and JJ cried so hard that most of it came back up again :( He was gagging on the milk and totally scared Mommy!! The *second* we landed, he was all giggles again. What a fright!!

Our time in Singapore made me feel more and more what it might be like to live there - setting playdates, seeing family for meals only while B, J, and I zipped around Singapore. Daddy even went to work a few days, which left Grandma, Mommy, and J to hang out. We were also fortunate enough to check out the Formula 1 festivities too - how Singapore has changed so much since I lived there! It was so much fun and so hard to leave this time around.

All in all, the trip was good, but EXHAUSTING. B and I haven't slept properly in a month (now dealing with baby jetlag), and as much as we take it easy at the airport and on the planes, there is always that heightened level of anxiety. We loved taking JJ to meet all of our family -- but will definitely space out that next long haul trip! We also realize that vacations will never be the same (for the better and for the worse) when traveling with our little one.

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All I can say is - PHEU!

Papa and I survived our first flight, a long international one at that, with the little man. From getting through security, to calming him in public, to flying, and hop scotching between airports and flights, traveling with a baby is pure exhaustion!! Papa goes: why did we decide to do this again?

Helas, it is our reality. We love to travel!

He did pretty well considering, but then again, I don't have a lot to compare with. He slept about 9 hours total, in one big chunk and then a couple of little chunks, and played with the SQ stewardesses a lot. He sure was popular! Loooove the SQ crew, who would take J around the cabin so that Mama and Papa could eat and get some rest!  We had to change plans in HK to get to Taiwan on Cathay, and by that point, I think he was just hot, sticky, and tired because he was a little bit more cranky.

I had no choice but to nurse in public, so broke out of that fear pretty quickly. I think J's ears were fine most of the time, and on the way down, tried a pacifier, and that worked too. It was mostly the loud noises of the engine starting up that would startle him. Poor little guy.  He traveled with mama in his new Baby Bjorn Comfort, which he loved! Facing outward makes a big difference...

Poor Papa was wiped from the heat and transporting our 5 pieces of luggage all over the place!

But we made it...

Little J adjusted to jetlag pretty well, I think. He quickly learned when it was night, but he would just get tired much earlier than usual, with the jetlag kicking in around 5pm Asia time (2am PST). He still would wake up once to nurse and otherwise, has just been following his regular eating, playing, sleeping schedule during the day.

We've been spending a lot of time at home with Papa's family. Mostly because it's just stinkin' hot outside and Papa can't stand to leave the comfort of an A/C room! Justin met great grandma Wey yesterday, hung out with all of Papa's cousins, aunties, and uncles, and has been getting his first tastes of Din Tai Fung, Taiwanese cuisine, and even some milk tea. heeheee!

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well, here we go. not only will this be justin's first time on an airplane, but it's going to be an international flight spanning 16 hours!

you can imagine my nerves.

but it's now, or never! i think we've pretty much got everything packed -- just l'il justin to go, heehee!

we'll try and post updates along our trip! stay tuned!

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.... is still an illusive pie in the sky for Mama and Papa Wey. J is such a good baby, able to put himself to sleep all on his own when it comes to bed time. Now, we are just trying to figure out how to get him to *stay* asleep! To date, he is waking up once to feed, but often wakes himself up 2,3,4 times in the night because of itchiness (recently diagnosed with eczema) and I think he may be teething now too!

What is the deal with sleeping through the night? As a Mama, I get so torn sometimes. Am I doing something wrong? Should I be more strict? Do I just go with little J's flow?

When I read articles like this, it definitely sways me towards taking our time and going with J's flow. Sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone, just like rolling over, talking, and walking! He's just a baby after all... and he's so cute!

But then when I think about returning to work, and having to wake up to soothe him, AND function as a working professional, it makes me re-think our approach, and then I get a little frustrated =T I do love seeing him in the middle of the night, and wouldn't mind just nursing him once a night, but it's all those unexplainable wakings that are tough for Mama and Papa! Since our bedroom is right next door too, we really have no incentive not to get up, because we aren't able to fall back asleep anyways (at least, I'm not able to).

Since he puts himself to sleep at bed time, we haven't had to try the "cry it out" method. But should we do this in the middle of the night when he is wide awake? I donno. I'm not ready yet =P heh.

Okay, that is my rant for today!

How can I leave this face to cry? I just can't! With his newfound LOLs, rolling over, and more prevalent smiles, it's just so hard! Little J has also been awake more during the day, which means... more play! Yay!

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